Is it easy or hard to get residency in Hungary?

We have been dealing with temporary residence, permanent settlement, and citizenship matters for a long time; we are in contact with many foreign law firms specializing in immigration law; we attend conferences, etc. – and summing up all the experience, we can say that Hungary is among the most open countries for foreigners who have a stable financial background and/or are willing to buy or invest in companies or real estate in Hungary. It is often heard in the media that Hungary is anti-foreign and does not welcome foreigners. However, this is not true. Hungary’s population is shrinking, and there is a labor shortage in a number of sectors, so our country basically supports the influx of highly qualified labor and investments. And this is not government propaganda. But the reality. The reality that our law firm experiences every day in various immigration cases.

The situation is a little strange, because usually those who come from better circumstances and do not expect their fate and life to change for the better by moving to Hungary, usually can progress with a procedure for obtaining a residence permit more quickly and with a better chance. The foreigner who wants a residence permit in Hungary must have savings and/or have a family or a family member who can support him/her and also the foreigner applicant must have some kind of regular income.

What is perhaps a bit difficult is the bureaucracy, the many different documents, authentications, official translations, consular stamps, etc. that are needed in order for the procedure to start. At the same time, a well-assembled initial package of documents is in many cases already half a success in itself, since the immigration authorities also have to work with it less, they do not need to request additional documents. We consider the preparation of the application and its attachments to be at least as important as the actual procedure before the immigration authorities.

We would also like to add that the duration of the procedure for the residence permit itself is not exceptionally long in international comparison. There are much, much worse countries where it takes an unrealistically long time for the immigration authority to make a decision.

All in all, we would prefer to say that anyone who wants to obtain a residence permit legally, with sufficient savings, a regular income, and a registered residence in Hungary has a good chance of obtaining residence status without any problems by submitting the appropriate documents. Thus, we might even dare to answer the question if it was complicated or simple to get residency here, by saying: it is simple.

We would like to add that legal representation alone does not guarantee that someone will receive a residence permit in Hungary, but it certainly significantly helps the process, which in itself also increases the chances of the foreign applicant. Many people believe that they have a chance on their own, and then are disappointed when their application is rejected. We would compare this situation to a broken-down engine. If the car breaks down, the majority of people usually go to a mechanic, and only a few people start repairing the car themselves. It is no different with the procedure for obtaining a residence permit. You can try on your own, but how does a foreigner know what the practice of the Hungarian immigration authorities has been for decades? How does someone who does not deal with this kind of cases know which documents are particularly worth attaching during the procedure, and which documents represent danger and risk? How can a foreigner without being represented by an immigration attorney know what to answer if he/she receives direct questions from the immigration police? …. We write all of this only because often people turn to our office when it is already too late (or almost too late) to help, or when results can only be achieved with great difficulty. Therefore, we ask that you contact us even well before the procedure officially starts. If we can get involved at this early stage, we can already advise on this important stage, that is, during the preparation.