Updated
GL-G-01
Glossary · Citizenship and residency programs
Guest Investor - Guest Investor (Hungary)
Guest Investor — the Hungarian golden visa (residence) by investment, granting the right to live in Hungary and travel across Schengen.
01 / In 30 seconds
The short answer
- What it is
- Guest Investor — Hungary’s golden visa (residence permit) by investment
- What it gives
- The right to live in Hungary and travel in the Schengen area
- Form
- An investment in an investment fund or real estate
- Advantage
- A long-term residence permit of an EU country
- Can you prepare
- Yes: choose the form of investment for your goal
02 / In plain words
What Guest Investor means
Guest Investor is Hungary’s residence by investment programme, a kind of Hungarian “golden visa”. It allows you to obtain a residence permit of a European Union country by investing in an approved investment fund or real estate, and gives the right to live in Hungary and move freely within the Schengen area.
It is an attractive route into the EU for those who want not to buy citizenship straight away but to have legal EU resident status with prospects. The residence permit is issued for a long term, extends to the family and opens up living, doing business and visa-free travel within Schengen. The main form of investment is a stake in an accredited investment fund.
Like any route into the EU, the programme requires transparency: the source of funds is checked, and the conditions on timelines and amounts are periodically updated. It is important to choose the right form of investment and prepare the documents in advance. We help set up the status so that it serves a long-term goal — up to permanent residence and naturalisation in the future.
A case from practice
A family wants legal status in the EU with freedom to travel in the Schengen area but is not ready for citizenship straight away. Guest Investor fits: an investment in an accredited fund gives Hungarian residence permits for the whole family. We set up the status so that over the years it leads to PR.
Where Guest Investor applies
- Hungarian residence by investment
- Legal EU resident status
- Freedom to travel in the Schengen area
- An investment in an investment fund or real estate
- Status for the whole family
- A path to PR and naturalisation
03 / What it covers
What matters about Guest Investor
Form
- A stake in an investment fund
- Or real estate
- Approved options
What it gives
- An EU country residence permit
- Schengen freedom
- For a long term
Who it is for
- EU status with prospects
- For the family
- Path to permanent residence
Keep in mind
- Funds check
- Conditions are updated
- Transparency
04 / How it works
How to get a residence permit
Choosing the form of investment
Preparing documents
Investment and filing
Review
Hungarian residence permit
05 / Key facts
What you need to know
01
Guest Investor — Hungary’s golden visa (residence permit) by investment
02
The form is an investment in a fund or real estate
03
It gives an EU country residence permit and Schengen freedom
04
The status is long-term and extends to the family
05
It opens the prospect of PR and naturalisation
Common mistakes
- Confusing residence by investment with instant citizenship
- Failing to evidence the source of funds
- Choosing the form of investment without regard to the goal
- Ignoring updates to the conditions and timelines
- Not planning the steps to PR in advance
06 / Expert advice
How to prepare in advance
For the programme, the form of investment (a fund or real estate) is chosen according to the goal and budget, and the documents and evidence of the source of funds are prepared in advance. It is borne in mind that the conditions are updated periodically. The status is planned as a first step to PR and naturalisation, not as a one-off purchase. Then the residence permit serves a long-term goal.
What we do for you. We handle Hungary’s Guest Investor programme end to end: we help choose the form of investment and prepare the documents and evidence of funds. We obtain an EU country residence permit with Schengen freedom for the whole family and set up the status as a step towards PR and naturalisation.
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer for EU citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice
07 / Questions
Frequently asked questions
Hungary’s residence by investment programme — a “golden visa”. It gives an EU country residence permit and the right to travel freely in the Schengen area for an investment in a fund or real estate.
It is a residence permit of an EU country. Citizenship is not granted straight away, but the status can be built into a path to PR and naturalisation in the future.
An approved investment fund or real estate. The main form is a stake in an accredited investment fund; the specific conditions are updated periodically.
Yes, the residence permit is usually issued to the principal applicant and their family members. We include the family in the application from the start.
The right to live in Hungary and move freely in the Schengen area, do business and plan the move to EU permanent residence.
Yes, the origin of the money is checked. We prepare transparent evidence in advance so that the application goes through without delays.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Tell us what outcome your family needs
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
