Updated: 01. 07. 2024.

When to apply?

Since the new immigration law was introduced on the 1^st of January 2024, the whole residence permit system changed. This means that the permits that were issued before this date, technically cannot be extended, only a new permit can be issued. 

In case of permits issued BEFORE 2024. 01. 01:

A new request for a residence permit for the purpose of study needs to be submitted no later than 45 days before the current permit expires. If one can only submit it within these 45 days, an explanation letter written by the applicant needs to be attached, detailing why he/she couldn’t submit the request on time. The procedural fee is 24 000 HUF. (If you have Stipendium Hungaricum or Diaspora scholarship, Scholarship for Christian Young People, or if you are a Ukrainian or Belarusian citizen, you do not have to pay the procedural fee.)

In case of permits issued AFTER 2024. 01. 01:

A residence permit extension request needs to be submitted no later than 30 days before the current permit expires. If one can only submit it within these 30 days, an explanation letter written by the applicant needs to be attached, detailing why she/he couldn’t submit the request on time. The procedural fee is 23 000 HUF. (If you have Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship, you do not have to pay the procedural fee.)

Please be informed that the extension of the residence permit for the purpose of studies is only possible if:

• you are a holder of a valid residence permit at the time of application submission,
• you resided within the territory of Hungary with your residence permit at least 90 days in any 180-day period.

How to apply?

You need to submit your extension request online on the Enter Hungary website. This guide will help you navigate the application.

It is crucial to submit the application before the deadline above! If there are missing documents, it is still a must to submit the application on time! Missing documents can be uploaded later. If there are missing documents at the moment of the application, we recommend attaching a letter written by the student at the "other documents" part detailing

- the study situation of the student (short text, why are there missing document, e.g. waiting for graduation),

- list of documents to be submitted later,

- and the earliest expected date of receiving the documents (where possible).

After submitting the online application, the applicant needs to book an appointment on the website of the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing and visit the customer service (1135 Budapest, Szegedi út 37.) in person whitin 15 days from the submission to provide biometric data (e.g. photo and fingerprint). Booking the appointment and showing up in person is the responsibility of the applicant.

The official process starts with the registration of biometric data. If the applicant does not complete this step within 15 days after submitting the online application, their application will be deleted by the authorities. The last day you can show up in person at the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, after you submitted your online application, is 45 days before the expiry date of your permit. Even if the note says 15 days, if you go to the office after this deadline, you have to submit an explanation letter detailing why you couldn’t submit the request on time. Example: if your permit expires on 15 of July and you applied online on 28 of May, you have 3 days to go to the office in person, and the last day to do that is 31 of May.

Required documents

When you apply for the extension of a residence permit, you need to present a 

• valid passport (it must cover the period of authorized stay at most)
• the former residence card and former address card issued by the authorities;
• certificate of the tuition fee payment for the next semester (must be paid for the next semester when applying for the residence permit extension!) (does not apply in case of scholarship holders)
• new certificate of active student status certified by the university - you can submit your request online through Q-tér
• transcript of study progress (if you are not a first year student) - you can receive this document from your faculty's registrar's office
• and all the other types of documents same as in the case of the first application.

In case your address didn’t change, it is enough to present the former address card and make a declaration that your accommodation did not change. Please note that the lease agreement must cover the period of your stay in Hungary at most. (When you sign the lease agreement, please note that your contract should have the opportunity for an extension.)

In case you finished your studies, but you applied for another programme (on a higher level) and you still have not received any certificate, you can submit a declaration issued by your faculty which states that you will upload the Letter of Acceptance later. In this case, please contact your faculty coordinator!

How will you receive the new residence permit?

All residence permits for the purpose of study are to be posted to the university address. After your permit arrives to the university, you will receive a notification from the Quaestura Office about the time and place of receiving your residence permit.  After the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing sends out the positive decision, it takes 2-3 weeks for the permit to be manufactured and sent to the university. The colleagues of the Quaestura Office notify the student within a day when the permit arrives, there is no need to contact them beforehand.