VISA INFORMATION
Entry conditions for foreigners under visa obligation for up to 90 days
Visa free entry depends on the citizenship of the applicant. Citizens of many countries do not need a visa to visit Hungary for stays up to 90 days. Please check the country list if you are not sure whether you need a visa:
http://www.kulugyminiszterium.hu/kum/en/bal/consular_services/Entry_of_Foreigners_to_Hungary/visa_exemption/
A visa is only a preliminary permission and not guaranty for entry. The traveler may be requested to provide proof of the existence of the conditions of his entry and stay in Hungary and, if he is not able to fulfill this, he may be returned from the border.
The types of Schengen visas
Airport transit visa (A): authorizes the bearer to enter the international zone of the airport and to remain there until the time of the departure of the flight to the destination country. Only nationals of the following states are obliged to apply for an airport transit visa when transiting Hungary: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.
Third-country nationals holding a valid visa for a Member State or for a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area of 2 May 1992, Canada, Japan or the United States of America, or when they return from those countries after having used the visa. Green card or US visa bearers do not need an airport visa.
Short stay visa (C): authorizes the bearer to a single, double or multiple entries and, in case of an uninterrupted stay, to a stay of maximum 90 days, while in case of an interrupted stay, to a stay of altogether maximum 90 days within the 6 months counted from the date of the first entry.
Attention! In case you have to transfer in Ferihegy 1 Airport or your flight arrives to Ferihegy 1 and your transfer flight departs from Ferihegy 2 or you have to transfer between Ferihegy 2A and Ferihegy 2B (and vice versa), being in possession of a C visa is necessary.
If you change flights two times within the Schengen zone, you need a C visa.
Where to submit a visa application?
Schengen visa applications have to be submitted at the representation of the country which is the main destination of the visit. If visiting several states with stays of approximately the same duration the consulate responsible for issuing the visa is that of the country of the first entry into the Schengen area.
Thus, according to the above described Schengen regulations applicants having Hungary as the main destination, or the country of first entry in case of a trip stretching through several Schengen Member States can submit their visa applications at the Hungarian representations.
Practical example: If you wish to travel for three weeks, spending two weeks in Austria and one in Hungary, you should apply for the Schengen visa at the Austrian consulate.
It is sometimes difficult to determine the main destination, especially when the traveler intends to make several consecutive stays of same length in various Schengen States. In this case, you should go to the consulate of the first country you intend to visit.
Practical example: A businessman plans a trip to Europe to meet business partners in various European capitals, in each of which he will stay for one or two days. He has booked a trip to Frankfurt, from which he will continue on his journey. In this case, the appropriate consulate is the German consulate.
Which of the Hungarian consulates is responsible for issuing a visa?
Once it has been established that a Hungarian consulate is responsible for issuing a Schengen visa, it has to be chosen which one of them. The general rule is that the application must be handed in at the consulate of where the applicant has a habitual residence.
In the United States, the visa application shall be submitted to the Hungarian representation competent according to the permanent or usual place of residence of the foreigner. The visa shall be submitted in person.
Who and when can submit a visa application?
The applicant can submit personally his/her own or his/her family member’s visa application.
Minors shall submit an application form signed by a person exercising permanent or temporary parental authority or legal guardianship.
Applications shall be lodged no more than three months before the start of the intended visit. Holders of a multiple-entry visa may lodge the application before the expiry of the visa valid for a period of at least six months.
The Consulate General of Hungary in Los Angeles serves only those applicants, who have made an appointment. There is no walk in application.
Visa Fees
Application for an airport transit visa (A), short-term entry visa (C) 80 USD
Negotiated fees for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and the Ukraine 47 USD
Applicants between 6-12 years of age 47 USD
The visa fee shall be waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories:
- children under six years;
- school pupils, students, post-graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
- researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research as defined in Recommendation No 2005/761/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005 to facilitate the issue by the Member States of uniform short-stay visas for researchers from third countries travelling within the Community for the purpose of carrying out scientific research;
- representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations.
Attention!
- The visa fee shall be paid when the application is submitted.
- The consulate only charges the visa fee. There are no other fees.
- In case of a refusal of the visa, the visa processing fee cannot be refunded.
- The fee shall be paid in USD.
- The consulate can only accept payments in cash, money order or cashier's check. The consulate does not accept personal checks or debit/credit cards.
- All documents to be presented in connection with the visa application shall be original. No copies notarized or not, shall be accepted. Any request for waiving this requirement shall be rejected without further consideration.
The documents needed for visa applications
If you are planning to visit more Schengen States, then the documents submitted must also contain information on your stay in the other Schengen States (e.g. if you plan to visit Hungary and the Czech Republic, you must not only hand in proof of hotel reservation in Hungary, but also in the Czech Republic, the same applies to ticket reservations and so on.)
I. General requirements:
- Valid passport (the validity of which has to exceed that of the requested visa by at least 3 months, issued within the last 10 years and containing 2 empty pages);
- 1 passport-size color photo
- The application form wholly, legibly completed (in printed letters)
You may download the form from here:
http://www.mfa.gov.hu/NR/rdonlyres/4D702311-30E4-49C9-BD41-7CF7998F64CC/0/vizumkerdoiv_en.pdf
Please sign the application form in front of the consular official!
- Valid US alien registration card (residence permit, aka: green card) or valid US resident visa (type A, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, O, R)
- A letter from your insurance company stating that you will be covered for at least $ 50.000 during your stay in Europe for any medical and repatriation expenses or a travel medical insurance. So the travel insurance shall provide cover for at least $ 50.000 for financing urgent health services and homeward transportation due to medical reasons, it shall be valid for the whole period of stay and for the territory of every Schengen State.
To fulfill the requirements of the visa application, the applicant, besides meeting these general requirements, shall also supply a certificate of the financial coverage of his expenses, and a certificate of the purpose of the visit:
II. The financial coverage of the expenses shall be certified with at least one of the following documents:
- an original income certificate by the employer
- a bank account statement on the account turnover during the last three months
- a pension slip
- a certificate of registration in the case of an individual entrepreneur or one-man firm
- a valid ticket, a certificate of a reserved and prepaid journey, accommodation
- in the case of minors, a declaration by the legal representative on the coverage of the costs and on the existence of the financial coverage
- original letter of invitation issued and endorsed by the Hungarian Office of Immigration and Nationality.
III. The purpose of the entry shall be certified with the following documents:
When applying for an airport transit (A) visa:
- a valid ticket certifying the transit/itinerary
- a visa to the destination country, if necessary.
When applying for a short stay (C) visa:
Tourist visit: the certificate of the travel agency; or in case of an individual visit the prepaid reservation of accommodation.
Entry with an educational or other scientific or professional training purpose: the certificate of the receiving institution, the certificate of the envisaged place of accommodation in Hungary
In case of visiting friends, acquaintances: invitation letter issued and endorsed by the Office of Immigration and Nationality or the letter of invitation in the form of a public notarial document and a photocopy of the personal identification document/passport of the inviting party in Hungary.
Cultivation of family relations: an invitation letter as described in the previous indent or a letter signed by the applicant in full awareness of his/her criminal liability describing the degree of the family relation, giving the name, address and phone number of the family member and the purpose of the entry and stay.
Business purposes: in case there already exists a business partner in Hungary: a letter of invitation from the business partner, proof of the existence of commercial business relations; or the certificate of the local chamber of commerce on the existence of business relations, and the certification of the address of the envisaged place of accommodation in Hungary.
Medical treatment: the certificate of the receiving health institution, including reference to the fact that the expected coverage of the medical treatment is available, and other certification of the coverage of the medical treatment, as well as the certification of the address of the expected place of accommodation in Hungary.
Carriers: the certification or request of the carrier firm.
For the purpose of visiting the grave of a deceased relative buried in the territory of the Republic of Hungary: a document certifying the existence of the grave and the degree of relationship.
Cultural activities: agency contract with the Hungarian service provider, invitation letter issued by the host organization
Sport: accreditation proving the participation in the sports event or contract with the Hungarian sport club, or the certificate issued by the delegating sport club / Olympic committee / Ministry of Sport, etc.
Conference: invitation letter issued by the host organization, confirmation on participation issued by the host organization, and/or a certification issued by the delegating organization; receipt on payment of the registration fee
In case of other purposes of entry (regular shopping, entertainment, etc.) not listed in any of the above categories: a declaration presenting the purpose of the entry and stay.
1. The consul may request the presentation of further documents in addition to the ones outlined above.
2. Documents shall be submitted in original. The original documents will be sent back. They may be asked for when crossing the Hungarian border.
3. The consulate reserves the right to examine the authenticity of the communicated data and the submitted documents. The communication of false data in itself will lead to the refusal of the visa application.
The time limit for examining visa applications
Decision upon the visa application decision making process must not exceed 15 days, but it can be extended by 30 days.
In case of countries with a visa facilitation agreement with the EU this time period is: 10 days.
- We recommend to submit the visa application in due time, especially in periods proceeding the summer holidays.
- The consulate may receive visa applications at the earliest 3 months before the beginning of the visit.
Decision making upon visa applications
In order to check visa applications the consul
- consults in every case the entry ban list (SIS)
- inspects former visas issued to the applicant
- is liable to consult with competent authorities of other Member States
- may consult with the Office of Immigration and Nationality and/or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- may consult with foreign representations of other Schengen States
- may request an interview with the applicant
- may request the presentation of further documents or certificates in addition to the ones already attached to the application.
Rejection of the visa application
In case of entry ban or doubts concerning the application the consulate will refuse the visa application. Presentation of counterfeit documents is a reason for refusal in itself.
Notification on the reason for refusal can be obtained at the consulate only by the applicant in person.
In case of refusal the consulate will not reimburse the visa fee.
In case of refusal a new application may be submitted at any time. In case of a new application the visa fee has to be paid again.
Crossing the external borders
The Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (published in OJ L 105 of 13 April 2006) sets out the conditions for entry into the territory of the Member States. Holding a valid passport and visa (in the case of citizens of third countries where a visa is needed) are only two of the conditions of entry.
1. The conditions of entry are initially checked by the consulates which examine visa applications.
2. The conditions of entry are checked a second time when the person presents himself/herself at the external border (land, sea or airport) of the Member States. If the border police decide that a person holding a visa does not fulfill the conditions of entry (for example: the person does not have the necessary means of subsistence for the duration of his/her stay), he/she will be refused entry, even if there is a visa in his/her passport.
Visa holders should carry with them supporting documents to demonstrate that they fulfill the conditions of entry, so that they can present them if need be during the checks at the EU border.