Residence permit for the purpose of research

Route status

Active as of 2026-03-11^[5]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	A kutatas celu tartozkodasi engedely as of 2026-08-07^[2]
Official name (English)	Residence permit for the purpose of research as of 2026-03-11^[5]
Legal basis	Not established from a qualifying source No Act or section is cited. NDGAP refers only generically to a hosting agreement with 'a research organisation accredited under specific other legislation'.
Instrument type	residence permit as of 2026-03-11^[5]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EEA as of 2026-03-11^[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 duration	1 to 2 years as of 2026-03-11^[5] Research permit: minimum 1 year, maximum 2 years; where the hosting agreement is shorter, the validity adjusts to the length of the hosting agreement. The long-term mobility permit is capped at 365 days (360 days for the researcher's family member, and not exceeding the researcher's own). The short-term mobility certificate is capped at 180 days in any 360-day period.
How the initial term is set	matches the sponsor's permit
Renewable	Yes as of 2026-03-11^[5]
Renewal duration	2 years as of 2026-03-11^[5] Extendable for the same purpose, on each occasion for a maximum of 2 years.
Maximum total duration	Not established from a qualifying source No cumulative cap is published.
Work rights	Not established from a qualifying source NDGAP publishes no work-rights clause for this permit.

Permanent residence and citizenship

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

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer required	Yes as of 2026-03-11^[5] A hosting agreement with a research organisation accredited under specific other legislation, plus a written commitment by the research organisation to reimburse the costs of expulsion if the researcher overstays and lacks the necessary financial means.
Qualification requirement	Not established from a qualifying source No degree or qualification condition is published; the qualifying instrument is the hosting agreement with an accredited research organisation.
Employer sponsorship	Yes as of 2026-03-11^[5] An accredited research organisation giving a hosting agreement and a written expulsion-cost commitment is a condition. The host organisation may lodge the application with the researcher's written consent, via Enter Hungary only, and the document is then delivered to the host organisation.
Job-search route	No as of 2026-03-11^[5] This is not a job-search route, but completing the research opens one: NDGAP states that a holder who proves he completed his research and that the job or business he wants to start matches the level of that research may apply for hu-job-search.

Process

Process
Where to apply from	either as of 2026-03-11^[5] Abroad where entry is not visa-exempt and the applicant holds no Hungarian residence permit; in Hungary during a legal visa-free stay. A holder of another Member State's research permit may apply in Hungary for the long-term mobility permit or notify short-term mobility, and so may his family member legally resident in Hungary on another Member State's permit. Extensions only in Hungary via Enter Hungary.
Statutory processing time	15 days as of 2026-03-11^[5] Excludes deficiency-remedy periods. Outer deadline: decision as to merits within 60 days, for both the research permit and the long-term mobility permit.
Fees	Kind: application Amount: EUR 110 as of 2026-03-03^[4] 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: application Amount: HUF 39,000 as of 2026-03-03^[4] Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: 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: 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 Kind: other Amount: HUF 0 as of 2026-03-03^[4] NDGAP's fee schedule states, as its only published exemption: 'The issuance of a mobility certificate is free of charge.' This covers the short-term mobility certificate of researchers. Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Issuance of a mobility certificate
Stages	Label: Residence permit for the purpose of long-term mobility of researchers (holder of another EU Member State's research permit, part of the research carried out in Hungary for a period exceeding 180 days) Label: Short-term mobility certificate of researchers (notification; part of the research carried out in Hungary for a maximum of 180 days within a 360-day period)

Physical presence

Physical presence
none stated	to keep the permit as of 2026-03-11^[5]

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Yes as of 2026-03-10^[1]^[3] Established from NDGAP's family-reunification factsheet, which grants the permit to 'a family member of a person in possession of a residence permit' and then publishes a closed list of sponsor permit types that are excluded. This permit is not on that exclusion list. This is a positive general rule plus an express carve-out that does not reach this permit, not an inference from a negative list. NDGAP's research factsheet separately and expressly accommodates the researcher's family member in the EU-mobility context, issuing the family member a long-term mobility permit of up to 360 days or a short-term mobility certificate not exceeding the researcher's own; it does not describe a general reunification route for a researcher arriving from outside the EU, which is why the reunification factsheet is the source here.
Eligible relations	spouse, registered partner, minor child as of 2026-03-10^[1]^[3]

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.

Profile benefits

A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.

Create profile

Verification

Verification
Sources cited	5
of which official (tier 1)	4
Oldest as-of date	2026-03-03
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] 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
[3] 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
[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
[5] The residence of the researcher and his/her family member
National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP/OIF) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-11 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy