Non-EEA students - Visa/residence permit
Residence Permit for the Purpose of Study for non-EEA nationals
Updated: 10.10.2024.
If you are a student from the Savaria Campus (Szombathely), please contact your international coordinator as this information only applies to the students studying in Budapest!
- the Hungarian Consulate in your home country
- the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing in Budapest
- the visa coordinator of ELTE at visa@elte.hu
For additional information on the residence and entry into Hungary for students of Stipendium Hungaricum Students at Risk sub-program, please click here.
Before you arrive in Hungary
You need to obtain a residence permit for the purpose of study if you are a student from the non-European Economic Area (non-EEA) and you wish
- to study in a registered Hungarian secondary or higher educational institution or
- to participate in a preparatory course for higher education organized by a higher educational institution, and it certifies that you have the knowledge of language necessary for your studies.
Do you need a visa to travel to Hungary?
Click here to find out!
Validity of the Residence Permit
The residence permit for the purpose of study is issued for a maximum of 3 years and cannot be issued beyond the expiry date of your passport.
- If the study program is shorter than 3 years, the residence permit can be issued until the end of the program at most.
- If the study program takes 3 years or more, the permit is issued for at least one and maximum 3 years, which can be extended by a maximum of 3 years at a time.
If you do not need a visa
If you are coming from a visa waiver country, you can apply for the residence permit for the purpose of studies after you arrive in Hungary. The application happens online, on the Enter Hungary website. (You can also apply for the residence permit at the nearest Hungarian consulate of your current residence, before you travel to Hungary, but it is not recommended due to long waiting times.) On the Enter Hungary website, choose "Pursuing studies or student mobility"! This guide will help you along the application process.
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 one of their customer services in person within 15 days from the submission to provide biometric data (e.g., a 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.
Once the application is submitted, students need to wait for the decision. If their application is accepted, they will also need to wait for the residence permit card to be sent to the university. If one is waiting for the decision or the residence permit card, and has already stayed in the Schengen-zone for 60 days within the last 180 days, we recommend asking for a temporary residence certificate (ideiglenes tartózkodási igazolás - ITI) by visiting the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing in person at Budapest, Szegedi út 35-37. Appointments can be made here, but they are not obligatory.
Since 01.01.2023. all applications (except the ones submitted at the consulate/embassy) must be submitted online, personally visiting the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing for submitting applications is only possible in special and vis maior cases.
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Required documents, if you apply for a residence permit for the first time on Enter Hungary |
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Please download and fill them! |
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Valid passport |
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1 color photo of you |
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Letter of Acceptance or student status certificate |
You receive the Letter of Acceptance from your faculty when you get accepted to ELTE. You can receive a student status certificate at Quaestura Office. |
| Language certificate | The student must have adequate language skills, which must be proven with a certificate. It can be an internationally recognised language exam OR proof of former studies in the working language of the study program. |
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Certificate of accommodation |
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Completed form of “Notification of Accomodation” |
Please download and print the form, then fill it and ask your dormitory/landlord/agent to sign it before you upload it! |
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Certificate of financial conditions |
Scholarship letter of award OR bank account statement OR a bank account statement of your parents and a declaration from your parents that they support you financially, etc. |
| Certificate of payment of the tuition fee | If you are a self-funded student. |
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Certificate of health insurance |
Any health insurance valid in the territory of the EU, e.g. TAJ card. |
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Completed form of “Declaration to undertake voluntary leave” |
Download it, print it, and fill it! |
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Fee: In case of a new request:
In case of extension:
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The costs of the procedure is payable by way of electronic payment instrument (bank card) or in the form of bank deposit (using the cheque supplied by the regional directorate). In respect of yellow cheques, in the “comment” box the client’s name and date of birth, and the case type “Application for Residence Permit” shall be indicated. Please note that state scholarship holders are exempt of the application fee! (Individuals who have the right to free movement and residence, as well as citizens of third countries who study in Hungary with a Hungarian government scholarship or with a regular study allowance from the minister responsible for education are exempt from paying administration service charges according to point 2) c) of paragraph 5 of the Decree 28/2007 /31.05/ of the Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement on the charges of administration related to the entry and residence of individuals who have the right to free movement and residence, as well as the citizens of third countries.) |
If you need a visa
If you are coming from a country that is under visa obligations according to the Schengen acquis, you need to apply for the residence permit for the purpose of study and a residence permit visa (D-visa) at the same time, before you travel to Hungary.
Residence permit application in your country
You need to submit the residence permit application at the Hungarian embassy or consulate or at other locations authorised to receive residence permit applications that operate in the country of your permanent residence or nationality. The decision on residence permit with study purposes will be made within 30 days. Please note that due to the increased number of applications before the start of the semester, the waiting time can exceed 30 days.
The residence permit visa (D-visa) can be issued for a maximum of 3 months, and one can enter Hungary with it only once. If one does not arrive in Hungary while the visa is valid, the residence permit that is issued along with the visa will be automatically canceled by the authorities.
After you arrive in Hungary - Receiving you residence permit
If you traveled to Hungary visa-free, you need to apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studies online, on the Enter Hungary website. For assistance with the residence permit application, see this guide.
If you traveled to Hungary with a D-visa and already applied for the residence permit at the Hungarian embassy/consulate in your home country, you only need to receive your residence permit.
All residence permits for the purpose of study are sent to the address of the university by post. You can receive your residence permit at the ELTE Quaestura Office, shortly after it arrives. Please wait for a notification from the Quaestura with the time and place to receive your card.
Address registration
If you are a non-EEA student and you plan to stay in Hungary longer than 30 days, you are required to register your accommodation and any consequent changes online on the Enter Hungary website within 3 days of taking up residence.
The QR code received upon accommodation registration has the function of an address card. It has to be available at all times and be presented to the authorities if requested.
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR ACCOMMODATION?
You have to register your first Hungarian address or the change of your Hungarian address online on the Enter Hungary website. This procedure is free of charge. You can find instructions in the ELTE Enter Hungary Guide at the bottom of this page, among downladable files.
If you applied for a D-visa + residence permit at a Hungarian consulate/embassy, you do not need to register your accommodation again online, only if it has changed since then. You will receive your QR code "address card" in pdf format in e-mail or in your Enter Hungary inbox.
If you apply for a residence permit for the first time in Hungary (because you come from a visa waiver country), you need to register your address online.
IMPORTANT!
If you applied for the visa at a Hungarian consulate/embassy and your address has changed after you arrived in Hungary (e.g. you applied for the visa with a dorm address, but you live in a rented flat), you need to register the change of your address.
If you received a QR-code (address card) with the wrong address/not your current address/address of the university, you need to register the change of your address.
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REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: |
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Please download it, print it, fill it out, and ask your dormitory /landlord/ agent to sign it, then upload it to your case on the website. Important: it has to be signed by hand, with a blue pen! Notification of Accomodation GUIDE |
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Valid passport |
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Certificate of accommodation |
Dormitory certificate (stamped and signed by the management); or Proof of student hostel (stamped and signed by the management); or Lease Contract, which should contain your and your landlord’s personal data (ID Card / passport number, mother’s maiden name), the exact address (postal code, city, street/square/road, house number, floor number, door number), period of stay (definite/indefinite time) and signatures of two witnesses. |
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In case of changing your address: your previous address card or address QR code |
If you had another address in Hungary and you want to register the change of your address, you need to upload your previous address card or address QR code as well. |
Leaving Hungary
You are only legally allowed to stay in Hungary as long as you have a valid residence permit. When your residence permit expires or it gets invalidated, e.g. because of passive status (and you haven't applied for an extension), you need to leave Hungary.