As a citizen of South Africa who wants to relocate to Hungary or to arrive here for a short period of time for business or personal purposes, it is necessary to know that a visa is needed. South Africans are considered third country nationals in regards to Hungary and only few nationalities included in this category benefit from a visa exemption.
Hungarian visas can be issued for short-term stays (with a duration of maximum 90 days) or for long-term stays, which define any arrival in this country with a duration of more than 90 days, regardless of the purpose for which the foreigner has arrived here. Visas are then divided by the reason for stay, such as for business, work, investments, medical treatment and others. For extensive information on the visas available here, we invite you to request legal advice from our Hungarian law firm.
What visas can South Africans obtain for short-term stays in Hungary?
There are various types of visas that can be issued for stays in Hungary with a duration of maximum 90 days and the extensive list can be presented by our Hungarian lawyers. However, a common way to immigrate to Hungary from South Africa is by applying for a Schengen visa, recognized under the Hungarian law as the country is a part of the Schengen area.
This visa allows the opportunity of traveling in all the Schengen member states, but the legal procedure when applying for this visa is to submit the set of documents with the authorities of the country which is the first destination. That is, if you plan to visit more Schengen states and your first destination is Hungary, then you will need to address to the Hungarian authorities.
Please mind that once you have received the visa in Hungary, you do not need to follow additional immigration procedures with the other Schengen states you will visit. Our lawyers in Hungary can help you apply for this visa, for which you should prepare a set of documents on your travel destinations, having insurance in accordance with the European laws, etc. Some of the highlights you should remember are the following:
- the visa can be used only for stays with a duration of 90 days;
- in order to be able to leave from Hungary (if this is the last country that you are in prior to the departure), the passport must have a validity of at least 3 months later than the day when the departure from the Schengen area is established;
- when preparing the documents necessary to immigrate from South Africa to Hungary, the applicant must present a recent photograph, with the dimensions of 3,5 x 4,5 cm;
- the photograph is very important as there specific requirements it must meet – for instance, it must not be older than 6 months and the face of the applicant must cover 70-80% of the entire image;
- when arriving in Hungary, South Africans must have a travel medical insurance, with a minimum value of EUR 30,000 (the standard requirement for all travelers).
What documents are necessary for business visas in Hungary?
Our Hungarian law firm has been working with numerous foreigners who arrived in this country solely for business purposes. Depending on the nationality of the applicant, developing a business activity here will be bound by the issuance of various immigration documents. This is also the case of persons who want to immigrate to Hungary from South Africa.
A business visa will always be required for both investors who want to set up their own company in Hungary, but also for persons who act as a representative of a foreign company. If you arrive here in order to develop various business projects with a Hungarian business, it is compulsory to receive an invitation letter from the respective Hungarian company; the document will present a detailed list of the schedule.
If the Hungarian company and the foreign company have had previous business relations, the visa application must contain documents on this aspect as well. If you are a businessman from South Africa representing a company from this country as an employee, you must provide a certificate issued by the employer, stating the purpose of the business visit in Hungary.
Various company documents must be included in the business visa application form, and these can vary depending on the legal entity. Our law firm in Hungary can advise on this matter as well. You must know that even if you represent a sole trader (or sole proprietorship) in South Africa you can arrive here under a visa for business purposes. You can consult with our lawyers on this matter or you can refer to the Embassy of Hungary in Pretoria.
For more information concerning other types of visas that you can obtain if you want to immigrate from South Africa to Hungary, we invite you to contact our Hungarian lawyers. Our Hungarian law firm can then assist you in the process of obtaining a residence permit, with is necessary for those who want to stay here for more than 90 days.