A free PDF guide — a budget from €12,000
A guide to Hungarian residencefor the self-employed
Residence in a Schengen country with no investment threshold: your own company or a private practice, a renewable status and permanent residence after 3 years. We set out the real budget and what is examined at renewal.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 12.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
Preliminary information is not a guarantee of approval. The terms and the fees are confirmed on the date of application.
01 / The essentials first
What to know about the status before the calculation
Four things that decide the budget and whether the status can be kept.
- There is no investment threshold
The Act names no sum. The budget is made up of the registration, the accounting, the contributions and living costs: from €12,000 is allowed for the launch and the first year.
- The business has to be real
The authority looks at the contracts, the invoices and the turnover. A company with no activity does not get its renewal.
- Income and housing are needed
A regular income, registered housing and medical insurance for the whole life of the status are all evidenced.
- The path to permanent residence is shorter than usual
After 3 years of continuous residence the national permanent permit opens — sooner than the standard five years in the EU.
02 / The budget
What the launch and the first year cost
Choose the form of the business and the family: we will show the budget to start and the running costs.
03 / Two forms
Your own company or a private practice
The ground is the same; the costs, the liability and the ability to hire people differ.
The values were checked against the official material on 12.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | A companyYour own firm from €12,000 | PracticePrivate practice from €8,000 |
|---|---|---|
| The form | a limited liability company | individual activity with no legal entity |
| The budget to startA BRIDGES estimate | from €12,000 | from €8,000 |
| AccountingA BRIDGES estimate | required, in full | simpler and cheaper |
| Liability | limited to the company’s capital | personal |
| Hiring staff | possible | limited by the form |
| The term of the permit | 1-2 years, renewable | 1-2 years, renewable |
| Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate | You plan to grow and hire | You work for yourself |
- The form
- a limited liability company
- individual activity with no legal entity
- The budget to startA BRIDGES estimate
- from €12,000
- from €8,000
- AccountingA BRIDGES estimate
- required, in full
- simpler and cheaper
- Liability
- limited to the company’s capital
- personal
- Hiring staff
- possible
- limited by the form
- The term of the permit
- 1-2 years, renewable
- 1-2 years, renewable
- Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate
- You plan to grow and hire
- You work for yourself
In both forms the status rests on real activity and on actually living in the country.
04 / The country
What the country looks like
Briefly about the country and about what sets the terms of the status.
- The essentials firstThe key facts of the programme: what decides the matter.
- A comparisonThe options and the terms of the programme in one table.
- How the work runsThe process step by step — from the check to the documents.
- The analysisWhat is checked before the status is granted.
- The limitsWhat affects the timings, the costs and keeping the status.
- Your teamWho runs the case and what each specialist answers for.
05 / The order of work
How the process runs
First the business and the address, then the documents and the filing: the reverse order costs months.
- The activity is assessed
We look at what you do and at how to evidence it: contracts, clients, the income you expect.
- Registration
A company or a private practice, registration for tax, and opening an account.
- Housing and an address
A lease or property with the address registered — a required part of the pack.
- The pack of documents
A business plan, proof of income and of means, insurance, a certificate of no criminal record.
- Filing and the decision
The application to the migration authority, the biometrics, the consideration of the case.
- The card and the renewals
A permit for 1-2 years, renewed while the business is working. The whole process takes 2-3 months.
07 / The check
What is examined on filing and at renewal
That the business is real, the income, the housing and the insurance — the decision is built on these.
- That the business is real
Contracts, invoices and turnover: the authority checks that the activity is being carried on, not merely declared on paper.
- Income and means
Proof of a regular income and of savings for the life of the status.
- Housing
A registered address where you live: a lease or a title deed.
- No criminal record, and insurance
An apostilled certificate from the country of nationality and medical insurance for the whole term.
The chief reason for a refusal to renew is a firm with no turnover and no tax paid.
08 / The limits
What to take into account in advance
Five limits that bear on the costs and on keeping the status.
The business has to be carried onA shell firm will not pass
At renewal the turnover and the tax are examined: without activity the status is not kept.
The costs run continuouslyAccounting, contributions, tax
Keeping the company going and the compulsory payments do not stop once the card is issued.
Residence is requiredFor permanent residence, continuous
The national permanent permit counts 3 years of actually living in the country.
Renewal every year or twoThe dates have to be watched
Missing the filing for renewal means losing the status and having to start again.
The language will be needed for citizenshipNot for the card
Naturalisation in Hungary requires a language examination and knowledge of the country.
09 / Your team
Who runs your case
The work is led by specialists who register businesses in Hungary and file with the migration authority.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 12 August 2026
- Last updated
- 12 August 2026
The official sources
- Act XC of 2023 on the entry and stay of foreignersNemzeti Jogszabálytár, Hungary · checked 12.08.2026The grounds and the procedure for granting a residence permit for self-employment.
- The National Directorate-General for Aliens PolicingOrszágos Idegenrendészeti Főigazgatóság · checked 12.08.2026The set of documents, the times for consideration and the procedure for renewing the status.
- The Hungarian tax authorityNemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatal · checked 12.08.2026Registering as a business, the tax regimes and the compulsory contributions.
10 / Common questions
Questions about residence for the self-employed
How much has to be invested?
There is no investment threshold. From €12,000 is allowed for launching a company and the first year, and from €8,000 for a private practice.
What is examined at renewal?
That the activity is real: the contracts, the turnover, the tax and contributions paid, and the housing and insurance.
Do I have to live in Hungary?
To keep the status, yes — it is a status for living there. For permanent residence 3 years of continuous life in the country are counted.
What about the family?
A spouse and minor children arrange their status by family reunion, once the income and the housing are evidenced.
Does the status give the Schengen area?
Hungary is in the Schengen area: with the residence card travel in the area is permitted on the usual footing.
How long does the process take?
2-3 months from the registration of the business, with a complete set of documents.
When does permanent residence open?
After 3 years of continuous residence — the national permanent permit.
How does this differ from the guest investor?
There the ground is an investment in a fund or property and the status runs ten years from the start. Here there is no threshold, but you have to carry on a real business and live in the country.
Free of charge
Take the guide and a budget for your business
We will send the PDF with the order of the process and a budget for your form of business and your family.
- The real budget for the launch and the first year
- What is examined when the status is renewed
- The requirements on income, housing and insurance
- The terms for the family and the path to permanent residence