The updated procedure for obtaining the residence permit in Hungary

Many citizens, who previously lived on the territory of Ukraine and Russia found themselves in forced emigration in 2022, and had to make a decision to move, based on the principle of accessibility of a particular country. The main questions that people fleeing the war are looking for answers to:

• How to get a Schengen visa for the EU countries if you do not live in your own country?
• How to apply for a residence permit in Europe if you are temporarily residing in Serbia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia or Israel?
• What documents are required to open a bank account?
• How to draw up a rental contract?
• How to get a residence permit?

People who have left their country are faced with a situation where the basic services provided to citizens and residents are not available to tourists without a residence permit. If you are already in the EU, you can apply for a residence permit in Hungary, citing exceptional circumstances.

First of all, an emigrant need to apply for a residence permit in the country of his or her new residency. Only in this case, obtaining the residence permit, consular services of the EU countries will be available to the applicant. Having a residence permit in Georgia, you can contact the Hungarian consulate in Tbilisi, apply for a residence permit, open a company remotely or even purchase the real estate directly at the consulate of the country you currently reside in.

You can only open a bank account in Hungary in person. To apply for opening a bank account as a third country national, you will need to fill out several forms and declarations (they are provided in English) and present your passport, residence permit and address card. Depending on the bank, a response from the legal department can be expected within a business day or within two weeks. For the procedure for obtaining permission to open an account, it is advisable to prepare documents justifying the need to open it: work or study certificate, utility bills.

The rental contract must contain the conditions for obtaining a residence permit. The legal entity that owns the property, or the owner himself must sign the registration form. Since January 2023, the Immigration Services has been accepting applications for registration through an electronic portal. After you register and submit the application through Enter Hungary, generated QR code should arrive within two weeks. It is recommended to obtain an electronic registration of the address for those residents of Hungary who previously used a paper tear-off form.

Without a residence permit in Hungary, you cannot open a bank account, register a car, exchange a driving license, submit a child to the public kindergarten or school. However, property owners are reluctant to register children in their property, since under the law on the protection of the rights of minors they do not have the possibility to expel such a tenant in case of non-compliance with the terms of the contract. For this reason, finding a property for families with children may take longer if you are looking for a rental yourself. An experienced agent will be able to negotiate with the owner and conclude an additional agreement at the Notary, which will protect the landlord from the need to provide free housing for children if their parents do not pay the rent.

You can order a consultation on a specific issue, related to the procedure of obtaining a residence permit and address registration by leaving a request on my website. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that the bureaucratic procedures in Hungary actually work well.