1. What does the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing do, who we can provide help for?

The National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing is a law enforcement body responsible for the entry and stay of foreign nationals in the territory of Hungary.

General information

The colleagues of the Directorate-General always provide information to the foreign nationals visiting any of the hotspots or client service offices of the Directorate-General based on individual circumstances. For this reason the information below can only be considered of a general informative nature.

In case you visit the hotspots or client services of the Directorate-General for administration, please bring your personal documents available (passport, residence permit, etc.) with you.

2. I am a Hungarian / dual (Hungarian-Ukrainian) citizen. Is it necessary to present/apply for any documents at the Directorate-General?

No, the Directorate-General issues residence document entitling its holder to reside in the territory of Hungary only to foreign i.e. non-Hungarian citizens. To the persons with Hungarian or Hungarian and Ukrainian citizenship, the same rights and obligations apply as to any Hungarian citizens.

Any persons in need of accommodation, food, medicine or any other type of aid can contact any of the following aid organisations:

https://jobbadni.hu/segitseget-kerek/altalanos-tajekoztato/

https://www.maltai.hu/

https://segelyszervezet.hu/kampanyok/haboru-ukrajnaban/

https://voroskereszt.hu/

3. I am a Ukrainian citizen. Where and what type of application should I submit for a legal stay in Hungary?

Ukrainian citizens in possession of a biometric (new type) passport can enter the territory of Hungary without a visa or being subject to other procedure. In case you have a passport or other personal document (identification card, driving license, birth certificate, or any other document with a photo), make sure to bring them with you.

Ukrainian citizens arriving from Ukraine with a passport (i.e. those who do not have Hungarian citizenship) may decide to stay in Hungary for 90 days without any specific permit. In case you would like to stay in Hungary for a longer period, or you would like to work or study here, you have to submit an application to the Directorate-General (please see in the red bar at the top on our website: 'Residence in Hungary).

Ukrainian citizens might also be entitled to receive temporary protection. Hungary can provide temporary protection (i.e. recognise as a beneficiary of temporary protection) to anyone being forced to flee Ukraine due to the armed conflict. Beneficiaries of temporary protection are entitled to a legal stay until the war is over.

Beneficiaries of temporary protection are not entitled to travel within the territory of the European Union or to legal stay in any other Member States.

Application for temporary protection can be submitted in persona in any of the designed hotspots 24 hours a day, or in any client service offices of the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing during reception hours.

Where can the hotspots be found?

4. I live in Ukraine, I have legal residence there but I am not a Ukrainian citizen. What are my options?

Third-country nationals with legal residence in Ukraine (those who study, work, etc. there with a permit) but are not entitled to legally stay in Hungary, can chose from two options.

In case your return to your home country is arranged, you must indicate it to the authority (the Police or the Directorate-General), then the Directorate-General provides you with a document entitling you to a legal stay in Hungary until the date of your departure. We suggest this option to those who can presumably leave Hungary within 1 or 2 weeks.

To those who wish to leave Hungary, the IOM (International Organization for Migration) can provide help. In case a bigger group (i.e. more than 20 persons) wishes to return home with a charter flight, they should contact the Coercive Measures and Returns Unit of the Aliens Policing Directorate of the Directorate-General ( Ez az e-mail cím a spamrobotok elleni védelem alatt áll. Megtekintéséhez engedélyeznie kell a JavaScript használatát. ) for further information.

In case someone is unable to leave Hungary, they also have the opportunity to apply for temporary protection.

Please bring the documents supporting your legal stay in Ukraine in all cases!

5. My stay in Ukraine was already illegal. What can I do?

In case you are not entitled to legally stay in Hungary and you can’t verify your legal stay in Ukraine, you have to leave the territory on Hungary as soon as possible. The aliens policing procedure for this matter will be initiated by the Directorate-General without delay, helping you in this way to return to your home country as soon as possible.

6. I got a decision of a stay in a designated place. What does this mean?

A compulsory place of stay may be designated both in the aliens policing and asylum procedure which is subject to strict rules of conduct. In this case you shall be available at the designated place of stay, and if the decision contains such provision, you shall not leave the administrative territory of the county.

Please note that everyone shall comply with the Hungarian law, for this reason the violation of the rules of conduct for the designated place of stay results in sanction and may lead to infraction procedure, as well as – in case of repeated infraction – may result in the ordering of aliens policing or asylum detention.

7. Client services of the Directorate-General:

The contact information and reception hours of the client services of the Directorate-General can be found on the website of the Directorate-General, under Contacts → Contact details of the regional offices, as well as on the following link: Contact details of the regional offices