Hungary Visa: How to Apply

• EU, EEA, Swiss: no visa
• EU visa-exempt list: 90 days in 180
• Others: Schengen visa

Hungary has been part of the Schengen area since 21 December 2007, so whether you need a Hungary visa depends on your passport, not on Hungary itself.

The Hungarian consular service publishes the full visa-free list; check it for your passport before you book. A valid residence permit or long-stay visa from another Schengen country also lets you visit Hungary for 90 days in 180 without a visa.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, visa-free travel to Hungary , short-term stay rules .

• Type C: up to 90 days in 180
• Type D: longer than 90 days
• Tourism and business: type C

For holidays, family visits, business meetings, conferences and most short trips you need the short-stay uniform visa (type C). It lets you stay in the whole Schengen area for at most 90 days in any 180-day period.

Stays longer than 90 days, for study, work or family reunification, fall under Hungarian national law and need a long-stay visa or residence permit. That is a different application with different documents and is not covered here.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, short-term stay .

• Apply to your main destination
• Where you legally live
• No visas at the border

Apply to Hungary if Hungary is the main or only destination of your trip. The main destination is the country of your main purpose or, if the purpose is the same everywhere, the one where you spend the most nights. If your stays are equally long, apply to the country whose external border you cross first.

As a rule you apply at the Hungarian consulate, or the visa centre it uses, in the country where you legally live. If Hungary has no consulate there, another Schengen country may represent it, or you can apply at any Hungarian consulate outside the Schengen area.

• In personFingerprints and a photo are taken, unless you gave fingerprints for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months
• Through an accredited commercial intermediaryWhere the consulate uses one
• Through an association or institutionFor its members on professional, cultural, sports or educational trips

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, short-term stay .

• Applications: AS Visa
• Offices in Ankara and Istanbul
• Service fee 30 euro from 1 October 2026

In Turkey, Hungary takes short-stay (type C) applications through AS Visa, which runs two offices, one in Ankara and one in Istanbul. Appointments are booked online through the AS Visa appointment system ; the consulate says appointments are completely free and that quotas are updated every week.

• Non-Turkish residents of TurkeySend the appointment request with a copy of both sides of your residence card to info@as-visa.com. The residence permit must stay valid for at least 3 months after you return from the Schengen area
• Service feeAS Visa charges 30 euro per application from 1 October 2026, on top of the visa fee
• No urgent procedureThe 15-day decision time also applies to VIP applications

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Consulate General of Hungary in Istanbul, tourist visa (Turkish) , consulate FAQ (Turkish) .

• Earliest: 6 months before
• Latest: 15 days before
• Decision: 15 calendar days

You can apply no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before the trip starts. The consulate decides admissible applications within 15 calendar days, so booking your appointment well before the 15-day limit is the safest plan.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, short-term stay , European Commission, applying for a Schengen visa .

• Adults: 90 euro
• Children 6 to 11: 45 euro
• Under 6: free

The fee is paid when you submit the application. If a visa centre handles your application, it adds its own service fee. In Turkey the consulate also waives the fee for Turkish children under 12 travelling to Hungary.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, visa fees and appeal , Consulate General in Istanbul fee list .

• Passport: max 10 years old
• Insurance: at least 30,000 euro
• Proof of funds and purpose

This is the general list from the Hungarian consular service. Your consulate may ask for more, so check its own page before the appointment.

• Application formLegibly filled out and signed; free at the consulate or on the consular service website
• PassportIssued within the previous 10 years, at least two blank pages, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area
• One recent colour photoNot older than six months
• Travel medical insuranceValid for the whole Schengen area and the whole stay, at least 30,000 euro, including medical repatriation, urgent care and emergency hospital treatment
• Proof of legal residenceIf you apply outside your country of nationality
• Proof of fundsFor example an employer income certificate, bank statements for the last three months, a pension slip or company papers
• Proof of purposeFor tourism: a travel agency certificate or a prepaid accommodation booking; for business, family or events, an invitation letter
• Travel bookingsReturn ticket or proof of an organised trip, plus accommodation
• For a minorA statement from the legal representative and proof of means

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, short-term stay , visa application forms .

• Usually 15 calendar days
• Up to 45 days in some cases
• Interview possible

A visa application is decided within 15 calendar days. In individual cases the period can be extended up to 45 calendar days, for example when the consul asks for more documents, consults other Schengen countries or invites you to an interview.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, decision on visa applications , European Commission .

• Appeal within 8 days
• Appeal fee 160 euro
• Decision on appeal in 15 days

The consulate gives the reasons for a refusal on the standard EU refusal form. The official reasons include:

• A false or forged travel document
• The purpose and conditions of the stay are not proven
• Not enough money for the stay and the return
• The 90/180 limit was already used up
• An entry ban alert in the Schengen Information System
• No valid travel medical insurance
• Unreliable information, or doubts that you will leave before the visa expires

How to appeal

You or an authorised person can appeal at the Hungarian consulate within 8 days of receiving the refusal (3 days for an annulment or revocation). The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides within 15 days.

The appeal fee is 160 euro, not refunded even if the appeal succeeds, and the decision can be reviewed by an administrative court. You can also submit a new application at any time and pay the visa fee again.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service, refusal and appeal .

• 90 days in any 180
• Rolling window
• Whole Schengen area counts

Visa-free travellers and visa holders share the same limit: at most 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area. The 180 days are counted backwards from each day you are there, so it is a rolling window, not a calendar half-year.

• Entry and exit days both count as full days
• All Schengen countries share one total40 days in Hungary and 30 in Austria make 70
• A visa or exemption is not a guarantee of entryBorder guards can ask about the purpose of your trip, your accommodation and your funds

Use the EU's official short-stay calculator  to check how many days you have left.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: Hungarian consular service , EU short-stay calculator .

• EES: fully live since 10 April 2026
• No more passport stamps
• ETIAS: not started yet

EES (Entry/Exit System) registers non-EU travellers on short stays each time they cross the external Schengen border, whether they need a visa or not. On your first crossing a border officer takes a photo of your face and scans your fingerprints, and your passport is not stamped.

The system was rolled out in phases and has been fully operational at all external border crossings since 10 April 2026.

ETIAS is a travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals. It is not in operation yet and no applications are collected; the EU will announce the start date several months in advance. Once it starts it will cost 20 euro and be valid for three years or until your passport expires. If you need a Schengen visa, ETIAS does not apply to you.

Official information, checked on 24 October 2026: EU Entry/Exit System , EU, what is ETIAS .

This page is not legal advice or a visa service. The Hungarian consulate decides every application. All facts are official information, checked on 24 October 2026; rules and fees change, so check your consulate's page before your appointment.

We do not link visa agencies or insurers.

Visa sorted? Then Budapest. Our Budapest travel guide  covers what we saw and ate there, and where to stay in Budapest  compares the districts.