Visa

INVITATION LETTER REQUEST

Please inform us if you need an official invitation letter to facilitate your visa application. The administration and mailing of the invitation letter takes about 30 days. For this reason, please allow at least 60 days for this process prior the conference. Please note, that we need to know where you wish to submit your visa application, because we need to provide a copy of the invitation letter to the Hungarian representative before you submit your application.

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VISA INFORMATION

Citizens of the EU/EEA member states and of the following countries may travel to Hungary without a visa:

 Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong (the exemption applies only to holders of a “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”), Iceland, Israel, Japan, Macao (the exemption applies only to holders of a “Regio Administrativa Especial de Macau” passport), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Salvador, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela.

 A visa is only a preliminary permission for entry, which does not authorize its bearer automatically to enter the country. The traveler may be requested to provide proof of the existence of the conditions of his/her entry and stay in Hungary and, if he is not able to fulfill this, he may be returned from the border.

Basic rules for the issuance of Schengen visas

 For your visit on the conference, you will need a Short Stay (type C) visa.

• Short stay visa (C): authorizes the bearer to a single, double or multiple entries and, in case of an uninterrupted stay, to a stay of maximum 90 days, while in case of an interrupted stay, to a stay of altogether maximum 90 days within the 6 months counted from the date of the first entry.

• Consulates may receive visa applications at the earliest 3 months before the beginning of the visit.

 Where to submit a visa application

 Schengen visa applications have to be submitted at the representation of the country which is the main destination of the visit. (If visiting several states with stays of approximately the same duration the consulate responsible for issuing the visa is that of the country of the first entry into the Schengen area.) 

Which of the Hungarian Embassies and Consulates is responsible for issuing a visa

- Where the applicant has his/her permanent residence

- The applicant is the citizen of the given country

- In countries with a vast territory or where there is no Hungarian foreign representation competent to issue visas or where Hungary is not represented by another Schengen Member State, the honorary consuls are also entitled to receive visa applications with the purpose of transferring them to the competent Hungarian consulate.

 If there is no Hungarian Embassy or Consulate in the country where the applicant has his/her permanent residence the visa application can be submitted in any Hungarian Embassy or Consulate. List of Hungarian Embassies and Consulates 

 General requirements

- a valid passport with the validity which exceeds the requested visa at least 3 months;

- 1 passport-size colour photo (not older than 6 months);

- a completed, signed application form:

The application form may be acquired for free of charge at the Embassies or Consulates or can be downloaded from the website of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Visa application form).

Schengen application forms are uniform, therefore any application form used by any of the Schengen Member States can be used for applying at Hungarian consulates.

- a travel medical insurance (a travel insurance providing cover for at least 30.000 € for financing urgent health services and homeward transportation due to medical reasons, valid for the whole period of stay and for the territory of every Schengen State);

- a certificate proving lawful stay, if the applicant is not a citizen of the country where he hands in his application.

- invitation letter issued by the host organization, confirmation on participation issued by the host organization, and/or a certification issued by the delegating organization; receipt on payment of the registration fee

Besides meeting the above general requirements, the applicant shall also supply a certificate of the financial coverage of his/her expenses, and a certificate of the purpose of the visit.

The financial coverage of the expenses can be certified with one of the following documents

- an original income certificate of the employer or

- a bank account statement on the account turnover during the last three months or

- a pension slip or

- a certificate of registration in the case of an individual entrepreneur or one-man firm or

- a valid ticket, a certificate of a reserved and prepaid journey, accommodation or

- in the case of minors, a declaration by the legal representative on the coverage of the costs and on the existence of the financial coverage

Visa fees

1. Short-term entry visa (C) 60 EUR

Decision making upon visa applications

 Decision upon visa applications falls within the competence of the consuls, neither Hungarian nor local administrators may take decisions on applications.

In order to check visa applications the consul

- consults in every case the entry ban list (SIS)

- inspects former visas issued to the applicant

- is liable to consult with competent authorities of other Member States in particular cases

- may consult with the Office of Immigration and Nationality and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

- may consult with foreign representations of other Schengen States

- may request an interview with the applicant

- may request the presentation of further documents or certificates in addition to the ones already attached to the application. 

Decision making of a visa application does not exceed 30 days. In case of countries with a visa facilitation agreement with the EU this time period is 10 days.

Crossing the external borders

The Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (published in OJ L 105 of 13 April 2006) sets out the conditions for entry into the territory of the Member States. Holding a valid passport and visa (in the case of citizens of third countries where a visa is needed) are only two of the conditions of entry. The conditions of entry are initially checked by the consulates which examine visa applications.

The conditions of entry are checked a second time when the person presents himself/herself at the external border (land, sea or airport) of the Member States. If the border police decide that a person holding a visa does not fulfill the conditions of entry (for example: the person does not have the necessary means of subsistence for the duration of his/her stay), he/she will be refused entry, even if there is a visa in his/her passport.

Attention! Visa holders should carry with them supporting documents to demonstrate that they fulfill the conditions of entry, so that they can present them if need be during the checks at the EU border.