All foreign nationals who intend to work in Hungary must obtain a work permit.

Types of work permits:

• Individual work permit
• Joint work permit
• Residence permit

Individual work permits are issued if a foreign national wish to work in Hungary for a period not exceeding 90 days during a 180-day period. A Joint permit is required if a foreign national intends to work in Hungary for a period exceeding 90 days within a 180-day period.

Process to obtain a work permit:

Step 1: Advertise the job in the Hungarian Labour Office (Munkaügyi Központ) for a fixed period of 15 days to allow enough time for unemployed Hungarian national to compete for the job vacancy.

Step 2: Initiate a manpower procedure by submitting a valid manpower request to the regional branch of the labour centre

Number of work permits issued for foreign employees cannot exceed the average number of workers requested by employers (monthly basis) as reported during the previous year. Such data are made available on an annual basis in the Official Hungarian Gazette (Magyar Közlöny) published by the Minister for National Economy.

An employer must satisfy the following conditions to be granted work permits:

• A valid workforce requirement for the foreign national prior to applying for a work permit
• Absence of Hungarian nationals to fill the workforce requirement
• Foreign national satisfies the employment conditions

Step 3:

                  General procedure:

• Submit a work permit application to the Labour Centre if the foreign national intends to work for a period less than 90 days with a 180-day period.
• If the foreign national intends to work for a period exceeding 90 days within a 180-day period, the joint permit should be submitted to the Immigration Bureau.

It takes up to 90 days to obtain approval for a joint work permit and is valid for a 2-year period. Such work permits can be extended for an additional 2-year period.

                  Simplified procedure:

A simplified procedure does not require the employer to submit a manpower request when submitting the application for an individual work permit to the Labour Centre or when submitting the application for a joint permit to the Immigration Bureau.

Circumstances under which a simplified procedure may be approved:

• If one or more of the foreign firms/persons possess majority ownership interest in the company applying for the work permit. However, the number of foreign nationals to be employed cannot exceed 5% of the total work force of the company as of 31^stof December in the immediately preceding year.
• If the employer intends to employ a foreign national for installation work, or provide guarantee, maintenance, or warranty related activities for more than 15 consecutive working days
• If the foreign employee is exempt from work permit requirements a residency permit must be applied for

Step 4: Labour centre will make the final decision within 10 – 30 days from submitting the work permit. Once the work permit is approved a resolution will be issued by the Labour Centre specifying:

• Employer who is authorized to employ the foreign national
• Workplace details
• Job description and associated activities
• Employment tenure

Step 5: Apply for a residence permit (Tartózkodási engedély) permitting residency for a period exceeding 90 days.

Validity: A residence permit for employment is issued for a 3-year period and can be extended up to 3 years occasionally. In case if the permit is issued for a maximum of 2 years, then it can be extended for a maximum of 2 years occasionally.

Step 6: Foreign nationals working in Hungary should obtain:

• A Social Insurance Identification Number (TAJ-szám) from the National Health Insurance Fund Administration
• A tax identification number from the tax authority