From January 1, 2025, the immigration rules for guest workers have been significantly
tightened. However, the tightening also affects larger number of workers and guest investors
from third countries. Our colleagues will explain the most important changes.
The government, in its decree No. 450/2024 (XII. 23.) issued on December 23, 2024, and
effective from January 1, stipulated that only those third-country nationals can be employed
in Hungary with an employment residence permit or a guest worker residence permit, with
whom Hungary or the European Union has concluded a re-admission agreement.
Currently, there are three such countries: Philippines, Georgia and Armenia. Country like
Vietnam, from which a significant number of guest workers arrived in 2024, have been
removed from the country list.
Another novelty is that the country-specific requirement now extends not only to the guest
worker residence permit but also to the residence permit for employment purposes. This
latter restriction may particularly affect Hungarian employers employing third-country
nationals, as employment based on an residence permit for employment purposes was
widespread. Essentially, this work permit was used in all cases where a third-country national
with lower qualifications and, accordingly, in a lower wage bracket was employed, and the
employer did not want to solve the employment through a qualified labour leasing company.
The scope of action for qualified labour leasing companies has also been significantly
narrowed, as they will only be able to recruit guest workers from these three countries if the
guest worker residence permit is used for employment in Hungary.
The reason for the tightening is that in recent months, it has not been possible to conclude
an international agreement with the countries previously on the list that guarantees that third-
country nationals will leave Hungary and return to their country if they do not comply with the
regulations.
The Government Decree specifically mentions that the current, very narrow scope of relevant
countries may change in the future. If the necessary international agreement is concluded, or
if the given country opens a state-recognized organization or office in Hungary that ensures
the return, the current list of three countries may be reviewed and expanded accordingly.
The Government Decree contains detailed rules for ongoing licensing procedures and the
extension of existing permits. The essence of this is that in both mentioned cases, the
previous country list should be applied, meaning that the affected third-country nationals can
stay longer.
The tightening does not mean that workers from not listed third countries cannot work in the
Hungarian labour market in the future. There will still be opportunities to obtain work permits
for investment purposes, seasonal work permits, or permits for positions requiring special
conditions (e.g., higher qualifications).
Further novelties include that in 2025, only 35,000 employment or guest worker residence
permits can be issued, significantly fewer than in 2024. Additionally, it will no longer be
possible to apply for a guest investor visa or guest investor residence permit based on the
purchase of real estate worth at least 500,000 EUR in Hungary.