Immigration. Travel. Living.

Expat life: Hungary

Flag of Hungary

Hungary gives prospects for study, employment, doing business, as well as unlimited opportunities to visit the European Union under the Schengen agreement.

What attracts immigrants to Hungary?

If you still have not decided where and how to go to live abroad, then it will be useful to consider this option. Hungary ranks first in Europe in terms of the social security of the population. There are excellent conditions for study, work, entrepreneurship, not only for residents but also for foreign guests. Students study at the oldest universities, where they receive excellent knowledge. 

Hungarian diplomas are accepted all over the world, all conditions have been created for running a successful business, so there are a lot of people who want to immigrate here for business purposes. Within the territorial limits of the state, there is a low crime rate and a favorable ecological situation.

To obtain the citizenship of the republic, you need to live in it for at least 8 years and know the state language at a high level.

Pros and cons of living in Hungary

Any immigration has positive and negative sides, but still, there are much more advantages of going to the Hungarian state. The main advantage is free movement within the EU, so foreigners most often seek here to obtain permanent residence. For those who managed to get this status, the whole of Europe opens up.

Besides, life in Hungary will be able to present tasty and cheap wine, sincere people, reasonable housing prices, good ecology, inexpensive life, and rest in the best resorts. It has a wonderful climate, similar to the Mediterranean, although the country does not have an outlet to the sea, there is beautiful nature. The transport system is well established, there are practically no traffic jams. The attitude towards migrants is friendly, food is cheap, and the real estate market is stable.

The disadvantage of living can be the difficulty of learning Hungarian, but fortunately, many residents can speak English. There are also a lot of unemployed people, a high level of bureaucracy, a decent income tax, long terms for obtaining civil status.

The reviews of the majority of emigrants are still positive, the prospect of obtaining permanent residence here for the majority remains tempting.

Brooklyn cityscape

How to live in Hungary for pensioners?

Pension payments will allow pensioners to have a decent standard of living and social guarantees. There is enough money to pay for utilities and medical services, food, and travel.

There are preferential conditions for pensioners:

buying tickets at low rates not only in civil transport but also for long distances;

the opportunity to purchase an apartment or a small house near the city at an affordable price.

The most proven way of emigration for Russian pensioners is family reunification. It is possible to travel abroad for medical purposes. You will need a certificate from a medical institution stating that the patient needs to stay in this climatic zone.

Transferring a pension from another country is not difficult here. You just need to issue an international card, the issue is resolved through the bank. Staying here will have a positive effect on the health of pensioners because they will receive everything necessary for effective treatment.

Features of acquiring permanent residence in Hungary

Common ways of acquiring this status are marriage with a Hungarian, Hungarian woman, a long-term contract with an employer, and starting a business.

A foreigner who has lived within the territorial boundaries of the state for 3 years can obtain a permanent residence. You can leave the republic only for 45 days.

You can immigrate to Hungary through family reunification. You will need to document your pedigree. Knowledge of the state language is required. Permanent residents can leave the country and return an unlimited number of times, travel freely within the Schengen area, enjoy all the same rights as its citizens, except for the right to vote in elections.

Registration of permanent residence in Hungary is inexpensive, you only need to pay for registration. The entire family of the applicant must be present when submitting the documents. Refugees apply for this status only if they have real estate here.

Conditions for acquiring a civil status

You can obtain citizenship in this way:

Based on the principle of kinship (if both parents or one of them is Hungarian, the child automatically receives citizenship).

According to the territorial principle (if a child was born on the territory of the country, it means that he is already its citizen).

Live here for 8 years and speak the state language at a high level. To acquire citizenship in this way, you will need to pass two exams: language and law. You should also provide documents in the absence of a criminal record and proof of ownership of the residential real estate. An important point: double citizenship is allowed here.

brown and white concrete buildings under white clouds during daytime

Immigration for business purposes

One of the easiest ways for entrepreneurs across Europe to travel abroad is through business immigration. The Hungarian Republic is no exception.

To move, an entrepreneur needs to register his company here officially, draw up a business plan, agree to rent premises, and hire staff. And only then start production, the initial capital of which is not less than 2000 euros. The income of the organization should be quite high – not less than 2, 4 thousand dollars.

By registering a company, an entrepreneur will be able to quickly apply for a residence permit for 1 year (with an extension of up to 2 years), and after 3 years change it to permanent residence. Further – obtaining citizenship. To become a temporary resident, you will need to be the official director of the company, as well as provide documents for the living space (within 18 sq. M.), An extract from the bank account on financial independence for 1 year. Soon the applicant will be able to move his family.

Citizenship can also be acquired through investment. To do this, you need to buy Hungarian bonds worth at least 250 thousand euros. The advantage of this method is the possibility of free movement of the applicant. He does not have to stay here for a long time, but he can leave the state for 10, 5 months. Obtaining a permanent residence for such a category of foreigners is possible only after 5 years.

Employment in EU

For official work, you need a D visa. A permit is issued for no more than 12 months. To legally find a job for a foreigner, it is necessary to obtain a document from the state employment center confirming that there are no applicants for this vacancy from the local population. Within a month, the company must look for a Hungarian for this position. Thus, it is possible to find a legal job only if there is a shortage of national labor resources.

At the moment, the country is suffering from unemployment, so it will not be easy to get a high-paying job. Most often, there are vacancies for a bank employee, economist, gas worker, power engineer. This will require decent work experience. The highly specialized professions of programmers, oil workers, and agricultural workers are in demand.

List of current professions in 2021:

  • service workers involved in the restaurant, hotel business;
  • programmers, IT developers, web designers;
  • managers, managers;
  • call center operators;
  • agronomists, agricultural workers;
  • representatives of banking institutions, support services.

In addition, to official employment, you can find a temporary part-time job without registration. It will be difficult to find work as nannies, nurses, cleaners, and laborers since the competition for such vacancies is very high. All those who have sociability and extra time can get a job.

 

An officially registered employee can apply for a residence permit after 2 years. Salaries are not high here: 800-1200 dollars for residents, half the pay for foreigners.

Education in Hungarian universities

To study at Hungarian higher education institutions, you need to obtain a visa permit for more than 90 days. The student is obliged to pass an exam in the state language without fail. Upon arrival, he immediately receives a European residence permit, which will be issued for the period of study.

 

The advantage of such a diploma is the prospect of employment in any corner of Europe. Those wishing to learn Hungarian can also purchase a temporary residence. Foreigners of any age are admitted to such courses.

Most often, foreign students of higher educational institutions in Hungary study precisely at medical faculties.

Buying a property in Hungary

Foreign visitors can buy real estate within the quotas defined for non-residents. These can be land plots, except for agricultural land. Such restrictions are due to the doubling of housing prices due to frequent purchases of real estate by tourists. Unlike many European countries, it will not be possible to acquire a permanent residence through real estate here. You can buy housing in installments.

Contact us

[CONTACT_FORM_TO_EMAIL id="1"]