From €250,000
Qualifying fund units start at €250,000 and carry investment and liquidity risk. The alternative €1,000,000 university donation is non-refundable.
Hungary Golden Visa
A Hungarian residence permit issued for up to ten years, open to non-EU investors and their families. Two routes qualify: units in a registered property fund, or a donation to a Hungarian university. Buying a home is not one of them.
Ask about the Hungary route
Five questions, and an adviser comes back within one working day on which of the two routes suits your budget, your family and your timetable.
Hungary at a glance
The numbers that settle whether Hungary belongs on your shortlist, before the routes themselves.
Timing depends on the case
The entry basis, document readiness, investment evidence and official review determine the total. A guest-investor visa is required where the applicant cannot use an eligible visa-free entry basis.
A ten-year permit
Issued for up to ten years and renewable once for as long again, while the investment is held and the conditions are met.
No days to count
Hungary asks for no minimum stay to keep or renew the permit, and no Hungarian at this stage.
The two qualifying routes
Buying a flat or a house in Hungary earns no permit. The programme runs through a fund the National Bank has registered for it, or through a donation to a university — and nothing else.
Property fund — from €250,000
Acquire units in a qualifying real estate fund with an eligible manager. Keep the units in a securities sub-account blocked for at least five years; value and redemption depend on the fund terms.
- Minimum qualifying subscription: €250,000
- Fund and manager must meet the statutory eligibility conditions
- Units held in a blocked securities sub-account for at least five years
- Capital, income and the date of redemption are not guaranteed
- Review fees, valuation, liquidity and renewal investment requirements
University donation — €1,000,000
One payment to a Hungarian higher education institution run by a public trust with a public service mission. Nothing is returned at the end, and there is no holding period to watch afterwards.
- Minimum qualifying donation: €1,000,000
- Eligible higher education institution maintained by a public trust
- Non-refundable contribution
- Evidence of the qualifying purpose and recipient is required
- Government review and application charges remain separate
Benefits of Hungary’s guest investor permit
The permit is a residence right rather than a move. It is issued for up to ten years and may be renewed once for up to ten further years, subject to the rules, and it carries visa-free travel across the Schengen area for short stays.
Continued eligibility, document accuracy and the investment conditions remain important. There is no minimum number of days in Hungary, no language test at this stage and no requirement to give up where you live now; the permit simply lets you live, work and put children into school in Hungary whenever you decide to.
Family is handled beside your file rather than inside it. A spouse and qualifying minor children apply for permits of their own under the family reunification rules, each with evidence of the relationship, accommodation, insurance and means. Citizenship is a longer road again: years of lawful residence, a language and constitutional examination, and the law as it stands when the application is made.
From guest investor visa to Hungarian residency
Five stages with the entry basis, investment evidence and application deadlines confirmed against the current immigration guidance.
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01
Consultation
Your goals, your family and your timetable measured against the two routes, and a plain answer on which of them is worth your money.
Step 1 24 h -
02
Due diligence and documents
Source-of-funds review, criminal record certificates, translations and apostilles, and the fund or institution chosen and approached.
Step 2 from 2 weeks -
03
Confirm entry and apply in time
Use the guest-investor visa where required, or the eligible visa-free basis. The initial residence application is submitted in Hungary within 30 days of the first legal entry under the applicable route.
Step 3 Entry and filing -
04
Provide qualifying investment evidence
Submit the required investment certificate within the guest-investor visa’s validity. For qualifying visa-exempt applicants, the official guidance sets six months from first legal entry. These evidence deadlines are distinct from the residence application deadline.
Step 4 Route-specific deadline -
05
The residence permit
Attend the required fingerprint and photograph appointment. The authority reviews the application; a permit may be issued for up to ten years. Preserve the investment evidence and renewal conditions.
Step 5 Official decision
Hungary Golden Visa fees and additional costs
The investment is the headline figure; these are the lines that sit under it. Every one of them is quoted in writing before anything is filed.
Official application fees
Government procedure fees are separate from the €250,000 investment and any commercial service package. Use the current immigration authority schedule for the application channel and each family member.
The fund's own charges
Obtain the actual fund’s subscription, management, custody, performance and exit charges. A provider quotation is not a universal statutory fee, and charges affect the investment’s net result.
Insurance and paperwork
Budget for the documents, translations, legalisation, accommodation and any applicable insurance requirements for the principal applicant and family. Obtain actual quotations rather than a universal annual estimate.
Legal and advisory
Our fee, Hungarian counsel, and the notarial cost of the investment itself — agreed as a figure at the start rather than billed against the clock.
Hungarian residency and Schengen travel
Plan short visits to 28 other Schengen countries with your Hungarian residence permit and valid passport.
Visa-free
Hungary
Hover or tap a country to see its name. Use the arrow keys to explore with a keyboard.
- Travel area
- Schengen Area
- Short-stay rule
- 90 / 180 days
- Travel documents
- Passport + permit
With a valid Hungarian residence permit, you can make short visits to other Schengen countries without applying for a separate Schengen visa. The limit is 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across those countries combined; changing destinations does not reset it.
Carry your valid passport and residence permit. Time living in Hungary is covered by your Hungarian permit, while moving to or working in another country requires the appropriate authorisation there. Check the official Hungarian consular guidance before you travel.
Visa-free
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AustriaVisa-free -
SwitzerlandVisa-free -
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BulgariaVisa-free -
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DenmarkVisa-free -
EstoniaVisa-free -
FinlandVisa-free -
IcelandVisa-free -
LatviaVisa-free -
LiechtensteinVisa-free -
LithuaniaVisa-free -
LuxembourgVisa-free -
MaltaVisa-free -
NorwayVisa-free -
PolandVisa-free -
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SlovakiaVisa-free -
SloveniaVisa-free
No destinations match your search.
Who can apply for Hungary’s Golden Visa?
Six conditions that hold whichever route you choose, and one trip to Hungary that cannot be done for you.
A non-EU passport
The programme is for nationals of countries outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
Eighteen or over
The main applicant must be of age. Family permits are assessed separately; a spouse and qualifying minor children need their own relationship and support evidence. Other relative categories require individual review.
A clean record
Criminal record certificates from your country of nationality and of residence, with the immigration compliance checks that follow them.
Money that can be traced
The capital has to be lawfully sourced and documented from where it was earned to the account it is paid from.
Cover and an address
Private health insurance for everyone on the application, and somewhere to live in Hungary for the term of the permit.
One trip in person
Biometrics are given in person — at a Hungarian mission for the visa, and in Hungary itself for the permit and the payment.
Is Hungary the right route for you?
Tell us what you want the permit for, who is coming with you and how much you would rather not tie up. We will say which of the two routes fits, what it costs in full, and how Hungary compares with the other countries we cover.
Hungary Golden Visa: common questions
What the routes cost, how long they take, and what a ten-year permit does and does not give you.
What is the minimum investment?
The qualifying fund route starts at €250,000; the alternative is a €1,000,000 qualifying university donation. Fund and manager eligibility, five-year account blocking and the investment evidence must satisfy the rules. Government fees, fund charges and professional expenses are additional.
Can I qualify by buying an apartment?
No. Buying residential property in Hungary earns no permit under the guest investor rules, whatever it cost. The property exposure the programme accepts is indirect: units in a registered fund, which invests in Hungarian real estate on your behalf.
Do I get my money back?
Fund units are an investment. Five-year account blocking is a minimum immigration condition, not a promise of repayment on that date or at the original value. Redemption follows the fund’s terms and liquidity, and capital may fall in value. For permit renewal, the authority requires the qualifying fund investment at the time of the application. A university donation is non-refundable.
How much time do I have to spend in Hungary?
The guest-investor permit does not impose a minimum annual stay, but the application has personal-attendance and deadline requirements. Confirm whether you need a guest-investor visa or can use the eligible visa-free basis. Submit the residence application in Hungary and attend for biometrics.
Can my family come with me?
A spouse and qualifying minor children may apply through family reunification on separate files. Dependent parents and certain relatives unable to support themselves for health reasons have distinct provisions requiring individual assessment. Adult children should not be assumed to qualify solely because they are financially supported. Review the official family-reunification conditions and the evidence for each person.
How long does the whole thing take?
Preparation, entry arrangements, investment evidence and official review affect the total. The immigration authority’s guidance gives separate application, investment-evidence and biometric deadlines; these are not one end-to-end processing promise. Request a case-specific timetable before transferring funds or booking travel.
Does the permit lead to citizenship?
Not by itself, and not quickly. Hungarian naturalisation asks for years of lawful residence, a settled life in the country and an examination in Hungarian on the constitution. A guest investor permit can be the first step on that road for someone who intends to live there, and is simply a long residence right for someone who does not.
Other residency routes in Europe
Compare this programme with the other European routes we cover. Figures are starting investment amounts; government payments, fees, taxes and other costs are additional.
