Hungary Golden Visa: Guest Investor Residence Permit Guide (2026)

The guest investor regime is part of Act XC of 2023 on the general rules for the entry and residence of third-country nationals (the Btátv.), in force for guest investors since 1 July 2024.^[9][12] Applications are decided by the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (Országos Idegenrendészeti Főigazgatóság, OIF) under the Ministry of Interior; consulates issue the entry visa.^[2] Two documents are issued in sequence:

• Guest investor visa: a national visa valid for up to 6 months, applied for at a Hungarian consulate. It cannot be extended. Visa-exempt nationals may skip it and apply for the permit in Hungary within 30 days of first lawful entry.^[1][3]
• Guest investor residence permit: applied for inside Hungary within 30 days of entry. It is valid for up to 10 years, renewable once for up to 10 more, and its validity may exceed that of the holder's passport.^[1][3]

Only third-country nationals qualify: not EEA or Swiss nationals or their family members; stateless persons may apply.^[1] Hungary tried this before. The 2013–2017 "residency bond" program raised about HUF 590 billion through mostly offshore intermediaries and, by Transparency International's estimate, cost the budget at least HUF 21 billion compared with ordinary borrowing, which explains much of today's political sensitivity.^[16]

Uptake has been modest. By the end of February 2025, 192 guest investor visa applications and only 25 permit applications had been filed; about a third of visa applicants were Russian or Belarusian nationals, many of whom were refused.^[14] At the end of 2025 there were 142 valid guest investor permits.^[15]

There are two ways to qualify. A third route, buying residential property worth at least €500,000, was in the original law with a 1 January 2025 start date, but an amendment published in the Hungarian Gazette on 20 December 2024 removed it before it took effect, so it was never available.^[12][13]

Hungary golden visa fund route (€250,000)

You buy at least €250,000 of investment units issued by a real estate fund registered with the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (the central bank), in your own name.^[1] Conditions that sharply limit which funds qualify:^[1][3]

• at least 40% of the fund's net asset value must be invested in residential real estate in Hungary;
• the fund manager must appear on the list of qualified market participants under Act XXX of 2016 on defence and security procurement;
• the manager must clear size thresholds (assets above €100 million, €500 million or €600 million depending on its licence and fund type);
• you must hold the units for at least five years, in a securities sub-account blocked for that period, and release the custodian from securities secrecy so OIF can verify the block.

OIF's list of eligible managers names only two: SPRINT Asset Hungária Alapkezelő Zrt. and Gránit Alapkezelő Zrt. (list last edited 23 January 2025).^[5] SPRINT markets the SPRINT Hungary Real Estate Development and Investment Fund, some of whose unit classes are designed for the program.^[23] OIF keeps no register of funds or distributors.^[3] At renewal you must still own the units.^[1] Returns and exit terms are set by the fund documents, not the law.

Hungary residency by donation (€1,000,000)

The alternative is a cash donation of at least €1,000,000 for education, research or the arts to a higher-education institution maintained by a public-interest trust foundation (a KEKVA foundation); OIF links the list of eligible universities.^[2] The money is not returned. In exchange, the permit can be renewed without any further investment.^[1]

For the visa stage, OIF requires:^[2]

• proof that the investment has already been made (a fund manager or distributor certificate, or the university's confirmation that the donation arrived), or a signed declaration of which investment you will make, plus a bank certificate that the full amount is durably available;
• proof of the lawful origin of funds (public or fully probative private documents, or evidence of taxable employment or business income);
• proof of an actual address in Hungary (a lease, a deed, a free-use agreement or a paid booking);
• a valid passport and one photo;
• evidence of means and of full health-care cover. This is examined at the visa stage only, not for the permit.^[3]

OIF screens investments against UN and EU restrictive measures, and Hungary's Constitution Protection Office takes part in security vetting; it recommended refusing several Russian applicants in 2024–2025.^[2][14] A clean record is essential: the visa is revoked for expulsion orders, SIS alerts or false statements.^[2]

If you apply with a declaration, OIF's FAQ says the investment must be made within 3 months of the visa being issued and proven on Enter Hungary within 3 months of entry;^[3] the permit information sheet gives the visa's validity (or six months from first entry for visa-exempt nationals) as the outer limit.^[1] For the permit, you file inside Hungary within 30 days of entry, give biometrics in person, and show your Hungarian address and passport.^[1] Documents not issued in Hungarian or English need a certified Hungarian translation by the state translation office (OFFI).^[3]

Government charges are under €200 per person.^[4] The real cost of the fund route is the fund's own fees, custody of the blocked account, adviser fees and, above all, the opportunity cost and market risk of locking €250,000 into an illiquid Hungarian residential fund for five years. On the agent-reported figures above, a single investor should budget about €284,000 in cash outlay before adviser fees.^[22] Neither eligible manager publishes a full fee schedule on its public pages, so treat any all-in quote as unverified until you see the fund documents.^[23] The donation route is the opposite: high and final, but with no investment risk or holding condition.

At the ECB rate of 1 October 2026 (€1 = $1.1298), the fund minimum equals about $282,000 and the donation about $1.13 million.^[11]

Family members do not get guest investor permits. They apply for a family reunification residence permit (családi együttélés biztosítása) tied to the investor's permit.^[3] Under OIF's rules, eligible family members are:^[6]

• the spouse or registered partner;
• minor children of the couple, including adopted and foster children;
• minor children of either spouse over whom that spouse has custody;
• dependent parents of the investor or the spouse;
• siblings or direct-line relatives who cannot care for themselves for health reasons.

Healthy adult children are not on the list. Family permits linked to a guest investor run for up to 10 years, renewable for up to 10 years, and are exempt from the usual 90-days-in-180 presence test at renewal.^[6] Family members may work without restriction.^[1]

Family members may file at the same time as the investor, but visa-required relatives cannot enter as family members until the investor's permit is granted, so they usually apply at a consulate.^[3] Each pays the standard per-person fee: HUF 26,000–39,000 in Hungary, or €110 for a residence permit and entry visa at a consulate.^[4] No extra investment is required per dependant; one adviser reports a fund-side fee of €1,000 per family member.^[22]

The sequence follows OIF's published procedure for a visa-required applicant.^[1][2][3] Visa-exempt nationals skip step 3, file for the permit within 30 days of first lawful entry, and must prove the investment within six months of that entry.^[1]

The permit does not by itself make you tax resident. A third-country national is resident if permanently settled in Hungary; otherwise the tests apply in order: only permanent home in Hungary; centre of vital interests in Hungary; or at least 183 days in Hungary in the calendar year.^[19] With no minimum stay, many holders never become resident. Tax treaties decide dual-residence cases.

If you do become resident:^[20][21]

• Personal income tax: flat 15%, including on dividends, interest and capital gains. Social contribution tax can apply to some investment income on top, up to a cap; confirm the current figure with an adviser.
• Long-term investment accounts: 15% if closed within 3 years, 10% in years 4–5, 0% after 5 years.
• No net wealth tax.
• Inheritance and gift tax: 18%, or 9% on residential property; transfers between lineal relatives and spouses are exempt.
• Property transfer duty: 4% up to HUF 1 billion and 2% above, capped at HUF 200 million per property; not relevant to fund units bought at issue.
• VAT: 27% standard.

Fund distributions or redemption gains may be taxed in Hungary even for non-residents, subject to treaties, so ask the manager for a tax memo. Rates are from PwC summaries last reviewed on 1 July 2026; check for changes the new government may since have announced.

Hungary does not sell citizenship, and the guest investor permit does not shorten naturalisation. It can be the first step on the ordinary route, provided you actually live in Hungary.

Permanent residency

The guest investor permit is not excluded from the national residence card (nemzeti tartózkodási kártya), Hungary's permanent status. It requires at least 3 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence before applying, secured housing and livelihood, health cover, a clean record and a Hungarian cultural knowledge exam certificate; OIF's processing deadline is 70 days.^[7] The alternative is the EU long-term residence card after 5 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence.^[8] OIF does not publish how it treats long absences by guest investors, so those who rarely visit should not count on qualifying.

Naturalisation

Under section 4(1) of Act LV of 1993, a foreigner may be naturalised after 8 years of continuous residence in Hungary, with a clean record, secured livelihood and housing, no security concerns, and a pass in an exam on constitutional basics taken in Hungarian (or an exemption).^[10] Shorter periods apply only in special cases, such as 3 years for someone married to a Hungarian citizen for at least 3 years. Dual citizenship is permitted. If a passport is the main goal, compare our guide to residency routes with the fastest naturalisation and our explainer on whether EU citizenship can still be obtained through investment.

• 1 July 2024: guest investor visa and permit introduced under Act XC of 2023 with a €250,000 fund route, a €1M donation route and a €500,000 residential property route due from 1 January 2025.^[12]
• Autumn 2024 – January 2025: the first qualified fund managers (SPRINT Asset, then Gránit) cleared for the program.^[14][5]
• 20 December 2024: property route repealed in the Hungarian Gazette before it took effect.^[12][13]
• 12 April 2026: Tisza wins 141 of 199 seats, a two-thirds majority. Péter Magyar becomes prime minister on 9 May 2026; the government is sworn in on 12 May.^[18]
• 6 June 2026: new guest worker permit applications stopped by Government Decree 92/2026 (VI. 5.). Guest investor rules are unchanged.^[24][18]
• 17 September 2026: police investigation opened into the 2013–2017 residency bond scheme.^[16]

What to watch: any amendment to the Btátv. guest investor sections, changes to the KEKVA university foundations that receive donations, and transitional rules. Under the June 2026 guest worker decree, existing holders could still renew under the old rules and applications paid by 5 June were processed.^[24] That suggests, but does not guarantee, how existing investors might be treated. Fund investors should also ask what happens to their units and the renewal condition if the program ends during the 5-year lock.

It suits non-EU investors who want a long-dated Schengen residence permit with almost no maintenance, who are comfortable with five years of Hungarian residential real estate exposure, or who want a Central European base with a 15% flat tax if they later move. Families for whom a €1M donation is affordable get the simplest version: no holding condition and renewal without reinvestment.

Look elsewhere if you want to own property directly, need a near-term path to an EU passport, want to diversify across managers, cannot accept the risk of a policy change, or are a Russian or Belarusian national, a group that has faced frequent refusals on security grounds.^[14]

At a similar budget, the closest alternative is the Greek golden visa. It has property routes from €250,000 for conversions and from €400,000–€800,000 depending on location, also no stay requirement, but permits renewable every five years. Portugal's investment fund route needs €500,000, and its naturalisation clock is now 10 years. Investors focused on tax and lifestyle may prefer Italy's investor visa paired with its flat-tax regime, or Malta's permanent residence program (MPRP), which grants permanent status from the start. Cyprus permanent residency requires €300,000 in property plus proof of income. Lower-cost options include Latvia's company-investment residence permit, Montenegro's property-based residence and Bulgaria's investor residence. For a side-by-side table see our comparison of European golden visa programs. Our list of programs that have already shut, including the Spanish golden visa that closed in April 2025, shows why policy risk deserves weight. For the wider landscape, start at the golden visa hub or read how residency programs differ from passport programs.