Visas to Hungary

Everyone entering Hungary must have a valid passport and in some cases also a visa. Citizens of the USA, Japan, most European countries do not require visas to visit Hungary for stays of up to 90 days. Nationals of Australia and Hong Kong (among others) still require visas. If you hold a passport from one of these countries , check current visa requirements at a consulate or any HTB or Malev office. Nationals of South Africa need visa to travel to Hungary.

Single-entry visas valid for 30 days are issued at Hungarian consulates upon receipt of US$32/26 and three photos. A double-entry tourist visa costs US$60/48 and you must have five photos. (If you know you`ll be visiting Hungary twice, get a double-entry visa to avoid having to apply again somewhere else.) Some consulates charge US$15/10 extra for express service (10 minutes as opposed to overnight.)

Be sure to get a tourist rather than a transit visa, the latter - available for single (US$30/25) and double (US$50/42) entries - is only good for a stay of 48 hours and cannot be extended. On a transit visa you must enter and leave through different border crossings and have a visa (if required) for the next country you visit. A tourist visa can be extended at the central police station (rendorkapitanysag)of any city or town, provided you do so 48 hours before it expires.

Visas are issued at the airport and at highway border crossings, including Heiligenkreuz/Rabafuzes and Nickelsdorf/Hegyeshalom from Austria, Komarno/Komarom from Slovakia, Chop/Zahony from Ukraine, Borss/Artand from Romania ,Horgos/Roszke from Yugoslavia, Knezevo/Udvar from Croatia, and Dolga Vas/Redics from Slovenia. Remember, though, that getting a visa from a highway border crossing usually involves a wait, some may keep limited hours, and there are not always photo booths nearby. Visas are never issued on trains.

Your hotel, hostel, camping ground or private room from an agency anywhere in the country will register your address with the police. In other situations (if you`re staying with friends or relatives, for example), you have to take care of it yourself within 72 hours. Don`t worry if you haven`t got round to it, it`s a holdover from the old regime and enforcement has been fairly lax. Address registration forms for foreigners(lakcimbejelento lap kulfoldiek reszere)are available at most post offices.

Nationals of the countries listed below do not need a visa to travel to Hungaryas visitors (holidays or short business trip) if they hold valid national passports.

Andorra	Greece	New Zealand
Argentina	Iceland	Norway
Austria	Ireland	Panama
Belgium	Israel	Poland
Brazil	Italy	Portugal
Bulgaria	Japan	Romania
Canada	Republic of Korea	San Marino
Chile	Latvia	Singapore
Costa Rica	Liechtenstein	Slovakia
Croatia	Lithuania	Slovenia
Cyprus	Luxembourg	Spain
Czech Republic	Malaysia	Sweden
Denmark	Malta	Switzerland
Ecuador	Mexico	United Kingdom
Estonia	Monaco	Uruguay
Finland	Netherlands	USA
France	Nicaragua	Venezuela(only tourists)
Germany

Citizens of the Ukraine and Serbia/Montenegro require visas since 1 Nov 2003

More visa information

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