Profile

EU Blue Card

Route status

Active as of 2026-03-03[5]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Az EU Kek Kartya as of 2026-08-07[6]
Official name (English)EU Blue Card as of 2026-03-03[5]
Legal basisAct XC of 2023 s.36 (permit term); minimum remuneration set under s.3(1)-(2) of NGM Decree 44/2011. (XII. 16.), the 2026 level announced by the Minister for National Economy in Hivatalos Ertesito 2025/49 as of 2025-10-30[3][4]
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-03-03[5]
NDGAP: 'The EU Blue Card is a residence permit which entitles its highly qualified holder in the territory of a Member State to reside and, at the same time, to undertake work requiring a high level of professional qualification(s).'

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEEA as of 2026-03-03[5]
Open to third-country nationals only; EEA nationals and their family members hold the right of free movement and residence. Stateless persons qualify as third-country nationals.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationSources disagree as of 2026-03-03[1][4][5]
DISPUTED ON THE MINIMUM, agreed on the maximum. Act XC of 2023 s.36(4) as published by the Government: 'Az EU Kek Kartyat legalabb ketto evre kell kiallitani' – at least two years. The European Commission's EU Immigration Portal states 'the EU Blue Card is issued for a period of at least one year and up to four years'. NDGAP's own factsheet states only the maximum ('maximised in 4 years'). Where the employment contract is shorter, both the statute and the Commission state the card is issued for the contract term plus three months. The bounds recorded here take the Hungarian statutory minimum; the Commission's one-year figure is the competing claim.
RenewableYes as of 2026-03-03[1][4][5]
Renewal duration4 years as of 2026-03-03[1][4][5]
NDGAP: 'may be extended for up to 4 years at a time for the same purpose'. Act XC of 2023 s.36(5) and the EU Immigration Portal agree.
Maximum total durationNot established from a qualifying source
No cumulative cap is published.
Work rightsown activity only as of 2026-03-03[5]
NDGAP: 'an EU Blue Card entitles you to undertake work only in the approved employment relationship requiring a high level of qualification during a period of 1 year from the date of its issuance.' A change of employer, termination of the relationship, a change of job, or taking an additional part-time job requires an application for extension via Enter Hungary regardless of years worked in Hungary.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceNot established from a qualifying source
Not stated on NDGAP's factsheet.

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer requiredYes as of 2026-03-03[5]
A preliminary agreement or a valid contract of employment for a fixed-term employment of at least 6 months, concluded for employment requiring a high level of education, plus a document certifying the higher education or professional qualification required for the position.
Salary threshold
    • Measured against: statistical average
    • Amount: HUF 1,001,048 per month as of 2026-03-03[5]
      2026 general minimum monthly remuneration. NDGAP: 'in 2026, the minimum monthly remuneration will increase to HUF 1,001,048'. The 2025 figure was HUF 883,671. NDGAP states the 2026 amount applies to the salaries of all holders of a valid EU Blue Card in 2026, including issuance and extension cases initiated in 2025 but decided in 2026. NDGAP publishes the figure as an absolute amount and does not state what index it is a multiple of, so it is recorded as money rather than as a relative_amount against hu-minimum-wage. The basis is recorded as statistical_average because NGM Decree 44/2011 s.3(1) is the instrument that sets it; NDGAP itself states no basis. Single Tier-1 source – the European Commission's EU Immigration Portal still publishes Hungary's 2023 figures (HUF 605,320/month general, HUF 484,320/month reduced) and is unusable as corroboration for 2026.
    • Measured against: statistical average
    • Amount: HUF 800,838 per month as of 2026-03-03[5]
      2026 reduced minimum monthly remuneration for nine listed occupations, published by FEOR code: general practitioner (2211), pharmacist/specialized pharmacist (2214), optometrist (2222), dietician and nutrition adviser (2223), physiotherapist (2224), district nurse (2225), ambulance officer (2226), tertiary-education-based nursing professional (2231), tertiary-education-based midwifery professional (2232). The 2025 figure was HUF 706,937. Set under s.3(2) of NGM Decree 44/2011. Same single-source caveat as the general figure.
Qualification requirementdegree, equivalent experience as of 2026-03-03[5]
Alternative limbs: professional qualification in tertiary education required to perform the job, OR relevant high-level professional experience of a specified period. For executive officers and specialists working with information and communication technologies, NDGAP states that at least 3 years of relevant professional experience acquired within the 7 years preceding the application counts as a high level of professional qualification.
Employer sponsorshipYes as of 2026-03-03[5]
A named employer and a contract of at least 6 months are conditions; the employer may lodge the application with the employee's written consent, via Enter Hungary only.
Job-search routeNo as of 2026-03-03[5]

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2026-03-03[5]
Abroad where entry is not visa-exempt. In Hungary during a legal visa-free stay by a person not holding a residence permit, or by a person already legally resident in Hungary on another permit. A holder of an EU Blue Card issued by another Member State may apply in Hungary but no later than 30 days after entry. Extensions only in Hungary via Enter Hungary.
Statutory processing time21 days as of 2026-03-03[5]
Excludes deficiency-remedy periods. Outer deadline: decision as to merits within 70 days of submission, reduced to 30 days for applicants already holding an EU Blue Card issued by another Member State, extendable once by a further 30 days in exceptional and duly justified circumstances.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: HUF 39,000 as of 2026-03-03[8]
      Published as a named EU Blue Card row in NDGAP's fee schedule, unlike the generic rows used on the other work routes.
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Issuing an EU Blue Card, application submitted in Hungary
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: HUF 26,000 as of 2026-03-03[8]
      Published as a named EU Blue Card row.
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Issuing an EU Blue Card, application submitted in Hungary via the Enter Hungary platform
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: EUR 110 as of 2026-03-03[8]
      NDGAP's fee schedule publishes no mission-abroad EU Blue Card row; this is the generic residence-permit row.
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Issuing a residence permit and the entry visa for the purpose of receiving it (application at a mission abroad)
    • Kind: renewal
    • Amount: HUF 26,000 as of 2026-03-03[8]
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Extension of a residence permit

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-03-03[5]

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-03-10[2][7]
Positively established, not inferred: NDGAP's family-reunification factsheet sets the family member's permit validity at 'a maximum of 4 years' where 'the sponsor is a holder of an EU Blue Card or a Corporate Card', which presupposes that such a sponsor may reunify. The European Commission's EU Immigration Portal reproduces the same provision.
Eligible relationsspouse, registered partner, minor child as of 2026-03-10[2][7]

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited8
of which official (tier 1)6
Oldest as-of date2025-10-30
Newest as-of date2026-08-07
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] EU Immigration Portal – EU Blue Card, Hungary
    European Commission · international organisation · Tier 2 · Accessed 2026-08-07
  2. [2] EU Immigration Portal – Hungary, family member
    European Commission · international organisation · Tier 2 · Accessed 2026-08-07
  3. [3] Hivatalos Ertesito 2025/49 – communication of the Minister for National Economy on the 2026 level of the minimum wage payable to third-country nationals employed with an EU Blue Card under s.3(1)-(2) of NGM Decree 44/2011. (XII. 16.)
    Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado (official gazette publisher) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-10-30 · Accessed 2026-08-07
  4. [4] Act XC of 2023 on the general rules for the admission and right of residence of third-country nationals – text published by the Government
    Government of Hungary (kormany.hu) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07
  5. [5] EU Blue Card
    National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-03 · Accessed 2026-08-07
  6. [6] Tajekoztatok – Hungarian-language factsheet index (official permit designations)
    National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy
  7. [7] Residence permit for the purpose of family reunification
    National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-10 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy
  8. [8] Procedural fees
    National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-03 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy

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