Gábor István
Lawyer · Budapest, Hungary
- 20 cases handled · 1 in this service
- 12+ years in practice
- Speaks: English, German, Hungarian
- Degree in law, University of Pécs
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5.00(1 review)
EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate) in Hungary
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who stay in Hungary for more than three months register their residence and receive a registration certificate (regisztrációs igazolás) together with an address card. An English-speaking lawyer prepares the proof of work, study or funds, the accommodation papers and the appointment with the immigration authority.
About EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate) in Hungary
The EU registration certificate in Hungary (regisztrációs igazolás, also typed regisztracios igazolas) is what a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland receives after registering a stay of more than three months. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “EU Residency Certificate (for EU Citizens)”. People also search for an EU residence permit or a residence card for EU citizens, but EU citizens need no visa and no permit: only this registration, issued together with an address card (lakcímkártya).
Who needs it
EU citizens moving to Hungary to work, run a business, study or live on their own means, and anyone who will be asked for proof of residence by the tax office, social security, a bank or a car registration office. Non-EU relatives of an EU citizen follow their own route to a residence card, and relatives of non-EU residents go through family reunification.
How it works in Hungary
Registration is handled by the immigration authority, the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (Országos Idegenrendészeti Főigazgatóság, OIF), at the office for the applicant's address; the process can start online, and the applicant attends in person. Besides a passport or ID card, the authority looks at the reason for staying (an employment contract, a business registration, an enrolment letter, or enough money and health cover) and at proof of an address in Hungary. The certificate comes with the address card; after a longer period of lawful residence a permanent residence card can follow.
What to watch for
- Proof of accommodation has formal requirements in Hungary; a lease or a host's statement that does not meet them is a common reason for a second visit.
- Registering late can lead to a fine, so the deadline is worth checking on arrival.
- Someone who is not working shows sufficient resources and health insurance, not just a bank card.
- The registration reflects a right that lasts only while its conditions are met; a move to a new address is reported separately.
What a lawyer does
A lawyer explains which ground of residence fits, checks the documents, reviews the rental contract used as proof of address, prepares and attends the appointment where needed, and answers the authority if it asks for more. For long-term residents the lawyer can also map the way towards Hungarian citizenship.
Questions and answers
Is the registration certificate a residence permit?
No. It records a right of residence the EU citizen already has; it is not a permission granted at the authority's discretion.
How long is it valid?
Its validity follows the conditions of residence rather than a fixed period of permission; a lawyer confirms how the current documents are issued.
Can my non-EU spouse rely on my certificate?
No. A family member from outside the EU applies for a residence card of their own, based on the family link.
Can I register before I move?
Registration happens in Hungary, at the address where the applicant lives; the documents can be checked and prepared before the move.
Hungary Income Tax Calculator: Net Salary and Self-Employed Flat Rate
Open the full tool →Your net salary in Hungary after the 15% income tax and the 18.5% contribution, with the family allowance — or what a flat-rate sole trader pays.
How it works
Using the calculator
- Choose your income: a salary, or a sole trader's business on the flat-rate regime (átalányadó).
- For a salary, enter the gross monthly pay, the children you claim the family allowance for and any exemption you have (under 25, or a mother who qualifies).
- For the flat-rate regime, enter the yearly revenue, the cost ratio of your activity and whether the business is your main activity.
The result shows each tax and contribution and the net salary a month, or the tax and contributions of the business a year.
Tax on a salary
An employee in Hungary pays a flat 15% personal income tax (SZJA) and an 18.5% social security contribution (TB járulék) on the whole gross salary, with no ceiling; the employer pays a further 13% social contribution tax (szocho) on top. Allowances reduce the tax base: the family allowance (in 2026, 133,340 Ft a month for one child, 266,660 Ft per child for two, 440,000 Ft per child for three or more — 20,000, 40,000 and 66,000 Ft of tax), the first-marriage allowance, and the exemptions — under-25s pay no income tax on their pay up to the average wage (715,765 Ft a month in 2026), and mothers under 30, mothers of two children under 40 (from 2026, with the age limit rising each year until 2029) and mothers of three or more children pay no income tax on their income from work. The part of the family allowance the tax cannot absorb lowers the 18.5% contribution instead. Since 2025 the under-25s', first-marriage and family allowances are open in full only to nationals of an EEA country, Serbia or Ukraine; other foreigners qualify in narrower cases.
The flat-rate regime for sole traders
A sole trader (egyéni vállalkozó) on the flat-rate regime pays tax on the revenue less a fixed cost ratio — 45% in 2026 for most activities (50% from 2027), 80% for the manual trades the law lists and 90% for retail only — without counting real costs. Half the annual minimum wage (1,936,800 Ft in 2026) of that income is tax-free; above it come 15% income tax, 18.5% contribution and 13% social contribution tax. When the business is your main activity, the contributions are due every month on at least the minimum wage (322,800 Ft) — or the guaranteed wage minimum (373,200 Ft) when the activity needs a secondary qualification. The regime is open up to a revenue of ten times the annual minimum wage (38,736,000 Ft), fifty times for retail only.
What the calculator leaves out
VAT, the local business tax, the KATA scheme (open only to sole traders who sell to private individuals), income other than salary or business and the itemised business-income regime are not calculated. A foreign worker who paid too much during the year — an allowance not claimed through the employer, for example — gets it back through the annual tax return, which the tax authority (NAV) prepares as a draft by mid-March and which is due by 20 May of the next year; an accountant or a lawyer in Hungary can file it and check what applies to you. This is legal information, not advice.
1Your details
Mothers count the children they receive or received family allowance for
Before tax and contributions
2Your result
| Social security contribution (TB, 18.5%)Pension, health and labour-market contribution, on the whole gross salary | Ft 111,000 |
| Personal income tax (SZJA, 15%)On 600,000 Ft | Ft 90,000 |
| Employer's social contribution tax (szocho, 13%)Paid by the employer on top of the gross salary — not taken from your pay; the employer's cost is 678,000 Ft | Ft 78,000 |
| Net salary a month | Ft 399,000 |
- Net a year: 4,788,000 Ft (12 months of this salary).
- The family allowance may be shared with a spouse or partner, who then claims the rest of it; the amount per child follows the number of children in the family.
- Foreigners: since 2025 the under-25s', first-marriage and family allowances are open in full to nationals of an EEA country, Serbia or Ukraine; others need a Hungarian residence permit and more (the family allowance, entitlement to Hungarian family benefit). A person tax resident abroad also needs at least 75% of the year's income taxed in Hungary.
- Not included: the allowance for people with a severe disability, benefits in kind, income other than the salary.
An estimate for planning, not legal or tax advice. Figures checked 1 Nov 2026. Sources: NAV — this is how we pay tax in 2026 (family allowance, mothers' exemptions), NAV — mothers of two children under 40 exempt from January 2026, NAV — the allowance of mothers raising three children, NAV — the under-30 mothers' exemption from 2026, NAV — the allowances for foreigners from 2025 (nationality, the 75% rule), NAV — the flat-rate regime from 2026 (45% cost ratio), NAV — the minimum szocho base of sole traders from 2026, Gov. Decree 426/2025 — the minimum wage and the guaranteed wage minimum 2026, Novitax — the 2026 amounts tied to the minimum wage (caps, family allowance).
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What our clients say about our service in Hungary
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She replied extremely fast to my first inquiry, quickly arranged a meeting to go over the details, and answered all my questions. Reaching her by phone or text was easy, she was punctual, and she was fun and personable to talk to as well, with perfect English. After I had struggled for months to get this done on my own, she sorted everything out for me in record time. Anyone trying to navigate Greek bureaucracy should hire her, and I would recommend her.
— Ine06 Aug 2026 -
She is simply fantastic, and I can recommend her services highly. She guided me through the entire process, which ended successfully, and she was always available and easy to communicate with.
— Cameron30 Jan 2026EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate) -
In applying for my Spanish green card, the lawyer was very efficient and professional, and she reassured me again and again whenever I had doubts about the process. I am a foreigner who speaks little of the language, and she was easy to deal with in English. She submitted every form on time, so my part was little more than trusting her experience and guidance. I am more than happy with the results.
— Kenneth22 Nov 2024EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate) -
The service was very good, with timely responses throughout. The lawyer was accurate and knowledgeable. I would recommend her to anyone and would use her again.
— Kate30 Aug 2024EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate) -
I got what I needed in Spain without problems, with excellent assistance.
— Harald20 Mar 2024 -
My experience is excellent. Using a lawyer who speaks fluent English, I am confident that I am compliant with Spanish law. We have an open and honest relationship, and I trust that the lawyer is always acting in my best interest.
— Julie11 Mar 2024EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate) -
The lawyer gave an excellent service. She and her team responded very quickly to what we needed and got us past every difficulty that arose, with great professionalism. I was completely satisfied with the result. I would warmly recommend her to friends and colleagues.
— peter02 Mar 2022 -
The support was excellent, thank you.
— Jessie27 Oct 2021 -
Her English was impeccable and she answered every email very quickly. Our Spanish residency application came at a very difficult moment, when Covid travel restrictions applied, and I wrote to her countless times in a panic that we would never finish it. She stayed patient, knowledgeable, reassuring and informative throughout. When we met at the Immigration Centre she was friendly yet professional. I cannot judge the value for money, as I had no idea what this process should cost.
— Helen29 Sep 2021 -
She was fantastic all the way through my application for Spanish residency. Whenever I had a question she was just a phone call or a WhatsApp message away, and she did more than I expected to keep everything running smoothly. I was completely satisfied with the result. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a solicitor.
— Antony02 Sep 2021 -
I was extremely pleased with the whole service.
— Rex02 Jul 2021 -
Excellent, professional work from the lawyer and his team, and I am completely satisfied. I valued his careful eye for detail and would warmly recommend him.
— Paul30 Jun 2021