Old family unification based permanent residence permits expire soon
Do you have Hungarian permanent residency based on family unification? Check what kind of card you have. If you have the old, laminated card that was issued between August 3, 2016 and August 2, 2021, instead of the newer, plastic one, it will expire as of August 3, 2026. Other permits remain valid.
Do you have Hungarian permanent residency based on family unification? Check what kind of card you have. If you have the old, laminated card that was issued between August 3, 2016 and August 2, 2021, instead of the newer, plastic one, it will expire as of August 3, 2026. Other permits remain valid.
Compliance with EU law
According to EU legislation, EU residence permits should meet certain formal requirements to reduce forgery and ID theft. Each permit should clearly indicate whether it is a residence permit or a permanent residence permit, and whether it was issued based on family unification.
Some old permits do not meet these criteria, and as such, they will lose their validity on August 3, 2026. Holders of concerned residence permits were supposed to receive a letter to their Hungarian registered address with instructions.
Who is this relevant to?
If you have not yet received a letter from the Immigration Office on this topic, this might still be relevant to you if you are
- a family member of an EEA citizen, OR
- a third-country national family member of a Hungarian citizen.
Third-country national means that you are not a national of an EU or EEA country.
No one else is affected by the new provision.
Check your residence permit
If you have permanent residency based on family unification, check your residence permit. Is it a laminated card? Was it issued between August 3, 2016 and August 2, 2021? If the answer is yes to both of these questions, you are supposed to have received a letter about this issue, and you are supposed to get a new residence permit before August 3, 2026.
In any case, the validity of such permanent residence permits is normally 5-10 years, so there is a chance they should expire soon anyway.
Renew your residence permit
If you are affected by the above change, take action now. Renew your permanent residence permit as soon as possible, and avoid unpleasant surprises down the road.
You should have received instructions from the Immigration Office in a letter sent to your Hungarian address. If you need further assistance, ask for professional assistance from our expert colleagues. Helpers has 20+ years of experience and a team of 20+ people committed to helping you navigate Hungarian administration with ease.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, it probably won’t. The latest provision is relevant only to a small segment of family unification residence permits: permanent residence permits that were issued between August 3, 2016 and August 2, 2021. These are old, laminated permits as opposed to the newer, plastic permits that offer more security to both holders and authorities.
The change affects only old family unification based permanent residence permits that do not match new security standards. Your new permit will be more modern and secure.
The Hungarian cultural exam is relevant only for new applications. However, technically you are not applying for a new permit, only extending your existing permit – even if you will receive a new physical card. As such, you do not have to worry about the cultural exam.
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