Residence permit for guest workers
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Vendegmunkas-tartozkodasi engedely as of 2026-08-07[6] As published on NDGAP's Hungarian factsheet index. Hungarian diacritics are transliterated in this record; the published form is 'Vendegmunkas-tartozkodasi engedely' with accents, quoted with accents in notes/hu.md. |
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| Official name (English) | Residence permit for guest workers as of 2026-03-02[8] |
| Legal basis | Government Decree No. 450/2024 (of 23 December) on the employment of guest workers in Hungary; permit term set by Act XC of 2023 s.31 as of 2026-08-07[2][8] NDGAP cites Government Decree 450/2024 (XII. 23.) by number. The 2-year term, the 1-year extension and the 3-year cap are independently stated at s.31 of the Government's published text of Act XC of 2023. That kormany.hu document is the Government's submitted bill text, not the enacted consolidated version, and it is truncated at s.53; it is used here only where it agrees with NDGAP. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-03-02[8] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EEA as of 2026-03-02[8] 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. |
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Permit terms
| Initial duration | 2 years as of 2026-08-07[2][8] NDGAP: 'The validity period of the document is maximised in 2 years'. Act XC of 2023 s.31(1) as published by the Government: 'A vendegmunkas-tartozkodasi engedely legfeljebb ket ev hatarozott idotartamu tartozkodasra jogosit Magyarorszag teruleten.' |
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| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-03-02[8] |
| Renewal duration | 1 year as of 2026-08-07[2][8] Extendable by at most one further year, subject to the 3-year cap. |
| Maximum total duration | 3 years as of 2026-08-07[2][8] Measured from first issuance. Continuing beyond it requires a fresh issue applied for in Hungary at least 40 days before expiry. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-03-02[8] Employment with the employer in relation to whom the permit was granted. Working for a different employer requires an application for extension; a change only to the terms of employment (FEOR occupation code, place of work) is instead an employer reporting obligation, and an extension application filed for that reason is refused without examination as to merits. NDGAP also states that during the permit's validity and after its expiry, an application for a residence permit under another legal title is not allowed in Hungary. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | No as of 2026-03-02[8] NDGAP: 'Third-country nationals who are holders of a residence permit for guest workers may not be granted a national residence card.' |
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Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-03-02[8] A preliminary agreement on establishment of an employment relationship, or a document on the legal relationship of employment. The employer must additionally be registered as a preferential employer (a strategic partner of the Government, an employer carrying out an investment of outstanding significance for the national economy, or an Outstanding Exporter Partnership Programme partner) or as a qualified temporary work agency. |
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| Labour-market test | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-03-02[8] |
| Qualification requirement | none as of 2026-03-02[5][8] No degree, vocational qualification or minimum experience appears among NDGAP's published conditions, and NDGAP's own router page classifies this permit under 'Employment without qualification'. |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-03-02[8] A named employer meeting the preferential-employer or qualified-temporary-work-agency test is a condition. The employer may also lodge the application, with the employee's written consent, via Enter Hungary only. |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-03-02[8] This is not a job-search instrument; Hungary's standalone job-search route is hu-job-search. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-03-02[8] Abroad as the general rule where entry is not visa-exempt. Submission inside Hungary is available to visa-exempt nationals who do not hold a residence permit and are applying for the first time, and to holders of a valid extended guest worker permit whose 3-year cap is about to expire (then only at least 40 days before expiry). A visa-exempt national who has previously applied for this permit must apply from abroad. Extensions may only be submitted in Hungary via Enter Hungary. |
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| Statutory processing time | 21 days as of 2026-03-02[8] Excludes periods for remedying deficiencies and other procedural conducts. A separate outer deadline applies: the authority decides as to merits within 60 days of submission. |
| Fees |
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Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-03-02[8] |
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Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | No as of 2026-03-10[1][7][8] NDGAP: family members of a holder or applicant may not be granted a residence permit for family reunification. The single exception is a third-country national child born in Hungary during the permit's validity, who receives a family-reunification permit on notification of the birth. |
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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.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 9 |
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| of which official (tier 1) | 8 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-03-02 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-07 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] EU Immigration Portal – Hungary, family member
European Commission · international organisation · Tier 2 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [2] 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 - [3] Residence permit applications
Embassy of Hungary in Beijing (MFA) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy - [4] Changes regarding employment with a residence permit for guest workers and residence permit for the purpose of employment
Embassy of Hungary in Cairo (MFA) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [5] Employment without qualification
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-01-17 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [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] 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] Residence permit for guest workers
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-02 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy - [9] Procedural fees
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-03 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy