Find out about 8 ways to emigrate to Hungary from Russia

Often, people planning to move to Europe ignore the former countries of the socialist bloc, believing that obtaining a residence permit there does not make sense, because few people decide to stay there. The majority is trying to immediately “storm” Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and other developed countries of the European Union.

However, most often they will face refusals and disappointments. Not a single European country distributes residence permits left and right, the queue of applicants is thousands of people, and quotas allow accepting only a few dozen. How to be? It turns out that Central, Western and Northern Europe is closed to our fellow citizens?

To a greater extent this is true, especially considering the difficult situation with eastern migrants. However, there are certain loopholes and they are absolutely legal. In our article we will talk about the possibilities of obtaining a residence permit in Hungary, and you will see for yourself that this is one of the most realistic ways to get to Europe and gain a foothold there with official status.

Residence permit in Hungary: advantages

The main advantage is that you receive a residence permit in a country that is part of the European Union and enjoys all its privileges.

• You have the opportunity to travel without a visa in all 28 Schengen countries.
• You always have an “alternate airfield” in case of economic turmoil in your country.
• Your funds can be kept in reliable European banks in hard currency.
• By becoming a resident of Hungary, you will be able to conduct business in the European Union.
• You get the right to purchase real estate in any EU country.
• Your children can study at the best universities in Europe without issuing student visas.
• Quality European healthcare is available to you.
• If you have a certain amount, you can invest it in the Hungarian economy and receive a residence permit, and then permanent residence in the shortest possible time.

What are the ways to obtain permanent residence?

Acquiring permanent residence status is possible in the following cases:

• marriage to a Hungarian citizen;
• long-term employment in the republic;
• starting your own business;
• residence within the country for 3 years, permitted departure from a foreign country lasts no more than 45 days;
• the presence of family ties, which are confirmed by a documented pedigree and other certificates.

The basis for obtaining permanent residence is the implementation of large investments; the amount of Hungarian bonds must be at least 250 thousand €. Permanent residence is obtained by a citizen after 5 years. Frequent departure from the country of a citizen who has received permanent residence in this category is allowed.

After receiving permanent resident status, you are allowed to leave the country and return the required number of times, you have the opportunity to move freely throughout the Schengen zone and receive benefits as citizens of the European Union.

Where to contact?

The paperwork procedure goes through the migration department of the Republic of Hungary.

What documents are needed?

You will need to present the following set of papers:

1. Confirmed residence in a foreign country for 3 years. It is required to stay in Hungary for at least 270 days in 1 year.
2. Provide information about ownership of residential real estate or provide evidence of renting an apartment or house. The landlord must obtain permanent official residence registration at the specified address.
3. Certificate of absence of detention by judicial authorities.
4. You will need to confirm your knowledge of the state language (certificate of completion of training, testing or interview), and the history of a foreign state.
5. Photos (2 pcs.).

The list of additional papers may include the following certificates:

• birth certificate of a foreign citizen;
• papers confirming the applicant’s marital status (marriage or divorce certificate);
• certificate of employment, documents for your own enterprise or sponsorship letter, etc.

You will need to find out the exact list of documents from the migration service in accordance with the program under which the application is being submitted.

The residency requirement (residence in the country to apply for permanent residence) may differ for different categories of citizens. A temporary residence permit requires you to live in the country for 1 year, to obtain permanent residence you need to live for 3 years, 3-5 years are required before applying for the right to receive a Hungarian state passport.

The period for acquiring a passport of a citizen of the republic may be reduced in some cases for foreigners. The period of residence in Hungary has been reduced to 5 years for the following categories:

• children born in Hungary;
• persons who do not have citizenship in other countries;
• received a temporary residence permit up to 18 years of age.

The following categories of citizens can live in the country for up to 3 years before receiving a Hungarian passport:

• refugees with confirmed status;
• parents of minor citizens of the republic;
• spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for at least 3 years;
• persons who are adopted by Hungarian citizens.

Cost and terms

The state fee is 10,000 forints (about 33 €). The period for consideration of applications and documents for permanent residence is 3-12 months. During the period of consideration of papers, additional information may be requested, questions may be asked about monetary savings, confirmation of family ties, and an employment contract.

What is attractive about Hungary?

Many do not hide the fact that Hungary for them is a kind of bridge to Europe. They receive a residence permit here only in order to move to a more developed country and eventually gain a foothold there, spending a minimal amount on it.

However, Hungary is a beautiful country in itself with quite a lot of opportunities. Therefore, if you stay here, you won’t go wrong.

• Hungarian is not an easy language, but every Russian-speaking person can master it.
• The mentality of the Hungarians is in many ways similar to the mentality of the Eastern Slavs. Especially close to Ukrainians.
• The Hungarian education and medical system is at a high level of development and meets European standards.
• Real estate is cheap here by European standards, living costs are low, and high-quality and inexpensive products are available.
• Hungary is an excellent country for travel, tourism, and active recreation.
• The state provides decent security, and the crime rate here is lower than the European average.

Hi all! You are reading our first post, so don’t judge too harshly. I hope you will be interested in the story about our move to Hungary. We are starting this blog from Hungary, now we are in our third month of living in a new place. All issues related to the move have been resolved, now there is time for blogging. So, let's begin….

Even before my appearance in her life, my wife was making plans to move from Russia to other countries. But then Konstantin appeared on the horizon of Vasilina’s life, who considered himself a true patriot of Russia and successfully drove away such thoughts about her. Instead of overseas countries, he suggested that she exchange life in the city for life in the countryside.

The argument was weighty - clean air is the key to children’s health! The decision was made and we began to look for a country dream home. After I looked through all the possible offers in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, we chose a house of 140 m2 in a cottage village in the village of Kirpolye, a very picturesque place, on the territory there is a tennis court and a children's playground. At that time, our family consisted of three people.

We lived in this house for about a year, after my beloved announced that we would soon have a new addition, I had to get on the computer and find a bigger house for us... We found a house in Vsevolozhsk, the Melnichny Stream area - 15 km from St. Petersburg, cottage village "Khvoinoe". We rented a large house of 250 m2 with a plot of 25 acres. Porcini mushrooms, blueberries grew on the plot, and squirrels jumped.

The village is guarded, children could walk there safely, the only drawback is that at that time only three families lived in the village. Some had grown-up children, others came only for the weekend. So the baby, Leo (now 3 years old), was entertained by the nanny and the builders who were building the neighboring houses. Milada (now 12 years old) entertained herself. In the summer of 2013, the house we lived in was sold, and we were offered to move to a neighboring house, it was larger and we had a garage for 2 cars.

From this period, we became ardent promoters of country life and became very well trained in moving short distances!) Three moves in 3 years. When Milasha had a vacation, we regularly visited overseas countries, and on another trip to our beloved Kalkan the thought came to our minds: “It’s time to get out!” Kalkan is a small town in Turkey on the seashore, 3 hours by car from Antalya towards Fethiye or 1.5 hours from Dalaman airport. I recommend this place to everyone! We go there every summer for 3 weeks, for the third year in a row. I think we will write about Kalkan in our blog.

Beach Club. Clean water and great food!

Kaputas is the most beautiful beach in Turkey. (5 minutes by car from Kalkan)

The situation in my homeland was not very good; my project to restore merchant houses in Staraya Ladoga was slammed by the bailiffs. In our country, a lot is happening as in the famous fable “The Swan, the Crayfish and the Pike.” The President and the Ministry of Culture say it is necessary to restore the monuments of Old Ladoga, the administration of the Volkhov region allocates plots with the burden of restoring merchant houses to their original form, and the prosecutor’s office and the environmental committee of the Leningrad region prohibits construction .

House-monument of the merchant Shatkov. (Demolished in 2003 before the arrival of V.V. Putin)

As a result, all my plans for this summer to conduct archaeological research on the sites and pour the foundations went downhill. This story deserves a separate post... Not everything was going smoothly in business either, and I decided to sell the share to my partner. The opportunity has arisen to start everything from scratch in another country, where the rules of the game are respected, and where there are fewer “unexpected” people.

The wife said: “Finally you understand! Let's look for a suitable option! " It was the end of June 2014. Why Hungary?

Under the Turkish sun, we began our search for a country where we would be comfortable and safe to live, study and work. Naturally, we did not consider Turkey as a country to live in. An important point of moving is the opportunity to quickly obtain a residence permit for the whole family. I read a lot of information on forums and on the websites of various helpers and came to the conclusion: “

We will do everything ourselves, there is nothing difficult in obtaining a residence permit!” While I was digging through the Internet, my wife from a nearby sunbed told me: “Look - Hungary gives permanent residence for the whole family for an investment of 250,000 euros in the economy of this country!” I said: "Okay." Let's study this proposal." After analyzing this proposal, we decided that freezing such an amount for 5 years and an additional irrevocable payment of 50,000 euros for registration is an unacceptable option for us.

But thanks to this advertisement we learned about Hungary! Until this moment, we knew very little about Hungary, Ikarus buses, Globus canned goods and a Rubik’s cube, and the song of the war years: “And on his chest a medal for the city of Budapest shone…”

You can order your food and have it delivered to your home.

Regarding the issue of obtaining a residence permit, I called the Hungarian consulate in St. Petersburg, where they listened to me carefully and told me what documents were needed to obtain a D visa (on the basis of a D visa we receive a residence permit). We did not take roundabout routes to open a company that was unnecessary for us and engage in other nonsense, as advised on the forums.

I told the consulate that I want to live in Hungary and our family has the opportunity to rent a house, pay for our children’s education and have money to live in this wonderful country. After this call, we became confident in obtaining a residence permit in Hungary under our scheme. We read a lot of reviews from tourists and people who live in Hungary. Only positive reviews! The only point that slips through everyone’s reviews is the complexity of the Hungarian language. But that won't stop us. The younger generation of Hungarians knows English, and the old generation once learned Russian. But we are also slowly planning to master Hungarian. My favorite topic and hobby, which sometimes brings me income, is real estate!

I immersed myself in studying the Hungarian real estate market on the website www.ingatlan.com. My search was limited to the suburbs of Budapest, other cities were not considered. The real estate market amazed me with the huge number of offers, quality of real estate and low cost. An important aspect of my search is the ability to reduce our family's monthly expenses.

Our main expense was renting a house, 150,000 rubles/month, so I looked at houses for rent up to 100,000 rubles/month. I saved interesting options and wrote letters to agents about the possibility of viewings. My wife started researching international schools in Budapest for our daughter Milada.

There are a large number of international schools in Budapest, several British, American, French, Austro-Hungarian, etc. We decided to visit all these schools and choose the best one for our daughter. We found many translator contacts on the Internet and chose Christina, who has three children and is very familiar with school topics; she prepared us a summary of all international schools in Budapest. We returned from Turkey at the end of June, upon arrival in Russia we decided to clear up the accumulated issues and bought a plane ticket to Vienna on July 28, and booked a car there. On our trip, we decided to combine business with pleasure and visit Austria, Italy, Slovenia and spend the last 5 out of ten days in Budapest. To be continued….

All ways to obtain a residence permit in Hungary

Residence permit for investment

In 2013, the Hungarian government launched a program that allows wealthy people to obtain permanent residence here in record time - in just 6 months. In this case, the investor receives a residence permit in just 3 weeks. Now this is the shortest possible time to obtain a residence permit in Europe!

The investor is offered to invest 300 thousand euros by purchasing government bonds. The profitability of these securities is zero, but after 5 years the state is guaranteed to return the entire amount. Thus, the investor bears only the registration costs – 60 thousand euros. Moreover, his entire family receives a residence permit for this amount.

Further, the investor is guaranteed many benefits. Just 6 months after the investment, he receives permanent residence in Hungary and gets the opportunity to move around Europe with absolutely no restrictions and conduct business activities here. After 8 years, the investor receives citizenship. This is the easiest and fastest way to obtain a residence permit and permanent residence in Hungary. Read more about the program on the Immigrant Invest website.

Residence permit for financially independent persons

This form of obtaining a residence permit is common in Europe. This status is issued for a short period of time and then extended many times. At the same time, a migrant does not have the right to work in the European Union and receive income here - only to reside. Accordingly, he applies for permanent residence and a Hungarian passport on a general basis and does not have any privileges.

To obtain a residence permit as a financially independent person, you must:

• deposit 10 thousand euros into a bank account in Hungary for each family member
• take out health insurance (36 euros per year per person)
• buy or rent a home.

The Hungarian Immigration and Citizenship Office's requirements for the applicant and his family are standard: he must not have any problems with the law (provide a certificate of no criminal record), and his income must be legal. If the applicant is a legal entity, then the company undergoes a Due Diligence check (read more about it in our article “Due Diligence”).

Buying a property

Unlike some European countries that issue “golden” residence permits for investments in real estate (Spain, Portugal, Greece), this rule does not apply in Hungary. By purchasing housing, you join the general queue of those wishing to obtain this status here, and the likelihood of refusal is quite high. Even if you have met all the requirements:

• got medical insurance
• purchased real estate that complies with the requirements of the law
• confirmed the presence of 6 thousand euros in the bank account for each family member
• have proven their own cleanliness before the law and lack of criminal record.

However, if you are lucky enough to get a residence permit here for purchasing real estate, this will indeed be a serious success. After all, in Hungary there is no limit on the amount for purchasing a home. The main thing is that for 1 person. accounted for 12-15 m2, and the housing itself met the standards for residential premises. More details here

Doing Business

You can obtain a residence permit in Hungary by opening your own company here (analogous to an LLC in the Russian Federation and Ukraine). Registration will cost approximately 2.5 thousand euros. The main condition is that the company must conduct absolutely legal activities, successfully pass an audit, and pay taxes on time. Please note that tax legislation here is not the simplest, so it is necessary to hire a qualified Hungarian accountant. This type of residence permit is strictly quota-based, and the decision to grant it is issued by the Registration Court of Hungary based on the importance of your business project for a particular region.

Marriage

If you marry a citizen of this country, you can obtain a residence permit in just 1 month. Moreover, they will not be able to refuse you in the absence of obvious reasons - after all, we are talking about family. However, it should be noted that officials carefully check the fictitiousness of marriages, because there are many scammers who make money from such scams. If within 3 years you have proven that your marriage is not fictitious, then you can count on citizenship.

Family reunification

This method applies only to close relatives. These include minor children and dependent parents.

Work and study

Typically, residence permits are not issued to foreigners working in Hungary. For this purpose, there is a work visa, which is issued for the duration of the contract. However, if we are talking about a highly qualified specialist or a manager who is officially invited to work by a large company, then the migration service makes an exception.

But foreign students have the right to a residence permit if they enroll in a Hungarian university. To do this, you need to apply for a long-term visa (more than 90 days) and confirm your knowledge of the Hungarian language. You can also obtain a residence permit by enrolling in Hungarian language courses according to an individual program at an agency accredited by the Hungarian Embassy in the Russian Federation. However, such cases are rare.

Emigration to Hungary of pensioners

If a foreign pensioner has lived in Hungary for 3 years, he can apply for a permanent residence permit (PR). To do this, in addition to the main documents, you must provide:

• pensioner's ID
• bank account statement showing the availability of at least 10 thousand euros
• pension receipt
• document confirming the ownership or rental of housing.

Other ways to obtain a Hungarian residence permit

The remaining methods are suitable for an extremely limited circle of people due to their narrow focus:

• conducting scientific activities - a residence permit is issued for the duration of the contract with the host party, but not more than 5 years
• official visit - residence permits can be obtained by diplomats and members of an official foreign delegation for a period of no more than 3 years
• medical assistance - residence permits are issued to persons who plan to undergo long-term treatment in Hungary - for no more than 2 years.

Immigration methods

Possible immigration methods:

• through employment;
• for studying at universities;
• for doing business;
• marriage or family reunion;
• acquisition of citizenship by refugees;
• repatriation;
• purchase of residential or commercial real estate.

Immigration through employment

For official employment, you will need a D visa, confirmation from official bodies that there are no applicants for a certain specialty in the company. The search among Hungarian citizens must be carried out by the company within 30 days. A work permit is issued for 1 year, then an extension of the document is required. An advantage in employment is given to highly qualified specialists with a profile in demand in the country.

The list of popular specialties in the Hungarian state includes:

• representatives of the service sector (restaurants, hotels, inns);
• management personnel of enterprises, sales managers;
• web designers, qualified programmers, IT developers;
• call center specialists;
• representatives of the agricultural field (agronomists, product processing workers, etc.);
• banking specialists in the field of lending;
• economists;
• gas workers;
• energy;
• specialists from oil companies.

The country provides the opportunity to find temporary employment (nurses, cleaners, nannies, handymen). If you are officially employed by a foreign company, you can apply for a residence permit after 2 years.

Do you want to get EU citizenship in 12 months? Take the free test and find out your chances.

Studying in higher education institutions

To obtain education at universities in Hungary, you will first need to request a visa document for a period of at least 3 months. Then the student takes an exam in the Hungarian language. A residence permit is issued for the period of study at the institution. After defending your diploma, you have the opportunity to find a job in different European countries.

Residence for a short period of time is also provided when teaching the Hungarian language; education is available to foreign citizens of all ages in public and private institutions. The standard duration of training is 2 years. The cost of studying at universities is about 3000 € for 1 year.

Relocation for business

The republic allows immigration to create a business. Citizens will need to register a company with the authorities, prepare a business plan, draw up a lease agreement for office space, and hire full-time employees. Only after passing and agreeing on the initial stage can production work begin. The initial capital of the company must be at least 2000 €.

If there are co-founders, at least 400 € must be confirmed for each person. According to the requirements, the company’s profitability must exceed $2.4 thousand. After registering a company, the manager can quickly prepare a residence permit for 12 months, then extend it for a period of up to 2 years and after 3 years receive a document and the right to permanent residence. Subsequently, if the state requirements are met, you can submit documents to acquire citizenship of the country.

To obtain resident status, the owner of the company must also present a package of papers for ownership of residential real estate (from 18 m²), a bank statement indicating the availability of funds to live in the country for 12 months. There is an opportunity to transport other family members to the country.

Residence permit through family reunification and marriage

A residence permit is obtained upon the reunification of family members. Documents can be submitted if you are married to a representative of the country or if you have close relatives among the residents of Hungary. Certificates and extracts are required to confirm family ties.

Obtaining citizenship for refugees

It is allowed to immigrate to Hungary with officially proven refugee status. Relocation is possible under preferential programs, the conditions of which must be obtained from the country's immigration officials.

Repatriation

Since 2011, a program for repatriates has been in place. According to the country's legislation, ethnic Hungarians who lost their documents during the separation of parts of the country in different periods of history can restore their citizenship status. The program is aimed at citizens who were born or lived in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine, in Vojvodina, as well as their descendants.

To restore citizenship, you will need to present the relevant papers from family and official archives. If there are no papers, you can make requests to the registry office and restore data using metrics.

Residence permit for the purchase of real estate

Obtaining a residence permit after purchasing real estate is subject to the following conditions:

• selection of real estate;
• obtaining permission to purchase a house or apartment;
• signing a purchase agreement;
• obtaining property rights;
• obtaining a visa document category D;
• registration of residence permit.

Obtaining a D visa

Visa D is obtained to acquire a residence permit in a foreign country. The document allows you to enter the territory of the republic and stay in the country for no more than 30 days, during which you must obtain an official long-term residence permit. The list of required documents is contained on the embassy’s portal.

Do you want to be guaranteed to obtain a residence permit, permanent residence, or citizenship in another country? See the rating of reliable migration companies!

Immigration to Hungary

This country can become not only a “reserve airfield”, but also a kind of “pass” to one of the developed European countries. If you do not take into account the many narrow ways of obtaining a residence permit (marriage, study, work, etc.), then at the moment the investment offer of Hungary can be called the cheapest and fastest in Europe. And one of the most attractive in the world! After all, you get the opportunity for an extremely modest amount (taking into account the return on investment) to move directly to the European Union and enjoy all its benefits.

If you are interested in other options for obtaining official status in the EU and beyond, read our review of “Residence Permit in Europe”, follow our publications, or better yet, subscribe to blog updates. We regularly monitor changes in immigration legislation, so the information on the site is constantly updated. We will help you choose the most correct and profitable route to Europe.

What are the ways to obtain a residence permit?

You can obtain a residence permit in the following cases:

• getting an official job (contractual activities limited in time and seasonal employment are not suitable);
• moving to close relatives who are citizens of the republic and residents of the EU;
• marriage to a Hungarian citizen or EU resident;
• transfer of investments into the economy of the republic in large quantities.

Purchasing residential real estate is not an automatic way to obtain a residence permit; you will need to provide other evidence of the possibility of obtaining the paper.

Where to contact?

You will need to contact the Hungarian Migration Service, write an application and prepare the necessary package of papers, and pay tax contributions.

What documents are needed?

The list of required papers includes:

1. Application for purchasing a residence permit in a foreign country, the paper must be filled out in English or Hungarian. The paper requires indicating the citizen’s petition, planned period of residence in the republic, specialty, labor status, marital status of the citizen, signature, etc.
2. Confirmation of the source of income (certificate from the workplace, sponsorship letter, certificate of having a business).
3. Photographs (4 pcs.), made in compliance with regulatory requirements (35*45 mm, color photograph, light background, no corners in the photograph). Photographs are taken a maximum of 6 months before submitting the package of papers.
4. A certificate confirming the absence of a criminal record in Russia and other countries.
5. Bank statement showing receipts and withdrawals of money for 3 months.
6. Those employed must confirm this fact with a certificate containing data on wages and the ability to work remotely.
7. Pensioners must attach to the package a certificate from the pension fund with the amount of pension payments.
8. A medical policy with a sufficient amount to cover expenses.
9. A valid foreign passport.

The list of additional information includes the following:

• business plan for immigration with the aim of creating your own business, staff schedule, information on state registration of the company;
• when applying for a job at a Hungarian company, you will need to provide an agreement with the company;
• when moving to family, it is required to confirm the presence of family ties with certificates;
• marriage certificate when moving to your husband/wife.

Cost and terms

At each stage of obtaining a residence permit, you will need to pay state fees. At the initial stage, you will need to obtain a Schengen visa from the Hungarian embassy:

• The visa fee for a short-term visa (category C) is 35 €, for expedited purchase of paper you need to pay 70 €;
• The consular fee for a long-term visa (category D) reaches 50 €, expedited receipt of paper is not provided for by Hungarian legislation;
• When processing paperwork through visa centers, the additional fee is 20 €.

The cost of obtaining a temporary residence permit (residence permit) is 18 thousand forints (Hungarian). When extending, you will need to pay an additional 6 thousand Hungarian forints.

What to do in case of refusal?

Refusal to obtain a residence permit in Hungary is possible for the following reasons:

• criminal record;
• expulsion of a citizen from EU countries;
• suspicion of a threat to the national security of the republic.

If the refusal to receive the paper was not based on these violations, you can file an appeal, correct the errors and resubmit the package of certificates. A repayment of the consular tax fee will be required. It is recommended to prepare papers carefully and avoid providing fictitious papers, because It may be difficult to obtain a Schengen visa when applying in the future.