Hungary’s immigration law reform – what you should know
In this article, you can learn about the following topics:
Immigration round table and comprehensive proposal
One of the campaign promises of the new government elected this last spring was to review and reform Hungarian immigration law to make it compliant with EU directives while also improving Hungary’s competitiveness. Once the new government was elected, Helpers was the first to organize a comprehensive round table among professionals in a variety of fields to discuss current challenges and identify areas where changes would be most welcome. Participants included Hungary’s top immigration lawyers, HR providers, chambers of commerce and embassies, professional organizations, and major employers.
Since then, we have reached a few important milestones. Most importantly, in the beginning of July, Helpers and a group of prominent stakeholders submitted a proposal for simplifying Hungary’s work permit system. The proposal was prepared in cooperation with immigration lawyers, consultants, relocation providers, non-profits, and HR service providers. The main tenets of the proposal are that Hungary needs a default work permit that would allow the employment of non-EU citizens regardless of country of origin, position, region or employer as long as there is no local candidate available for the role (based on labor demand vetted on a case-by-case basis), and that the new legislation must be based on EU directives and best practices, competitiveness and transparency unlike the current legislation based on exemptions and exceptions, country lists and a variety of complex and unwarranted categories.
Our proposal is currently under debate, and it is in fact one of the two leading proposals on the table regarding the employment of foreign nationals in Hungary. Moreover, it is the only proposal that fully embodies the principles of EU compatibility and Hungary’s competitiveness while also ensuring the smooth operation of employers in Hungary. We have been working hard to call attention to the fact that the current legislation (in effect since early 2024) cannot be tweaked to reflect the new government’s guiding principles but instead needs to be replaced entirely by a much more transparent and market-friendly legislation that incorporates the relevant EU directives while preserving the priority of Hungarian workers.
Promisingly, the topic of immigration reform is currently widely debated at various professional events. For example, there will be a panel about bringing foreign workforce to Hungary at one of the biggest HR related events of the year. The panel will be moderated by Barbara Ürögdi, managing director of Helpers Hungary.
Helpers has also conducted a variety of meetings with different stakeholders such as embassies, chambers of commerce, employers, and professional organizations of various sectors as well as decision makers. While the details of these meetings are confidential, we would like to share a few points just to let you know what to expect.
The future of work permits in Hungary
While the immigration code is long and complex, dealing with a long list of statuses, currently, the main discussion is about the legislation on the employment of third-country nationals (so workers coming from outside the EU and the EEA). We know now that this will be reformed, although there are no specific details we can share with you at this point due to the confidentiality of these discussions. Follow us to get the details as soon as more information becomes public.
One current issue that is almost certain to get resolved is the employment of foreign students getting their degrees in Hungary. At present, it is virtually impossible to employ these students after graduation (although they can work part-time during their years of study) because there is no generalized work permit since 2024, and the “highly qualified” permit types (Hungarian Card and EU Blue Card) are not a good fit (the Hungarian Card bizarrely excludes Hungarian diplomas altogether, and the salary requirement for the EU Blue Card is unrealistic for a fresh graduate). All proposals on the table address this issue, so it is very likely to get fixed.
In addition, all discussions on the topic address the issue of certain positions, nationalities and employers being left outside of the current legislation. We are confident that while the exact solution to this issue is under debate, a viable solution will be passed. If you are planning to invest or start a business in Hungary, talk to us about your plans and we will advise.
Other residence permit types
As far as we know, the modification or delimitation of other residence permits is not on the table at present. For now, there seems to be no strict timeline either, but while surprises can happen, we do not expect comprehensive change before the spring of 2027. Changes might be announced or introduced even later.
The only major upcoming change concerns the Hungarian Golden Visa (more precisely the Hungarian guest investor visa, the guest investor residence permit, and the relevant family unification permits). Based on a recent announcement by the Hungarian Minister of the Interior, it is relatively certain that the golden visa program will be suspended or even cancelled from January 1, 2027. We will know more about this next week once the Parliament votes on the proposal published just now, but for certain, applications initiated (not necessarily completed!) before the end of the year remain eligible.
In line with this, if you would like to take advantage of Europe’s most favorable investment scheme that offers 10 years of EU residency and visa-free travel in the Schengen zone to investors and their closest family members, you need to take action now. Contact us immediately so you can submit your application before the deadline.
About Helpers
Our mission here at Helpers is to support foreigners living, working, and doing business in Hungary. Our cooperation with stakeholders in relocation aims to further that goal: to make Hungary a more welcoming environment to everyone who wants to find new opportunities and a start a new life in Hungary.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For now, there is no strict timeline, but comprehensive changes are not expected before the spring of 2027. The campaign program of the new government included a review and reform to the immigration law, and the review is currently underway. Helpers is one of the key players in organizing stakeholders and promoting changes that will bring the most benefits to all.
If the proposal submitted by Helpers and other key stakeholders is accepted, Hungary will again have a default work permit that will allow for a wider range of applications, even if they will be reviewed individually – the same way as before the 2024 introduction of the current immigration law. However, we are still in the early stages of the process of the immigration reform. Watch this space!
According to the latest announcement, yes, guest investor residence permits will remain valid until expiry. Residence permits issued to family members will be eligible for extension until the expiry of the residence permit of the main applicant. Applications submitted before January 2027 can be completed in line with the rules in force in 2026.
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