Hungary’s investor visa: where things stand in 2026
You’re looking at investment as your way into Europe, and chances are you’ve seen the pitch: €300,000 in government bonds, permanent residency in a month, your money back in five years. That program is gone. Hungary shut it down in 2017, and anyone still selling it is selling you the past.
So what exists now? In July 2024, Hungary wrote a new Guest Investor Residence Permit into law: €250,000 or more into a real-estate fund registered with the Hungarian National Bank (MNB, at least 40% of assets in Hungarian residential property, held for five years or longer), or a donation of €1,000,000 or more to a Hungarian university. Buying an apartment doesn’t qualify — that option was scrapped before it ever took effect.
In practice, the program hasn’t gotten off the ground. The approved-fund mechanism isn’t running, and the whole scheme is politically uncertain. We won’t take your money for a golden visa you can’t currently obtain.
The good news is you can still move to Hungary — legally, with a clear timeline. The qualified-employment route gives you a real residence permit, counts toward permanent residency (the National Residence Card after 3 years), and lets you bring your family. And if investing is what matters most to you, we’ll point you to countries where investor programs genuinely work.
One more thing worth planning around: even when it does function, the investor permit is a 10-year residence permit, renewable once — not lifelong PR. Citizenship still takes around 8 years of living in Hungary, Hungarian language skills, and a constitutional exam.
One more thing worth knowing: our lawyers know every valid route to Hungarian PR and citizenship — including the rare ones that few know how to work with. Sometimes your particular situation opens a path that meaningfully shortens the timeline. Check with our specialists — it might be your case.
Book a free consultation. We’ll look at your situation, tell you what’s realistic, and map the route that actually gets you there.