Hungary Guest Self-Employment Residence Permit

1. Residence permit12 months
2. Renew24 months at a time

• Permanent residency
• Citizenship
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship

Country

Hungary

Program

Hungary Guest Self-Employment Residence Permit

Local name

Vendég-önfoglalkoztatás célú tartózkodási engedély

Type

Freelancer

Status

Active

Initial duration

12 months

Renewable

Yes (24 mo)

Min stay

90 days per 6 months

Residence permit for a third-country national who will work independently in Hungary for pay, or who will be the chief executive of a Hungarian business. It is issued for at most one year, can be extended by up to two years, and cannot be extended beyond three years from the first issue. A new issue can be requested in Hungary. It does not lead to a national residence card.

Tax regime

Worldwide

Tax rate

15.0%

Regime name

Flat 15% personal income tax

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online, in person, consulate

Processing time

Up to 21 days

Apply from abroad

Yes

This is not the White Card. Remote work for a foreign employer, with no Hungarian activity, uses the White Card. Actual work in the company beyond the chief-executive role needs an employment permit or a Hungarian Card, and a holder of this permit cannot apply for those in Hungary. Another residence purpose cannot be requested in Hungary during this permit or after it expires. A registered self-employed person needs a tax-authority certificate that annual income from self-employment exceeds 24 times the current minimum wage, and a certificate of no tax or contribution debt. Government Decree 426/2025 sets the full-time monthly minimum wage at HUF 322,800 from 1 January 2026, so the test is HUF 7,747,200 a year. It is not a separate monthly income rule. A chief executive does not use that number. The business must have employed at least five Hungarian or free-movement persons full time for six consecutive months, or the applicant's stay must be essential and the business plan must show income likely to support the business as well as the applicant. No fixed savings sum is published. The first issue from inside Hungary is for a visa-exempt national who does not already hold a residence permit and has not applied for this permit before, and for a holder of a permit for seeking a job or starting a business. Anyone else applies at a Hungarian consulate. The application includes a single-entry D visa to collect the card, valid for three months and for a stay of at most 30 days. Extensions are only on Enter Hungary, no earlier than 90 days and no later than 30 days before expiry, and only if the holder spent at least 90 days in Hungary in any 180-day period and met the regular reporting obligation. To stay longer than three years, a new issue can be requested in Hungary at least 40 days before expiry. The passport must remain valid for at least three months after the permit expires. The mission fee for the permit and the collection visa is EUR 110. In Hungary the fee is HUF 39,000 in person and HUF 26,000 on Enter Hungary or for an extension. The stored fee is the EUR 110 mission charge. At the ECB reference rates of 8 October 2026, 366.25 forints and 1.1186 dollars per euro, EUR 110 is about $123 and HUF 7,747,200 is about $23,662 a year. A family member pays the same issuance fee on a separate application. Family reunification is refused for one year from issue, except a child born in Hungary during the permit and except a permit re-issued after three years. Holders cannot receive a national residence card, so this permit is not a route to permanent residence or to ordinary naturalization. Procedural administration is 21 days, excluding time spent supplying missing documents. Accommodation and health cover are required. Health cover can be social-security insurance, a treaty, or proof that the applicant can pay for care. The permit does not itself enrol the holder in public healthcare. There is no degree requirement and the attachment list does not include a police certificate. There is no special tax regime. Self-employment income earned in Hungary is Hungarian-source income. The National Tax and Customs Administration states a 15% personal income tax. A tax resident is taxed on worldwide income. An unsettled third-country national is not resident merely by holding this permit.

• Guest Self-Employment Residence Permitdigital nomad visa

1. Oct 10, 2026

   Added

   added the guest self-employment residence permit from the aliens-policing factsheet, Act XC of 2023 section 21, and the 2026 minimum-wage decree (https://oif.gov.hu/factsheets/residence-permit-for-guest-self-employment) Source