General information for entering Hungary

Hungary joined the Schengen Area on 21th December, 2007. From that time visas and residence permits issued by one of the Schengen Member States are valid also for Hungary, and visas/residence permits issued by Hungarian authorities are - as a general rule - also valid for the entire Schengen Area.

As of December 19th  2011, 26 states are part of the Schengen Area: 22 states of the 28 members of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. (For the time being 6 member states of the European Union, i.e. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom do not issue Schengen visas.)

The Schengen regulations are only applicable for a stay not exceeding 90 days. Rules for a stay longer than 90 days are laid down by the national law of the member states concerned.

 Application form for a stay shorter than 3 months

The Visa Application Form is available in Hungarian as well as in English and in French. Please, download and print it, then fill it in legibly, using capital letters or a typewriter and Roman characters: http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/visa-application-forms.

Countries that do not need a visa

(Visa Waiver Agreements)

Please note that the list below is only for information purposes. It is highly recommended to contact the Embassy of Hungary accredited to your country before the intended departure in order to get a confirmation.

Holders of passports issued by the countries, entities or territories listed in the table below are granted visa-free travel to Hungary.

For countries and travel documents not included in the list a visa is required.

Please be informed that the Tables on the recognition of travel documents by Hungary published on the website of DG HOME, under the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas_en.

Abbreviations of travel documents:

OP.: ordinary passport
D.: diplomatic passport
S.: service passport
ID.: Identity Card

Please note that the list includes countries where visa - free travel is only granted in possession of a diplomatic or a service passport. For information about seaman's (service), sailor's, official and special passports please contact the Embassies or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Please be advised that the driving license is not a travel document.

Holders of passports issued by the listed countries, entities or territories are exempted from any visa requirement when travelling to Hungary on condition that their visit does not exceed the period of visa-free stay indicated in the table below.

Please note that the latest amendment of the Article 5 (1) (a) of the Schengen Borders Code (entered into force on 19 July 2013) introduces new criteria for travel documents of third-country nationals entitling to cross the borders:

• the validity of the travel document shall last until at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States. In a justified case of emergency, this obligation may be waived;
• the travel document shall have been issued within the previous 10 years.

*For a stay exceeding that period a visa or a residence permit is needed according to the regulation pertaining to the respective country.

For the list please check the following link: http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/visa-waiver-agreements

EU Visa Facilitation Agreements

Visa Facilitation Agreements (VFAs) between the European Union and certain third countries on the facilitation of the issuance of visas provide procedural facilitations for nationals of specific third countries (e.g. reduction of the visa fee, issuance of multiple-entry visas for specific categories of applicants, shorter processing times) without altering the conditions for issuing visas (i.e. the visa applicant must still satisfy the entry conditions). 

For more information on visa facilitation agreements, please go to the following link:

https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy_en.

List of third countries, where a Schengen state issues visas on behalf of Hungary

http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/visa-issuance-on-behalf-of-hungary

Relevant regulations

http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/relevant-regulations

Useful Links

http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/useful-links

It is highly recommended to contact the Embassy of Hungary accredited to your country before the intended departure.

Requiring an Invitation Letter Form

An invitation letter for visa purposes can be obtained by filling the Requiring an Invitation Letter  Form.
Should this not be sufficient, the organisers will be pleased to send, upon request, a personal invitation. This letter should NOT be considered as an offer of any kind of financial support on behalf of the organisers. An official invitation letter can be requested by e-mail after filling the Requiring an Invitation Letter Form and sending it to the given e-mail address at least 3-4 months in advance. This letter does NOT however involve any commitment on behalf of the conference organisers to cover fees, accommodation, travel expenses or any other costs connected to participation in the conference.

In case of visa refusal refund is possible as follows:

• 90% of the registration fee
• certain % of the fee of accomodation (according to the cancellation conditions of the hotel) only in case of accomodation reservation through the conference-organiser.

Organisers will not be held responsible for visas that are not granted.
International conference members who require a letter of invitation will first need to complete the registration for the 6th International Conference on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterisation. Letters of invitation for spouse/guest registrants will only be provided if the accompanying individual has completed his/her conference registration.

Based on information from the official webpage of Consular Services of Hungary, May, 2019.

Special information regarding COVID

As Hungary has a high rate of immunization against COVID-19, there are no limitations, restrictions in place within the country. There might be however testing/immunization reguirements towards travellers from other countries (especially outside of the EU). Generally people who have received both shots (or single dose for Janssen vaccine) may enter without testing requirements, while those who have not yet received their shot need two negative PCR tests or quarantine.

Concurrent information for entry into Hungary may be found on the police website.

A guide to the NOVA system of the police can be found here, should you need to file for an entry permit. Details on the forms, which can be submitted in the NOVA system may be found here.