Hungary Self-Employment Permit: A Fast 1-to-3-Year Entry

Only up to the visa. You hand in the documents and biometrics in person at the Hungarian consulate in Moscow or St Petersburg. After approval you have to enter the country: the address, tax number, self-employed registration and bank account are arranged in person in Hungary. Renewal needs at least 90 of 180 days in the country, so living elsewhere and keeping Hungary "on paper" does not work.

No. The law expressly does not issue the permanent residence card to holders of this category. EU long-term residence needs 5 years and the category is capped at 3. So self-employment is a temporary status for 1 to 3 years, not a first step toward permanent residence. If permanent residence is in your plans, look at the National Card through your own company.

Yes. Unlike the National Card, this category has no list of eligible nationalities, and there is no official bar on Russian citizens. Russian citizens file at the Hungarian consulate in Moscow or St Petersburg, directly with the consular section and not through a visa centre. If you live lawfully in another country, you can file there. We recheck the rules before each case.

Income from your activity has to be above 24 minimum wages a year: in 2026 that is HUF 7,747,200, about EUR 1,800 a month. It is income after costs, not turnover. At first filing a bank statement or an income certificate is enough. At renewal you need a Hungarian tax-authority certificate of actual income, and a balance on the account is no longer enough. The threshold has to be held for the whole life of the card and shown in regular reports.

Only if your clients are private individuals and self-employment is your main occupation. KATA is HUF 50,000 a month, about EUR 130, but any invoice to a company takes you out of the regime. Revenue above HUF 18 million a year, about EUR 46,000, carries an extra 40%. One important point: for the migration threshold, KATA income counts as 60% of revenue, so HUF 7,747,200 of income needs about HUF 12,900,000 of revenue.

Then KATA is not for you, and tax is calculated under átalányadó (the flat-rate regime) with a 45% deemed cost ratio, or under the general rules. In both cases there are minimum contributions: 13% and 18.5% of the minimum wage, about HUF 101,700 a month, and they are paid even in a month with no revenue. That is noticeably more expensive than KATA, so we show you the real monthly amount with a Hungarian accountant before filing.

The statutory decision period for the permit is 21 days, but in practice we plan from 2 months. With the consulate appointment, the type D visa and the registrations after arrival, the whole path usually takes 2 to 4 months. This is a planning range, not a promise of timing from the authority.

Family members cannot be added to a self-employment application: the route is for the applicant alone, and we do not offer a family filing on it. If you are moving with your family, look at the National Card through your own company, where the family goes in the same filing.

You can, but not from inside Hungary. The law does not allow changing category on the spot: you have to leave and file again through the consulate. The National Card through your own company gives a 2-year card, renewals of 3 years and eligibility to apply for permanent residence after 3 years, with a service from EUR 6,900 plus share capital. If you plan such a move, we build it in from day one. More detail: see the National Card page.

No, and honestly nobody can: the Hungarian immigration authority decides. Promises of "100% approval" on the market are marketing. Our model is different: an honest assessment of your profile and income before you pay, and staged 50/50 payments.