INFORMATION
on
Residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activities
- 1)Which third-country nationals are eligible to be granted a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activities?
Those third-country nationals are eligible to be granted a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activities,
- ·who wish to stay in the territory of Hungary for the purpose of performing public interest voluntary activities based on a voluntary contract concluded with a host organization defined by Act LXXXVIII of 2005 on public interest voluntary activities, or
- ·performs voluntary activity in the framework of the European Voluntary Service.
A host organisation may be: a local or minority self-government, budgetary entity, civil or non-profit organization, ecclesiastical legal person or religious association, social, child welfare, child protection service provider, institution or network, health service provider, public education institution, vocational training institution, higher education institution, museum institution, library, public archive, public private archive, public cultural institution.
Residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity cannot be granted to those who:
- ·have applied for refugee status or subsidiary form of protection status,
- ·have been granted refugee status or subsidiary form of protection status,
- ·have tolerated status,
- ·whose expulsion was suspended,
- ·enjoys the right of free movement and residence,
- ·already has EU residence permit,
- ·arrives to the territory of the EU in the framework of intra-corporate transfer as a trainee, or
- ·enters the territory of the European Union for the purpose of employment requiring high level of qualification.
Please note that Act LXXXVIII of 2005 on Public Interest Volunteer Activities contains all provisions regarding volunteer activities, such as criteria for host organisations and volunteers and the content of the voluntary service contract to prove the purpose of the residence.
- ·Non-Hungarian nationals who are not persons with the right of free movement and residence, i.e. who are not EEA nationals or family members of an EEA national, and
- ·stateless persons
qualify as third-country nationals.
- 2)Where can clients submit their applications?
- I.Application for the issuance of a residence permit
- a)Application submission outside of Hungary
If you do not have a residence permit and your entry into Hungary does not constitute a visa-exempt travel, your application for the issuance of a residence permit is to be submitted outside of Hungary.
You may submit an application before a diplomatic or consular foreign mission of Hungary in the country of your nationality or your habitual place of residence. Please be advised to contact the competent foreign mission of Hungary to inquire for further information, if there are any other places authorised to receive applications for a residence permit. Such application receiving places are constituted by e.g. honorary consuls, trade representations, and external service providers.
If there are not any consulates or other types of places receiving application in the country of your nationality or your habitual place of residence, in exceptional cases, you may submit an application in a country where you are staying legally provided that you provide proof of the reasons of your exceptional application submission.
Submitting an application for a visa separately is not required, as an application for the issuance of a residence permit comprises an application for a visa entitling its holder to collect a residence permit.
- b)Application submission within the territory of Hungary
When can an application for the issuance of a residence permit be submitted within the territory of Hungary?
If you are allowed to enter the territory of Hungary visa free due to your nationality, and you are not a holder of a residence permit, you may submit an application for the issuance of a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity within the territory of Hungary as well.
How can applications for a residence permit be submitted in Hungary?
Application submission in Hungary is available:
- ·by electronic means via the electronic information system and procedure initiation platform ofEnter Hungary, which is available by clicking here, or
- ·in person, before the competent regional directorate of the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (hereinafter: NDGAP) as per the applicant’s place of accommodation. Contact details of the regional directorates and further information are available by clicking here.
Please note that application submission is available only via the Enter Hungary platform if your attorney-in-fact is a legal representative or a legal person.
- II.Application for the extension of a residence permit
Submission of applications for the extension of a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity is only available within the territory of Hungary, via the platform of Enter Hungary, which is available by clicking here.
Please be informed that the extension of the residence permit 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 for 90 days in any 180-day period.
Furthermore, please note that an application for the extension of a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity is to be submitted at least 30 days prior to the date of expiry of the issued residence permit.
- 3)Additional information on application submission
For submission of an application in person, applicants are required to complete the application form filled in correctly and to submit the completed document with their signature. The form is available by clicking here and the appendix here.
For submission of an application via the platform of Enter Hungary, the full and correct completion of the electronic application form is required, which is available on the platform. The platform of Enter Hungary is available by clicking here.
For the purpose of the issuance of a residence permit comprising biometric data, a facial photograph and fingerprint of the applicant will be taken.
An application submitted via the platform of Enter Hungary is deemed to have been received by the immigration authority, if the administrative service fee has been paid, and the facial photograph and fingerprint of the applicant is taken and signature specimen of the applicant is recorded within 15 days from the date of receipt. The immigration authority will send out a notification when your application is deemed to have been received.
- 4)Administrative service fee for the procedure
For information on administrative service fees for procedures, please click here.
- 5)What are the mandatory attachments/enclosures of an application?
For the approval of an application for a residence permit, the applicant is required to meet conditions for entry and residence in Hungary, during the procedures mandatory attachments/enclosures may serve as proof of meeting the conditions set.
Please make sure completion of the attachments/enclosures is in full and check all documents before submission, supporting the soonest possible processing and examination of the application.
Documents in proof of the purpose of residence
The purpose of residence can be proved by a voluntary contract concluded with the host organization.
Documents in proof of means of subsistence in Hungary
One of the following documents must be submitted as proof that the applicant has sufficient resources, i.e. (s)he can cover costs related to his/her subsistence, accommodation, return/onward travel (i.e. exit from Hungary) and healthcare services from legally acquired income and savings:
- ·a certificate from a credit institution under the applicant’s name (e.g. a bank account statement, an account statement on savings or stocks and bonds, bank balance statement),
- ·a notarised declaration made by the applicant's family member, who undertakes to ensure the applicant's maintenance and care, and with a document certifying the maintenance capacity of the person undertaking the maintenance
- ·a document on regular income issued by the employer or the tax authority
- ·other credible ways.
Documents proving that the applicant has a place of accommodation in Hungary
You shall provide a real Hungarian address as accommodation. No separate document needs to be attached to the notification.
Documents proving that the applicant has a health insurance
Documentary evidence must be submitted as proof that the applicant has access to comprehensive health insurance services covering all healthcare services or that (s)he can cover the costs of such services.
An applicant meets this condition in the following cases:
- ·(s)he qualifies as a person with health insurance services under social security,
- ·(s)he has access to the Hungarian health insurance services within the framework of an international convention/treaty or agreement,
- ·(s)he can cover the costs of his/her healthcare services based on documents in proof of his/her means of subsistence available in Hungary.
Documents proving that the applicant meets the conditions of exit (i.e. conditions to a return/onward travel)
Meeting the conditions of exit may be proved by:
- ·a valid passport,
- ·having a valid ticket/valid tickets for the relevant travel or the amount of money to cover the costs of the travel.
Other required documents
- ·Attaching/enclosing 1 facial photograph to/with the application is required.
In case of an extension, attaching/enclosing documents on unchanged conditions again is not required.
- 6)Time period of procedural administration
Time period for procedural administration: 21 days.
In addition to mandatory attachments/enclosures, the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (hereinafter: NDGAP) may request the submission of further documents for clarification of facts of the case or implement other procedural conducts.
The period for remedying deficiencies (e.g., submission of missing documents) and for the implementation of various other procedural conducts is not comprised in the time period of the procedural administration.
The authority acting on the application case adopts a decision as to merits within 60 days from the date of the submission of the application.
- 7)Receiving the residence permit document
If you submitted your application for a residence permit before a foreign diplomatic or consular mission of Hungary and the regional directorate approves your application for a residence permit, it shall constitute approval for the issuance of an entry visa entitling its holder to receive a residence permit, of which the competent Hungarian consulate shall be notified by the regional directorate.
The entry visa entitling its holder to receive a residence permit shall be issued by the competent consulate officer.
Please note that type D visa entitling their holder to receive their residence permits issued to third-country nationals are single-entry visas authorising a stay of not more than 30 days and are valid for 3 months.
Please note that if you do not enter the territory of Hungary within 3 months from the date of approval of the issuance of your residence permit and do not start your approved residence, the approved residence permit becomes invalid and the approval of your accrued right of entry and residence ceases.
A residence permit document shall be delivered by way of post to the address indicated as place of delivery in the application form.
Please note that receiving your document before NDGAP’s regional directorate in person is only allowed, if you prove that you are not in a position to receive the document at the address indicated as place of delivery in your application.
- 8)How long is the validity period of the permit?
Validity period of the document is the same as the validity period of the hosting contract, but is maximised in 2 years.
Please note that the authority shall determine the date of expiry of the residence permit in a way that the third-country national’s travel document shall be valid at least for another 3 months after the date of expiry of the approved residence.
- 9)Further information
- ·Submitting an application for a residence permit for another purpose within the territory of Hungary
During the validity period of a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity and after its date of expiry, application for the issuance of a residence permit under another legal title is not allowed in Hungary.
Family members of a third-country national who is a holder of a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity or an applicant for a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity may not be granted a residence permit for family reunification.
Third-country nationals who are holders of a residence permit for the purpose of voluntary activity may not be granted a national residence card.
In case of refusal, the decision may be appealed within 8 days from delivery, submitted to the authority of first instance, or at the Hungarian diplomatic or consular foreign mission where the application was submitted.
Please note that the authority shall dismiss the appeal without any examination as to merits in the following cases:
- the appeal is received after the deadline,
- the appeal is not submitted by an authorised person,
- the applicant introduces and refers to new facts of the case, of which (s)he was aware before the decision was adopted,
- the appeal is submitted without indicating its grounds or causes.
For information on reporting obligations, please click here.
