Student in Hungary

Conditions

A residence permit for the purpose of studies may be issued to a third-country national, who has been accepted by a higher education institution to follow a course of study or wishes to reside in Hungary to participate in a preparatory course organised by the higher education institution.

To come to Hungary as a student, you need to:

be accepted to an accredited secondary or higher educational institution as a full-time student or to attend a preparatory course organised by a higher educational institution;
prove appropriate language skills necessary to pursue your studies;
have a travel document valid for at least the intended period of stay;
have adequate accommodation;
have sufficient financial resources and subsistence means;
have health insurance.

Procedures

Where and how to apply

Application submission outside of Hungary

If you are not a holder of a residence permit and your entry into Hungary is not covered by the visa-exempt travel regime, your application for the issuance of a residence permit is to be submitted outside of Hungary. You may submit an application before a diplomatic or consular foreign mission of Hungary in the country of your nationality or your habitual place of residence. Submitting an application for a visa separately is not required, as an application for the issuance of a residence permit comprises an application for a visa entitling its holder to collect the respective residence permit.

Please be advised to contact the competent foreign mission of Hungary to inquire for further information, if there are any other places authorised to receive applications for a residence permit. Such application receiving places are constituted by e.g., honorary consuls, trade representations, and external service providers.

If there are no consulates or other types of places receiving application, in exceptional cases, you may submit an application in a country where you are staying legally provided that you provide proof of the reasons of your exceptional application submission.

Application submission within the territory of Hungary

If you are allowed to enter the territory of Hungary visa free due to your nationality, and you are not a holder of a residence permit, you may submit an application for a residence permit within the territory of Hungary during your legal stay as well.

Application submission in Hungary is available:

by electronic means via the electronic information system and procedure initiation platform of ‘Enter Hungary’, which is available by clicking here, or
in person, before the competent regional directorate of NDGAP as per your place of accommodation.

Fees

If the application is submitted at a diplomatic or consular mission, the administrative service fee charged for the procedure for issuing a residence permit is EUR 110, payable at that diplomatic or consular mission primarily in EUR or other convertible currency, or in exceptional cases in the legal tender of the State where the application is submitted.

The administrative service fee charged for the procedure is HUF 39,000 if submitted in Hungary in person, HUF 24.000 if submitted via the Enter Hungary platform. The fee charged for the extension of a residence permit is HUF 23,000.

Documents required

You need to:

demonstrate that the purpose of your stay is to pursue studies, e.g. by presenting an admission certificate issued by the receiving educational institution or a document verifying your student status;
demonstrate appropriate language skills, e.g. by presenting an official language certificate or an official certificate of previous studies pursued in a foreign language;
present a travel document that will remain valid at least for the intended period of stay;
demonstrate accommodation;
demonstrate health insurance;
demonstrate sufficient financial means for your intended stay that will also cover your return.

You cannot be subject to any ground for refusal as set out in the law, e.g. threat to public or national security, being the subject of an expulsion order, entry ban or alert in the Schengen Information System.

Further requirements

You cannot be subject to an entry ban or an alert in the Schengen Information System for the purposes of refusing entry, nor can your entry and stay threaten public policy, public health or public security in Hungary.

Duration of validity of permits

The validity period of the residence permit for the purpose of studies is minimum 1 year, or if the course is less than 1 year, it is adjusted to its duration. The validity period of the document is maximised in 3 years. It may be extended for minimum 1, maximum 3 years. The validity period of a residence permit for the purpose of studies may not exceed the validity period of the applicant's travel document.

Conditions for renewal

Submission of applications for the extension of a residence permit for the purpose of studies is only available within the territory of Hungary, via the platform of Enter Hungary. Please be informed that the extension of the residence permit for the purpose of studies is only possible if:

you are a holder of a valid residence permit at the time of the application submission,
you resided within the territory of Hungary with your residence permit at least 90 days in any 180-day period.

Appeals

Appeals against decisions of regional offices regarding residence permits can be brought within 8 days of delivery to the immigration authority, or to the Hungarian diplomatic or consular mission where the application was submitted.

Further information

Rights

Employment during studies

Third-country nationals holding a residence permit for the purpose of studies, a student mobility residence permit or a student mobility certificate may engage in employment during their study period for maximum thirty hours weekly, and outside their study period full-time for a maximum period of ninety days in a year.

Stay and employment after studies

If you have a valid residence permit for the purpose of study and you have successfully completed your studies, you can submit an application for a residence permit for seeking a job or starting a business in Hungary.

Family members

A third-country national holding or applying for a residence permit for the purpose of studies, a student mobility residence permit or a student mobility certificate shall not be granted a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification.

An exception to this is if a third-country national holding a residence permit for the purpose of studies gives birth to a third-country national child in Hungary during the period of validity of the residence permit, as in this case the child will receive a residence permit issued for the purpose of family reunification after notification on the child’s birth.

Long-term residence

Third-country nationals holding a residence permit for study purposes, a student mobility residence permit or a student mobility certificate may not be granted a national residence card.

Mobility

A student mobility certificate may be granted to a third-country national, who:

holds a residence permit issued by another Member State of the European Union for the purpose of study, intends to pursue part of his/her studies at a Hungarian higher education institution and is covered by an EU or multilateral programme involving mobility measures or an agreement between two or more higher education institutions, and
notifies the immigration authority of the student mobility plan and the planned duration of the mobility in order to exercise student mobility.

The validity period of the student mobility residence permit and the student mobility certificate is maximised in 360 days. The validity period of the mobility residence permit and the mobility certificate shall be determined in a way so that it does not exceed the period of validity of the residence permit issued by the first Member State.

The student mobility residence permit and the student mobility certificate cannot be extended.