You have an employee whose residence permit expires next spring. Nothing about their work has changed — the same role, the same salary, the same manager. It is at the renewal that it comes to light, at the worst possible moment, that they are no longer eligible for the permit type under which they had been living and working in Hungary legally.
This is not a hypothetical situation in Hungary in 2026. Below we have set out what changed this year, who it reaches, and what realistic directions remain for settling the future of foreign employees.
What changed in 2026
| 6 June 2026 | New guest worker residence permits can no longer be applied for. As of 6 June 2026 it is not possible to apply for the issue of a new guest worker residence permit, because under the Government’s decision there is no third country whose citizens are entitled to apply for a residence permit for that purpose. In practice this means that Hungary is currently not receiving guest workers from any third country; the three nationalities previously designated have also been excluded: Armenian, Georgian and Filipino. (Government Decree 92/2026. (VI. 5.), amending Government Decree 450/2024. (XII. 23.)) |
| 1 January 2026 | The EU Blue Card salary thresholds rose. Each year, in the final quarter, the Hungarian government publishes the EU Blue Card minimum salary to be applied from January of the following year. Something many employers do not take into account, although it is an important rule: the minimum salary in force applies not only to new arrivals and to those applying for a first EU Blue Card, but also to third-country nationals who already hold one and are already working in Hungary. Every employer has to reckon with mandatory salary tracking for each employee holding an EU Blue Card. |
| 18 May 2026 | A full review of the rules on employing foreign nationals was formally ordered. (Government Resolution 1153/2026. (V. 18.)) The result of that review has not yet been produced. Whatever the framework looks like in 2027, it has not yet reached its final form. |
What we have seen so far
We have tried to gather the cases in which a change of permit type came up, or where a solution had to be found as a consequence of the changes above.
A different permit type, where the qualification, the job title and the salary also line up with another legal ground. These three have to agree with one another as well, and frequently they do not.
A change in the purpose of residence, where the person’s situation has genuinely changed.
A family-based ground, where someone’s family circumstances have changed — for example a Hungarian or EU spouse.
A job-seeking or transitional ground, which offers a temporary solution to students who studied in Hungary and, after graduating, need time to find the right job so that they can settle their further purpose of residence — although here too there are many details to watch.
Leaving the country and applying again from the country of citizenship. Nobody likes to hear this, and sometimes it is the fastest route — because there are permit types that simply cannot be started from inside Hungary.
No viable route at all. This exists too. In that case early planning is the best answer, because re-applying through a consulate may still be an option for certain permit types — though that is not always a solution either.
The hard part is deciding which of these points applies to one particular person — and that cannot be decided without knowing the case.
What it looks like in practice
A restaurant had everything an employer usually needs. The person had been found, the role was defined, the salary was agreed. He had studied in Hungary and wanted to stay and work here.
The route belonging to that kind of work — the employment-purpose residence permit — was open to citizens of Georgia, Armenia and the Philippines on a first application. He was a citizen of none of them. Since in his situation the employment-purpose permit was not an option at all, he applied for a job-seeking permit. Not because it solved the problem, but because it is the legal way to have another nine months in which to find a position that genuinely gives him a basis for staying and working in Hungary.
The current regulation creates serious difficulties for the employer, who has lost a prospective employee. It also completely changes the position of the third-country national, who now has nine months in which to try to change an uncertain situation.
From the other side of the desk
I spent six years deciding these cases rather than filing them. That view teaches one thing for certain: a written rule and an administrative practice are not the same. Every new legislative change requires substantial consultation with the authorities and the ministries before an appropriate practice settles. We take an active part in that. Where our profession does agree is that the current framework needs amending. What none of us can honestly say is how a new framework will be applied. The Hungarian rules on employing foreign nationals are under review.
As a relocation partner, with the experience, the network of contacts and the communication we have, we try to explain what the options are in relation to a given problem or residence status, and we accompany you through the process.
Three things worth checking this quarter
1. Who has a permit expiring in the next six months. Not the next three — six. If a permit type has to change, planning has to start as early as possible. If keeping track of that is the part that slips, it is exactly what our HR support is built for.
2. Who came in on a ground that changed in 2026.
3. Whose salary or job title has moved, or is about to. The permit is tied to both; we help align them.
What has not changed
It would be easy to read the above as meaning that Hungary has become difficult. It has not. The EU Blue Card, the National Card, the Hungarian Card, employment-purpose permits, intra-company transfers and family reunification all work the way they did.
The point is narrower than that: a number of people are now standing on ground that has moved under them, and those cases have to be found early rather than discovered at the deadline.
If you are new to the Hungarian system, our complete guide to work permits in Hungary sets out how the permit types work in the first place.
What to do now
Check the expiry dates on your foreign employees’ permits. If any of them fall within the next six months, that is worth talking about now.
We will tell you honestly what we consider achievable — including when the answer is that there is nothing to do, and including when the honest answer is that we do not yet know.
Current as of 20 August 2026. This article will be updated once the announced review produces its result. Sources: National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF); Government Decree 92/2026. (VI. 5.); Government Decree 450/2024. (XII. 23.); Government Resolution 1153/2026. (V. 18.).