🇭🇺 Hungarian residency by investment
The Hungarian government has launched a new investment residency program, offering unique opportunities for foreign investors. The regulation is introduced in Law 6 and 522 of 2023XC on general rules of entry and residence of foreigners, aimed at attracting capital and stimulating the country’s economic growth.
Benefits
Hungary is a full member of the EU and a participant in the Schengen Agreement. This program not only guarantees investors the right to obtain resident status in the EU, offering significant benefits for both the investor and their family members, but also opens new opportunities for the businesses of third-country nationals and their private assets. Holders of Hungarian residency obtained by investment are entitled to a full range of state guarantees and social rights.
Visa-free access across the Schengen Area
Residency permit for 10 years with renewal options
Fast and secure procedure
No minimum stay requirement
Opportunity to work and do business in Europe
New level of freedom and opportunities
Investment options
The program offers a pathway to EU residency by investing in Hungary’s economy. There are two available investment options.
Investment
Investment in goverment-approved funds
or
Donation
Charitable contribution to state social projects
The holder of Hungarian residency by investment must meet the conditions of maintaining the investments for at least a 5 year period. Investment in an approved fund is refundable. If the investments are maintained for 10 years, the law guarantees the extension of residency for another 10 years.
Maintain investment for 5 years ➡️ For 10 years residency
Maintain investment for 10 years ➡️ For 20 years residency
Qualifying criterieas
01.Be a non-EU and non-EEA citizen over the age of 18
02.Successfully undergo the due diligence and background verification checks performed at various stages in the process
03.Demonstrate that you have sufficient means for the investment and to be able and willing to disclose the source of wealth
The applicant must not have any Schengen Information System alerts, expulsions, or bans on entry and stay, nor pose a threat to public order, security, or national security. The immigration authority will also consult Hungary’s law enforcement and national security services regarding the
application.
Comprehensive services & support
Step by step process
The entire process, from the first consultation until the issuance of the residence permit, takes approximately 3 months.
It is important to distinguish citizens who do not require a visa in advance for entry into Hungary. In their case, the Investor Visa step may be skipped, which shortens the entire procedure by about 1 month. Thus, the full process is approximately 2 months.
There are several factors that depend on the Client and on the administrative timelines of the Client’s country of residence, such as:
- the time required to obtain the necessary documents
- the processing time for apostille certification,
- the time needed to obtain a certificate of no criminal record from the competent authority,
- your planned time to travel to Hungary,
- your planned time to execute the investment.
Hungary guarantees the following deadlines:
- Guest investor visa review period: 21 days
- Guest investor residence permit review period: 21 days
- Issue of the residence permit: 15 days
It is important to note that several steps can be carried out in parallel, thereby further accelerating the process.
1. Initial stage
2. Guest investor visa application
3. Investment and Residence permit application
4. Family reunification
List of documents
According to reliability standards, each applicant undergoes a comprehensive multi-level check.
The primary requirements include sufficient financial resources, a clean criminal record, an impeccable reputation, and proof of the legal origin of your investment assets
- A passport valid for at least 12 more months at the time of residency application
- CV
- Marriage and birth certificates (if applicable)
- Non-criminal record certificates are required for each applicant over the age of 12
- Proof of own funds in the amount not less than the investment amount required by the chosen investment method. Provided as a bank statement
- Proof of the origin of investment funds in any convenient manner and legally valid document
All documents must be translated into Hungarian by an official translator. Copies of documents certified by a notary are legalized for use abroad with an apostille stamp.
Residency applications are submitted simultaneously for all family members. For foreign citizens with visa-free access to Hungary, applications can be processed directly at the Department of Migration in Hungary. However, applicants from countries without visa-free access must undergo the family reunification process at the Hungarian consulate in their country of citizenship or residency.
Comprehensive services & support
Application fees
The service fees may vary based on the number of applicants.
Standard package
Which include 4 members (your spouse and 2 children under 18)
In addition to the above, investors must also cover expenses related to document attestation, sending the document package to Hungary, application for Guest Investor Visa, travel and stay in Hungary (once for a week) regarding the investment finalization, account opening and expenses for the 5 years.
Contact us for a comprehensive offer.
Comprehensive services & support
Frequently asked question
Hungarian citizenship
The new Hungarian Golden Visa is not a citizenship-by-investment program. And there is no direct relation to Hungarian citizenship. You can upgrade your permit to permanent residency if you reside in Hungary full-time for 3 years. After 8 years of spending the majority of time in Hungary, you can apply for citizenship. For citizenship application, clients need to pass an exam in Hungarian language. If your children study 5 years in Hungary, then they can apply for Hungarian citizenship even without knowing Hungarian language. In Hungary there are lot of international studies where they can learn in English.
Roland Berki
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