If a third-country national wishes to work in Hungary, he or she will need a work permit (with a few exceptions).
It is essential for the administration of work permits that the applicant has an employment contract or prior agreement.
These are the following types of work-related permits in Hungary, which we can undertake the full administration of, as well as the extension of the existing permits:
Residence Permit for the Purpose of Employment
The “classic” work permit is most often required for a third-country worker. A residence permit may be issued for the purpose of employment to third-country nationals, whose purpose of residence is to perform work for or under the direction and/or supervision of others, for remuneration, under employment relationship, or who performs work as the owner or executive officer of a for-profit business association, co-operative society or some other legal entity, in addition to the work actually performed in that capacity. As an example of the latter case, a third-country manager of a company also needs a work permit if, in addition to his or her managerial position, he or she is actually doing work (e.g., programming as an IT professional, planning as an engineer, etc.).
Employees of Ukrainian and Serbian citizenship can currently take up employment in a deficient profession in Hungary without a work permit for 90 days, but within 180 days, in which case a simple notification to the local employment office is required in a non-personally identifiable manner. However, after 90 days, a residence permit for the purpose of employment is essential for legal employment. As the administration is lengthy, we recommend that in all cases the administration should start long before the end of the unlicensed period, so that the employee does not have to travel home, as he/she may only be able to travel to Hungary again with a visa, which he/she must apply for in his home country.
Residence Permit for the Purpose of Seasonal Employment
As its name suggests, this can be requested by a third-country national specifically for the purpose of seasonal employment. These seasonal jobs are defined by separate legislation. Most often, seasonal agricultural work falls into this category.
Residence Permit for the Purpose of Job-searching or Entrepreneurship
This permit, despite its name, does not apply to the possibility for a third-country national to apply for a stay in Hungary for any general-purpose job search. An essential precondition for this permit’s application is that you either have a valid research residence permit and prove that you have completed your research activity, or you have a valid study residence permit and prove that you have successfully completed your studies. In addition, among other things, the position to be filled or the business to be started must be consistent with the level of research or studies carried out.
Residence Permit for the Pursuit of Gainful Activity
This permit must be applied for by a third-country national who wishes to lawfully perform work in a self-employed capacity for compensation, under the conditions specified by law, or if he or she is a senior official of a company, cooperative or other legal entity established for the purpose of earning income. This includes, for example, if the third-country national wishes to work as a self-employed person, but also if he or she would set up a company and be its executive officer. (Attention, if the senior executive would do actual work in the company in addition to the position, a work permit is required!)
Residence Permit for the Purpose of Intra-corporate Transfer and Permit for Long-term Mobility
For intra-corporate transfers, the primary criterion may be that a third-country national who certifies that the host organization and the company established in the third country belong to the same company or group of companies. A long-term mobility permit can be obtained by a third-country worker who holds a residence permit issued by a Member State of the European Union for the purpose of an intra-corporate transfer and applies for this permit because of an intra-corporate transfer.
EU Blue Card
The EU Blue Card is awarded to a third-country national whose employment is supported on the basis of criteria specified by law and in the interests of domestic employment policy. A third-country national who has a valid residence permit for job-seeking or business start-up purposes may apply for an EU Blue Card in Hungary during its period of validity. In addition, an EU Blue Card is available to a third-country national who holds a residence permit issued by a Member State of the European Union for the purpose of highly qualified employment, has resided legally in the EU Member State for at least eighteen months and meets certain conditions for issuing an EU Blue Card.
Source: oif.gov.hu