Residence permit for guest investor

Route status

Active as of 2026-03-03^[1]^[2]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	Not established from a qualifying source
Official name (English)	Residence permit for guest investor as of 2026-03-03^[1]^[2]
Legal basis	Act XC of 2023, Section 16(2)c) and Section 22(9) as of 2026-03-03^[2]^[3]
Instrument type	residence permit as of 2026-03-03^[2] The route is a two-instrument path: a guest investor visa (national visa, up to 6 months) followed by the guest investor residence permit. Recorded here as the residence permit; the visa stage is in process.stages.

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EEA as of 2026-03-03^[1]^[2] Open to third-country nationals only: persons with the right of free movement and residence (EEA nationals and their family members) are outside the scope. Stateless persons qualify as third-country nationals.
Criminal-record condition	Not established from a qualifying source

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration	10 years as of 2026-03-03^[2] Validity of the document is capped at 10 years.
Renewable	Yes as of 2026-03-03^[2]
Renewal duration	10 years as of 2026-03-03^[2] May be extended for up to another 10 years for the same purpose. Extension requires the investment fund share still to be held at the time of application; where the qualifying investment was the financial donation, extension may be granted without further investment.
Work rights	full as of 2026-03-03^[2] Entitles the holder to pursue activities independently for remuneration or to act as chief executive of a business organisation, and to perform work for or under the direction of others under a contract of employment; NDGAP states the holder is entitled to work in Hungary without restrictions.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residence	Not established from a qualifying source NDGAP's national residence card page lists the residence-permit purposes that bar a national residence card, and the guest investor permit is not among them; no positive statement that time on this route counts toward long-term residence status was located, so this is left unknown rather than inferred from a negative list.

Requirements

Requirements
Investment options	Option: hu-guest-investor-fund-units Asset class: investment fund Minimum amount: EUR 250,000 as of 2026-03-03^[1]^[2] Holding period: 5 years as of 2026-03-03^[2] Restrictions: Investment fund share issued by a real estate fund registered by the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), whose net asset value comprises at least 40 percent investments in residential real estate in Hungary and whose fund manager appears on the register of qualified market operators under Act XXX of 2016. The fund manager must be an AIFM under Act XVI of 2014 authorised to manage AIFs with assets under management above EUR 100 million (including leverage), or above EUR 500 million for unleveraged AIFs with no redemption rights within 5 years, or an investment fund manager under the same Act managing a real estate fund with assets under management above EUR 600 million. The shares must be deposited in a securities sub-account blocked for at least 5 years on the guest investor's order, with the securities account manager released from confidentiality in respect of the blocking. Option: hu-guest-investor-donation Asset class: donation Minimum amount: EUR 1,000,000 as of 2026-03-03^[1]^[2] Restrictions: Financial donation to a higher education institution maintained by a public trust with a public-service mission, for educational, scientific research or artistic creation activities. Certified by the receiving institution.
Source-of-funds checks	Yes as of 2026-03-03^[1]^[3] The legal origin or acquirement of the funds must be credibly substantiated, by a public document or a private document of full probative force evidencing the origin of the property, or by proof of taxable regular income from employment or business activity. The aliens policing authority also assesses circumstances excluding the investment on the basis of United Nations and European Union restrictive measures.

Process

Process
Where to apply from	in-country only as of 2026-03-03^[2] The residence permit application may be submitted only in Hungary, after entry on a guest investor visa or – for visa-exempt nationals – on a visa-free basis, within 30 days of first legal entry. The preceding guest investor visa is applied for abroad, before a Hungarian consular officer.
Statutory processing time	21 days as of 2026-03-03^[2] Time period for procedural administration. It excludes the period between submission and proof of the undertaken investment, the period allowed for that proof, and periods for remedying deficiencies.
Fees	Kind: application Amount: EUR 110 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Issuing a guest investor visa (consular) Kind: application Amount: HUF 39,000 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Residence permit application submitted in Hungary in person Kind: application Amount: HUF 26,000 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Residence permit application submitted in Hungary via the Enter Hungary platform Kind: renewal Amount: HUF 26,000 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Extension of a residence permit
Stages	Label: Guest investor visa – applied for abroad before a Hungarian consular officer; validity up to 6 months, becomes invalid on issue of the residence permit Fees: Kind: application Amount: EUR 110 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Procedural fee for issuing a guest investor visa Label: Guest investor residence permit – applied for in Hungary within 30 days of first legal entry Statutory clock: 21 days as of 2026-03-03^[2] Fees: Kind: application Amount: HUF 39,000 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Submitted in Hungary in person Kind: application Amount: HUF 26,000 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Submitted in Hungary via the Enter Hungary platform

Physical presence

Physical presence
none stated	to keep the permit as of 2026-03-03^[2] No minimum-presence or maximum-absence condition is published for the guest investor residence permit. A separate obligation applies: any change in the data on which the investment was verified must be reported via Enter Hungary within 5 days of the change.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Not established from a qualifying source
Family members' work rights	Not established from a qualifying source

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 cited	4
of which official (tier 1)	4
Oldest as-of date	2026-03-03
Newest as-of date	2026-03-03
Reviewed on	2026-08-11
Schema version	1.1

Sources

[1] Guest investor visa
Consulate General of Hungary in Istanbul, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07
[2] Residence permit for guest investor
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-03 · Accessed 2026-08-07
[3] Visa for guest investors
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-03 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy
[4] Procedural fees
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-03 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy