Can you become a Hungarian citizen through investment?

Investment immigration in a nutshell

Around the world, many countries offer investment immigration programs. This means you can become either a resident or a citizen if you make a significant investment, and enjoy the privileges of your new residency or citizenship.

One of the most important aspects is visa–free travel, while providing better options and a safer future for your family is also a prominent reason for choosing investment immigration. The required investment usually involves real estate or local business, or a designated investment fund.

Investment residency in Hungary

Hungary has just launched its new investment immigration program. Starting from 1 July 2024, you can take the first step in a procedure that will grant Hungarian residency for 10 years to your entire family (spouse and underage children).

As residents of Hungary, you and your family members will get visa-free access to the Schengen zone. There is no minimum stay requirement, meaning that upon expiry, you will be allowed to extend your residency for another 10 years even if you have spent little to no time in Hungary. The application procedure is relatively short, just a few months, which is a major advantage compared to other EU programs that take 18-24 months to complete.

To become eligible, you have to realize one of the below investments:

• EUR 250,000 investment in real estate bonds: the bonds must be issued by a designated real estate fund including Hungarian residential real estate, and maintain that investment for at least 5 years. Application based on this option is readily available now.
• EUR 500,000 investment in residential real estate: buy a home or a house to live there or to rent out; this option becomes available from 2025, but you can already start looking for available properties.
• EUR 1 million donation: a non-refundable contribution to a designated cultural or higher education institution. List of institutions is to be announced.

Investment residency application

The Hungarian investment residency program is officially called the “guest investor program”, while informally many people refer to it as the “golden visa program”. The application process can be summed up in 3 main stages:

1. Decide which investment option you want to realize and apply for a guest investor visa.
2. Use your visa to travel to Hungary and realize the investment.
3. Apply for the guest investor residence permit for yourself and your family members.

Once you receive your visa, you will have 3 months to enter Hungary, realize the investment you pledged when you first applied for the guest investor visa, and apply for the residence permit. The visa will remain valid for 6 months, which is supposed to be enough for your residency application to be approved. During this time, you can come and go in the Schengen zone as often as you please, just like you already had your residence permit.

Citizenship and investment residency

If you are eligible for Hungarian citizenship, you are probably better off with a citizenship application. The process takes more time than getting investment residency, but in the end you will have your Hungarian passport that grants you visa-free access to 189 countries around the world. Moreover, all your children will become eligible for Hungarian citizenship, regardless their age.

If you are not eligible for Hungarian citizenship, or if you would prefer a process with a shorter waiting time, you can still easily become a Hungarian resident through investment. You can include only your underage children, but this way the whole family can obtain Hungarian residency and a Schengen visa much sooner than if they were waiting for citizenship.

Can we help you?

The Helpers Team offers professional assistance with all matters related to Hungarian residency and citizenship, including investment immigration as well as citizenship verification or naturalization. Whichever option suits you the most, we would be happy to help you along the way.