1. Who are these pieces of information intended for?
- Non-Ukrainian third-country nationals (non-EU nationals) who were legally residing in Ukraine before the outbreak of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine (see Point 3)
- Non-Ukrainian third-country nationals (non-EU nationals) who were illegally residing in Ukraine before the outbreak of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine (see Point 4)
- Ukrainian nationals who arrived to Hungary before 24 February 2022 (see Point 5)
2. Who are these pieces of information NOT intended for?
- Persons with Hungarian citizenship (including persons with dual citizenship) – Pursuant to Article XIV of the Fundamental Law of Hungary, holders of a Hungarian citizenship may return to their home from abroad at any time. Thus, if you also have Hungarian citizenship there are no further steps to be taken to legalise your stay.
- Ukrainian nationals who arrived to Hungary after 24 February 2022 – If you belong to this category, please read the information titled ‘Information for Ukrainian nationals fleeing from Ukraine’.
- Persons recognised as refugees or stateless persons by Ukraine – All those persons who were living in Ukraine before the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine but do not have the citizenship of any of the countries (i.e. who are stateless persons) or who had fled from their home country and had been granted recognition as refugees by Ukraine. If you belong to this category, please read the information titled ‘Information for Ukrainian nationals fleeing from Ukraine’.
- Family members of Ukrainian nationals, refugees and stateless persons – If you belong to this category, please read the information titled ‘Information for Ukrainian nationals fleeing from Ukraine’.
3. I was living in Ukraine, where my stay was legal; however, I am not a Ukrainian national. What options do I have?
A third-country national whose stay in Ukraine was legal (who was studying, undertaking employment, etc. with a permit) but who does not have a permit entitling to residence within the territory of Hungary can choose between the following two options.
A) If you are able to return to your country of origin, you are required to notify the competent authorities (the Police upon crossing the border of Hungary, then the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, Hungary (hereinafter referred to as NDGAP)). The authorities will issue a document allowing you to stay within the territory of Hungary up until you leave from Hungary. This option is recommended for those who can be expected to be able to leave the territory of Hungary within 1-2 weeks.
Persons who are able to leave the territory of Hungary within a maximum of 1 week, may leave within this period with the ‘Certificate of Temporary Residence’ received upon crossing the border of Hungary, their appearance before NDGAP is only required if they stay within the territory of Hungary for more than 1 week.
For persons who wish to leave from Hungary but are unable to leave on their own or with the help of their country’s representation, the International Organization for Migration (hereinafter referred to as IOM) or the authority of NDGAP may provide help. Please visit the website https://hungary.iom.int/ for more information on IOM’s ‘Hungarian Assisted Voluntary Return, Reintegration and Information Programme’. Among other costs, IOM provides for flight tickets COVID-19 tests, in cases when required for return, within the framework of the programme. Application is available via the website www.volret.hu.
Third-country nationals may also notify NDGAP if they wish to receive assistance to return home. After receiving the notification, NDGAP will contact the third-country national concerned and after a data reconciliation process, provide for his/her flight ticket and if reasonable, COVID-19 test(s). Notifying NDGAP is available via emails to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email address. In the email, either in English or in Hungarian, the name of the person wishing to return home, his/her current place of stay and the country to which (s)he wishes to return to are required to be indicated. If it is reasonable based on the number of applications for the same destination, the authority will consider the possibility of organising a charter flight for the destination.
B) If you wish to stay within the territory of Hungary, your are entitled to a stay in accordance with the general rules on residence within the territory of Hungary; on an equitable basis, NDGAP may permit the submission of an application within the territory of Hungary, if you can provide proof that your stay in Ukraine was legal and after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine you arrived to Hungary from Ukraine. Proof of the latter may be in particular the registration document received upon crossing the border of Hungary (‘Certificate of Temporary Residence’ or the application form for temporary residence) obtained at the border crossing.
Information on submitting an application for a residence permit in Hungary
Generic information is available on the website of NDGAP, via www.oif.gov.hu, under the ‘Residence in Hungary’ menu item. Please read the information on conditions of residing in Hungary and the list of documents that are necessary for verifying that the applicant meets the conditions thoroughly.
Please note that third country-nationals may only reside within the territory of Hungary for specified purposes, such as for the purpose of studies, employment, medical treatment, etc. In all cases, the specific purpose as per the applicant is required to be substantiated by the foreign national (the purpose of studies by a certificate of admission from the educational institution, the purpose of employment by a contract of employment, etc.) Furthermore, the applicant is required to provide proof that (s)he also meets other conditions of residing within the territory of Hungary, such as having a place of accommodation, means of subsistence, health insurance, etc.
If you notify NDGAP that you wish to submit an application for a residence permit, NDGAP shall issue a document to you, which entitles you to a stay within the territory of Hungary up to a maximum of 30 days. This period of time is available to you for submitting your application or leaving the territory of Hungary (see Point A)).
What happens if I do not find a place of work or do not meet the conditions of residing within the territory of Hungary?
In such a case you shall leave the territory of Hungary, see Point A). NDGAP shall initiate a return procedure against persons who are staying within the territory of Hungary illegally.
4. My stay in Ukraine was also illegal. What can I do?
In case you are not entitled to legally stay in Hungary and you cannot verify that your stay in Ukraine was legal, you shall leave the territory of Hungary as soon as possible. The aliens policing procedure for this matter will be initiated by NDGAP without delay, helping you in this way to return to your home country as soon as possible. In case you are not able to leave the territory of Hungary on your own, please contact NDGAP via the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email address or at one of the client service offices during service hours.
5. I am a Ukrainian citizen; however, I arrived to Hungary before 24 February 2022
Pursuant to the Implementing decision of the Council of the European Union (EU) 2022/382 and the Government Decree No. 86/2022. (of 7 March), Hungary grants temporary protection to Ukrainian citizens fleeing to Hungary from Ukraine after 24 February 2022.
Therefore, Ukrainian citizens who arrived to Hungary before 24 February 2022, were living or undertaking employment within the territory of Hungary are not entitled to recognition as a beneficiary of temporary protection.
If you wish to stay within the territory of Hungary, your are entitled to a stay in accordance with the general rules on residence within the territory of Hungary; on an equitable basis, NDGAP may permit the submission of an application within the territory of Hungary.
Information on submitting an application for a residence permit in Hungary
Generic information is available on the website of NDGAP, via www.oif.gov.hu, under the ‘Residence in Hungary’ menu item. Please read the information on conditions of residing in Hungary and the list of documents that are necessary for verifying that the applicant meets the conditions thoroughly.
Please note that third country nationals may only reside within the territory of Hungary for specified purposes, such as for the purpose of studies, employment, medical treatment, etc. In all cases, the specific purpose as per the applicant is required to be substantiated by the foreign national (the purpose of studies by a certificate of admission from the educational institution, the purpose of employment by a contract of employment, etc.) Furthermore, the applicant is required to provide proof that (s)he also meets other conditions of residing within the territory of Hungary, such as having a place of accommodation, means of subsistence, health insurance, etc.
What happens if I do not find a place of work or do not meet the conditions of residing within the territory of Hungary?
In such a case Hungary may recognise you as a beneficiary of tolerated status up until it is safe for you to return to Ukraine.
Please note that NDGAP staff members provide foreign nationals who visit any of the hotspots/receiving points or any of the clients service offices of NDGAP with information specific for their individual circumstances; therefore, the pieces of information above are merely of indicative nature and for the purpose of information provision.
Contact information of IOM and the ‘Hungarian Assisted Voluntary Return, Reintegration and Information Programme’:
Hotline available in various languages free of charge within the territory of Hungary: +36 80 205 018
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.volret.hu
