Enter the Hungary Visa Lottery for Your Chance to Live and Work in Hungary in 2022/2023!
When you enter the Hungary visa lottery, it’s very important to gather all of the documents you need beforehand and get them in order to make sure your application has the best chance possible of being successful.
To help you, we’ve put together this handy guide that tells you what you need and how to go about gathering it, as well as how to apply for the Hungary visa lottery once your application is complete. By following these steps, you can rest assured that the chances of being selected are highest. Good luck!
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Finding The Best Site To Apply From
To increase your chances of success, you’ll want to apply from an official Hungary website. But since these are often language-specific, you’ll also want a site that offers an English option—or at least one with translators so that you can understand what information is being asked of you. Some sites will charge you for their services, but many won’t. If you do have to pay, it shouldn’t be more than $10 or $15 USD.
What Do I Need To Qualify?
The Hungary visa lottery program is open to residents of all countries except Canada, Croatia, Israel, Japan, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. To apply you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
You must also have a valid passport that will be valid three months after your scheduled date of entry into Hungary. Hungarian language skills are not required for these programs; you can also get an English-language teaching qualification upon arrival.
How Does The Visa Lottery Work?
Here’s how it works: Between July 9, 2019 and August 15, 2019, qualified applicants will be able to apply online. Every day at 10 AM CET (Central European Time), a new set of 30 countries is selected by lottery.
If you are applying from one of these countries during that window, your chances of being selected are much higher than if you were applying from a country that was not chosen on that day.
How Long Do You Have To Wait For Results?
There is no official timeline, but it’s estimated that applications are processed between 8-12 weeks. If you apply at a busy time of year (such as summer or during a holiday season), your application may take longer to process.
The good news is that you will get an email with a decision on your application within 7 business days of receiving it; if selected, you will have 60 days to decide whether or not you want to go through with it.
If I Win, When Can I Move to Hungary?
If you’re drawn as a winner, your visa will be valid from January 1 of your entry year through December 31 of that same year. You have one full year to travel outside of Hungary, but once you’ve moved to Hungary, you must remain there until at least December 31.
The visa also gives you access to all 26 European Union countries, including France, Italy, Germany and England—for as long as it is valid.
What Will My Life In Hungary Be Like?
If you win, you’ll be issued a permanent residence permit valid for two years—and then renewable indefinitely—in exchange for Hungarian language training, proof of employment or self-employment, and evidence that you can support yourself financially.
After living legally in Hungary on a Z visa (your new visa status) for five years, you’ll be eligible to apply for citizenship. Life will not be perfect; Hungary is still Eastern Europe, after all.
