Residence in Hungary: the registration certificate on day 93, and the address card you pay for in advance
As an EU citizen you may be in Hungary for ninety days without conditions. After that the registration certificate is mandatory, and Hungary names the day: by the ninety-third day after entry at the latest. The certificate costs 1,000 forint and is valid indefinitely, but the address card that goes with it you pay for separately and in advance since 2025 — and without proof of payment the immigration office terminates the procedure.
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Yes, as a Dutch citizen you may simply go and live in Hungary. You need no visa or permit. You do have to register after three months.
Three things to know in advance:
- Hungary names the day for it: day 93 at the latest.
- It costs little: 1,000 forint for the certificate.
- The pitfall is a second payment, which since 2025 has to be made separately and in advance: the address card.
The clock: by day 93 at the latest
As an EU citizen you may be in Hungary for ninety days within a period of one hundred and eighty days without conditions. If you stay longer, you apply for the registration certificate for EEA nationals, by the ninety-third day after entry at the latest.
You apply at the regional directorate of the immigration office, the OIF, for your place of residence, or online via Enter Hungary, the immigration office's portal. If everything is complete, the office issues the certificate immediately. It is valid indefinitely, together with a valid passport or identity card.
| What | Deadline or amount |
|---|---|
| Free stay | 90 days within 180 days |
| Applying for the registration certificate | day 93 after entry at the latest |
| Registration certificate fee | 1,000 forint |
| Address card, paid in advance | 5,700 forint, 2,000 under 14 |
| Validity of the registration certificate | indefinite, with a valid identity document |
| Permanent residence | after 5 years of continuous residence, card 1,500 forint |
If you miss the day, you don't lose your right of residence: according to Your Europe a country can fine you for not registering, but can't expel you for that alone.
The documents
You bring:
- your passport or identity card;
- proof of the purpose of your stay: an employment contract or business registration, enrolment at an educational institution, or for own means bank statements and your pension award;
- proof of health cover, for pensioners the S1 from the CAK (the form with which the Netherlands keeps paying for your care), or of sufficient means to pay for healthcare;
- proof of accommodation: a tenancy agreement, a statement from whoever provides your accommodation, or a title deed no older than thirty days.
Own means include:
- a benefit or pension from an EEA country (the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein);
- a payment from a fund you paid contributions into;
- a bank statement.
What does not count: your household goods, the home you live in yourself, and what you need for your work. So a beautiful house without income is no proof of means for the OIF.
For a minor the legal representative submits the application. If the child is six or older, it must be present itself. With the application you also declare whether you have an infectious disease that endangers public health, or are receiving compulsory treatment for one.
The address card: pay in advance, or the procedure stops
With the registration certificate comes an address card, the lakcímkártya, the card that proves your address at every counter in Hungary. You don't have to apply for it separately: you give your first address when you apply, and the card comes by post.
Since 1 February 2025 you do pay for it separately: 5,700 forint per person aged fourteen or over, 2,000 forint for a younger child. You pay the amount in advance, by bank transfer to the OIF:
- with your name, your date of birth and the word "lakcímkártya" in the reference;
- for each family member in a separate transfer.
The proof of payment goes with your application. If it's missing, the office terminates the procedure. What you then arrange with that card is in address card, tax number and TAJ.
If you later move within Hungary, you report the new address at the district office. You then get a new card.
After five years: permanent residence
The five years start on the day you register. Unless you can prove otherwise, the OIF counts your continuous residence from the day you reported your stay of more than ninety days, not from your arrival. Anyone who leaves the registration for months pushes back their permanent residence by just as long.
After five years of legal and continuous residence you are entitled to permanent residence. The card costs 1,500 forint and is valid indefinitely.
What counts as continuous:
- an absence of at most six months a year doesn't interrupt residence;
- once you may be away for up to twelve months for an important reason, such as a serious illness or study.
Anyone spending five months a year in the Netherlands therefore stays within the rule. Anyone away longer starts counting again.
If you worked in Hungary, it can be sooner: for example after three years of residence if you retire and worked in Hungary in the twelve months before.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Hungary or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- OIF — the registration certificate for EEA nationals — oif.gov.hu
- OIF — the separate fee for the address card since 1 February 2025 — oif.gov.hu
- OIF — the permanent residence card, and when the five years start to run — oif.gov.hu
- Your Europe — residence rights of EU citizens — europa.eu
- Your Europe — registering after three months, and what a country may ask for — europa.eu
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