List of countries shortened for guest worker residency

While the list of countries available for guest worker residency got shorter with the latest government decree published on the topic, this is in fact good news to those coming from the countries involved. How is that possible? Read on!

Preferential procedure in Hungarian residency

Hungarian residency is available to all nationalities. With the new immigration law, various new residency categories were created, and some offer preferential treatment based on country of origin.

Guest worker residency is one of them, offering a simplified procedure to specific employers if they are employing people from specific countries. (In this sense, specific employers are certified labor rental agencies and other, preferential employers.)

In exchange for the simplified procedure, some of the benefits usually available to third-country nationals working in Hungary do not apply:

• No family unification
• Permanent residency will not be available to holders
• If the employee wants to apply for another type of residency, they must travel back to their home country and submit their application there
• Only available for certain positions (see the exclusion list in Hungarian, complete with FEOR codes)
• Only available to applicants from certain countries (see below)

Apart from this, the requirements are similar:

• Employee needs to be qualified for the job in Hungary, otherwise no special or high qualifications are required
• Valid for up to 3 years, depending on the validity of the group agreement the employer has with the government

The list of countries got shorter

Guest worker residency is available only to applicants coming from certain countries. With the latest government decree, the list got significantly reduced.

However, the countries not indicated in the second column were not just deleted from the list of countries that can expect preferential treatment. In fact, they were moved to the list of countries whose citizens can apply for a National Card (“nemzeti kártya”).

Benefits of the National Card

While the application procedure for the National Card is different and might be a bit more complex, the National Card offers significant benefits:

• Family unification
• Option for permanent residency in 3 years
• Option to submit a different type of residency application without leaving Hungary
• No constraints on job or position

Not only the improved benefits offer better options to the applicants immediately, but they also promise more favorable options for the employers too, in the long run. For one thing, once an employee becomes a permanent resident, costs related to their residency renewals and relevant reporting will be reduced.

Choose the right type of residency for your employees

The various types of Hungarian residency and work permits have different conditions and benefits. Choosing the right permit for your employee is important so you can make the most of your operational costs.

Helpers Hungary provides business and immigration assistance with 20 years of experience, and you can rely on our extensive knowledge on both topics. We would be happy to help you make the decisions that serve your Hungarian business the most.

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