Seasonal worker in Hungary

Conditions

A residence permit may be issued for the purpose of seasonal employment if your purpose of residence is to undertake seasonal work.

To work in Hungary as a seasonal worker, you need a residence permit.

Procedures

Where and how to apply

If you are not allowed to enter the territory of Hungary visa free, your application for the issuance of a residence permit is to be submitted outside of Hungary.

You may submit an application before a diplomatic or consular foreign mission of Hungary in the country of your nationality or your habitual place of residence. Please be advised to contact the competent foreign mission of Hungary to inquire for further information, if there are any other places authorised to receive applications for a residence permit. Such application receiving places are constituted by e.g., honorary consuls, trade representations, and external service providers.

If there are not any consulates or other types of places receiving application in the country of your nationality or your habitual place of residence, in exceptional cases, you may submit an application in the country where you are staying legally in case you can provide proof of the reasons of your exceptional application submission. Submitting an application for a visa separately is not required, as an application for the issuance of a residence permit comprises an application for a visa entitling its holder to collect the respective residence permit.

If you are allowed to enter the territory of Hungary visa free due to your nationality, and you are not a holder of a residence permit, during your legal stay, you may submit an application for the issuance of a residence permit within the territory of Hungary as well.

Fees

Procedural fee for issuing a residence permit and issuing an entry visa for the purpose of receiving the residence permit: EUR 110.
Procedural fee for issuing a residence permit in case of an application submitted in Hungary in person: HUF 39 000.
Procedural fee for issuing a residence permit in case of an application submitted in Hungary via the Enter Hungary platform: HUF 26 000.
Procedural fee for extension of the residence permit: HUF 26 000.

Documents required

When applying for an authorisation to reside in Hungary for the purpose of seasonal work, you need to:

present a travel document, which will remain valid for at least 3 months longer than the intended period of stay;
present a prior agreement concluded with a view to entering into a contract for employment relationship, or a document verifying the employment relationship;
prove adequate accommodation;
prove sufficient financial resources and subsistence means (e.g. prior agreement for a work contract);
prove health insurance (by being officially employed, you are fully covered by health insurance).

Further requirements

You cannot be subject to an entry ban or an alert in the Schengen Information System for the purposes of refusing entry, nor can your entry and stay threaten public policy, public health or public security in Hungary.

Duration of validity of permits

The validity period of the document is maximised in 6 months, which can be extended for the same purpose for a period not exceeding 6 months within a period of 12 months. Please note that the authority shall determine the date of expiry of the residence permit in a way that the third-country national’s travel document shall be valid at least for another 3 months after the date of expiry of the approved residence.

Conditions for renewal

Extension of a residence permit is only possible - once - for not exceeding 6 months within a maximum period of 12 months, for the same purpose provided that this period has not been exceeded by the validity period of the permit to be extended. Applications for the extension of a residence permit may only be submitted via Enter Hungary.

The extension of the residence permit is only possible if:

you are a holder of a valid residence permit for the purpose of season employment at the time of the application submission, and
you resided within the territory of Hungary with your residence permit at least for 90 days in any 180-day period.

Furthermore, please note that an application for the extension of a residence permit is to be submitted at least 30 days prior to the date of expiry of the issued residence permit.

Appeals

You can submit an appeal against the decision on your residence permit application within 8 days of delivery to the immigration authority, or to the Hungarian diplomatic or consular mission where the application was submitted.

Further information

More on Residence Permit for the Purpose of Seasonal Employment

Rights

Change of status

Your residence permit authorises you to carry out a seasonal employment activity with a specific employer.

During the validity period of a residence permit for the purpose of seasonal employment and after its date of expiry, the application for the issuance of a residence permit under another legal title is not allowed in Hungary.

Family members

Family members of a third-country national who is a holder of or an applicant for a residence permit for the purpose of seasonal employment may not be granted a residence permit for family reunification.

Third-country nationals who are holders of a residence permit for the purpose of seasonal employment may not be granted a national residence card. An exception to this is if a third-country national holding a residence permit for the purpose of seasonal employment gives birth to a third-country national child in Hungary during the period of validity of the residence permit, as in this case the child will receive a residence permit issued for the purpose of family reunification after notification on the child’s birth.