Countries
Hungary · route overview
We build a Hungarian case in one of two ways: through your own Hungarian company under the National Card, or through a Hungarian sole-trader permit for people with their own clients. Remote employees paid from abroad can use the White Card. Each route has its own rules on nationality, income, family and permanent residence.
Why Hungary
Hungary works when it is a real base: a company you run, clients you invoice, or remote work you do from Budapest. The numbers are easy to plan around. The obligations after approval are real, and we put them on the table first.
Corporate income tax is 9%, or 10% under KIVA. Dividends add 15% personal income tax and a 13% social contribution up to the cap, so the effective burden runs roughly 22% to 23% on larger distributions and up to about 34% on small ones.
A Hungarian Kft registers in 3 to 10 working days and is usually operational in 2 to 6 weeks. The HUF 3,000,000 capital stays in the company.
A Hungarian residence permit lets you travel across the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180. Hungary stays the country you live in and renew from.
Only the National Card counts toward the National Residence Card. Eligibility can begin after 3 years and is not automatic. Self-employment and the White Card do not count.
The card is not the finish line. Every route needs real activity after approval: accounting and tax returns, reporting through Enter Hungary, and on self-employment 90 days in every 180 physically in Hungary before the renewal.
Which route is yours
Three routes. Which one fits depends on one thing: whether you will run a Hungarian company, invoice your own clients, or keep working for an employer abroad.
You own and direct a Hungarian Kft. The first permit runs up to 2 years and each renewal up to 3. It is the only Hungarian route that counts toward permanent residence, and it is open to eight nationalities.
See the National Card routeYou register as a Hungarian sole trader and show income above HUF 7,747,200 a year. Any nationality. Up to 3 years in total, with no permanent-residence track. The route is for the applicant alone.
See the self-employment routeYou keep working for an employer or your own business outside Hungary, on EUR 3,000 net a month. Up to 2 years, no Hungarian clients and no family reunification.
See the White Card routeWe do not offer investment residence in Hungary. If more than one route fits, we build the one your evidence can carry today.
What changed in 2026
Two figures moved this year, one rule was confirmed, and one June headline caused more worry than it should have.
The government decision in force from 6 June 2026 emptied the country list for the guest-worker permit. It does not affect the National Card or guest self-employment. We recheck the rules before filing.
The 2026 monthly minimum wage is HUF 322,800. Self-employment income must exceed 24 times that: HUF 7,747,200 a year, about EUR 21,300 to 21,600 depending on the rate. We recalculate it on the filing date.
The immigration authority's fact sheet, updated 11 March 2026, sets EUR 3,000 net a month, stable for 6 months before filing and for the whole permit.
Since 2025 the National Residence Card needs a cultural-knowledge exam: 12 questions in 60 minutes, pass mark 16 of 30 points. Plan for it if the National Card is your long-term route.
Hungarian rules moved several times between 2024 and 2026. We recheck yours before a single form is filled in.
Route by route
A company owner, a sole trader and a remote employee need three different files. Here is what each one proves, how long it lasts and where it leads.
For citizens of Serbia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Belarus and Russia who will own and run a Hungarian company. The owner-director needs no separate work permit. We recheck the nationality list before the company is formed.
For a real Hungarian sole trader (egyéni vállalkozó). Any nationality, no age limit, no degree. At the first filing a detailed declaration of the planned activity is accepted instead of a registration number. Company directors qualify only in rare cases, so we steer them to the National Card.
For people employed by, or owning, a business outside Hungary. You work remotely and keep that income. You cannot work for Hungarian clients, take a job in Hungary or own a Hungarian company.
Side by side
Three routes, three kinds of proof. Pick the one your situation today can actually document.
On the call we look at your passport, where your income comes from, your clients, your family and the country you can file in, and tell you which route fits. If permanent residence is the goal and your passport qualifies, that route is almost always the National Card.
What we do for you
Two products we run end to end, and one route we take case by case. Government charges are separate and listed below.
Nationality check, Kft formation with our Hungarian lawyer, the owner-director evidence, the National Card file, consulate preparation and the family applications.
See what is includedRoute and filing-country check, the business declaration and motivation letter, apostilled criminal records, health insurance, the forms and annex 9.2, and the consulate booking. The local contractor handles OFFI translations, the registered address, sole-trader registration and accounting.
See what is includedRemote employees, directors of foreign companies and families with two incomes often fit two routes on paper. We read the evidence and name the one worth filing, including the White Card, which we take case by case.
Check my case for freeGovernment charges change with little notice, so we recheck every figure before filing. OFFI translations, apostilles, the registered address, housing, insurance and accounting are third-party costs outside our fee. The National Card and self-employment fees are each paid in two halves.
How we work
You give us the facts once. Some steps need you in person: the consulate visit, and the address card, TAJ number and bank account in Hungary. We tell you which ones in advance.
We check your passport, where your income comes from, your family and the country you can file in. That decides which of the three routes is open.
A lawyer tests the National Card, self-employment and the White Card against your evidence, names the weak points and builds the roadmap.
OFFI translations, apostilled criminal records, a Hungarian address, health insurance, the forms, and either the business declaration or the Kft. Checked twice before filing.
You file in person at the Hungarian mission in your country of nationality or lawful residence and give biometrics. We book the slot and handle the correspondence.
D visa and entry, the residence card, then the address card, TAJ number and bank account in person. Accounting and Enter Hungary reporting keep the renewal evidence real.
One case manager, one plan, and a named next action at every stage.
Relovisa in numbers
Residence, work, founder, family and private-client cases.
Completed cases only. Open, withdrawn and incomplete files are excluded.
Clients handled across Relovisa's international route network.
The immigration lawyers and consultants on our case teams bring 10+ years each.
Global Relovisa results. Hungarian authorities decide every application. See how the 99.2% is counted
People behind your case
Every case is led and coordinated by Relovisa. We bring in the immigration consultants, lawyers, payroll and tax specialists the route needs, while Relovisa remains your single point of contact.
One coordinated case team, built around the route you actually need.
Leads strategy for founder, business and non-standard cases, connecting the route with the client's business, family and long-term plan.
Leads client and partner operations so case teams, local specialists and next steps stay coordinated from assessment to completion.
Supports UK immigration and Talent Visa case management where licensed legal input is required.
Supports German work immigration cases across process planning, local requirements and case coordination.
Supports Portuguese residence matters that require legal review, representation or procedural escalation.
Supports Portugal D2, D3, D7 and D8 cases, including clients with different income structures.
Supports global mobility for self-employed, founder and highly skilled cases through Portugal D8, D2 and D3 routes.
Supports highly qualified professionals and procedural cases involving residence delays and AIMA proceedings.
Advises on international tax structures and non-standard cross-border situations across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Supports clients whose move intersects with crypto assets, international business and tax planning.
Local coverage for routes and services that require authorised in-country specialists.
Hungary questions
Serbia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Belarus and Russia. We recheck the list before the company is formed because it can change. Guest self-employment and the White Card have no nationality restriction.
No. Nine percent is the corporate income tax line on a Kft, or 10% under KIVA. When profit leaves the company as dividends, you pay 15% personal income tax and a 13% social contribution up to the cap. The effective burden is roughly 22% to 23% on larger distributions and up to about 34% on small ones. A Hungarian accountant models your actual plan.
No. You file in person at the Hungarian mission in your country of nationality or lawful residence and give biometrics. After approval you enter on a D visa, then register your address, get a TAJ number and open a bank account in person in Hungary. The Kft or the sole-trader registration can be handled under a power of attorney.
No. The guest self-employment permit is capped at 3 years in total and does not count toward the National Residence Card. You also cannot change the purpose of stay from inside Hungary: you leave and refile. If permanent residence is the goal and your passport qualifies, the National Card is the route that counts.
It depends on the route. National Card: spouse and children can be filed alongside the main case, from EUR 1,900 per person. Self-employment: we do not file family members on this route, which is for the applicant alone, so families are steered to the National Card. White Card: family reunification is not available.
No. The government decision in force from 6 June 2026 emptied the country list for the guest-worker permit. It does not affect the National Card or guest self-employment. We recheck the rules before filing.
No. We do not offer investment residence in Hungary. If you want residence through a passive investment rather than a company or your own work, we can walk you through the Greece Golden Visa.
No. KATA, about HUF 50,000 a month, works only when your clients are private individuals and it is your main activity. A single invoice to a company removes it. Sole traders with business clients use átalányadó, the flat-rate regime with a 45% cost norm, or the general regime. There is no special tax regime for new residents.
National Card: plan 3 to 6 months for the whole path including the company. The authority stage runs 30 to 90 days and the card is printed in 2 to 4 weeks. Self-employment: the statutory decision time is 21 days and we plan from 2 months, and the whole path usually takes 2 to 4 months, a planning range. White Card: the decision takes 21 days, at most 30.
No. Hungarian authorities decide every application and can refuse a file that lacks eligibility, credible activity, income or consistent evidence. There are no published refusal statistics for these routes, so we do not quote any. Our 99.2% completed-case success rate is a global Relovisa figure.
Your Hungary route
A 30-minute call. We check your passport, your income, your family and your filing country, pick the route (National Card, self-employment or White Card) and give you a timeline and a cost estimate before you commit to anything.
Check my case for freeFree written check first · €40 live session, credited to your package
Portugal 
Spain 
France 
United Kingdom 
Germany 
Italy 
United States 
Hungary 
