The Hungary White Card (Fehér Kártya) is a residence permit for non-EU remote workers. It lets you live in Hungary while you work for an employer abroad or run a profitable company registered outside Hungary. It does not let you work for Hungarian employers or own a stake in a Hungarian business.
The card is valid for up to one year and can be extended once, for up to one more year. The main financial test is a legal income of at least €3,000 net per month over the six months before you enter Hungary, which you must keep for the whole stay. This guide sets out the rules as Hungary’s immigration authority, the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF), publishes them as of October 2026.
Key takeaways
- The White Card is a Hungarian residence permit for third-country nationals who work remotely for a foreign employer or manage their own foreign company.
- The OIF requires a legal income of at least €3,000 net per month for the six months before entry, and you must keep that level of income during the stay.
- The permit lasts up to one year and can be extended once, so the maximum stay on this route is about two years.
- Family members cannot get a family residence permit through a White Card holder, and the card does not lead to Hungary’s national residence card.
- Working for a Hungarian employer or taking a stake in a Hungarian company is grounds for the OIF to revoke the card.
What the Hungary White Card is
Hungary created the White Card as its version of a digital nomad visa. It is a national residence permit, not a Schengen short-stay visa, so time spent in Hungary on the card does not count toward the Schengen 90/180-day limit. If you are not sure how that limit works, our guide to the Schengen 90/180 rule walks through it with examples.
The card is narrow by design. It is meant for people whose income and work stay outside Hungary while they live in the country. That makes it different from Hungary’s work permits, its guest self-employment permit and its guest investor program, which all have their own rules.
Who qualifies for the White Card
According to the OIF’s official White Card page, a third-country national can apply through one of two routes:
- Remote employee. You have a verified employment relationship with an employer outside Hungary and you do the work from Hungary with digital technology.
- Remote business owner. You own a share in a profitable business registered outside Hungary and you do your work, or manage the business, from Hungary with digital technology.
A third-country national is anyone who is not a Hungarian citizen and does not have EU free-movement rights, plus stateless people. EEA citizens and their family members use a different system.
The OIF also lists people who cannot get a White Card. These include applicants who meet the conditions for certain other permits (for example the guest self-employment permit, the guest investor permit, the guest worker permit, the National Card, the Hungarian Card or the Corporate Card), students and trainees, posted workers, intra-corporate transferees, EU Blue Card applicants, people with refugee or protection status or pending claims, and holders of an EC permanent residence permit or EU residence card.
The €3,000 income requirement
The income test is the requirement that stops most applicants. The OIF states that your legal income must have reached or exceeded €3,000 net per month in the six months before entry. It also states that you must have this level of income for the whole time you stay in Hungary.
Some older guides describe the threshold as gross income. The OIF’s current page says net, so it is worth checking the wording again when you apply. The OIF accepts either of these as proof:
- Bank account statements that cover the previous six months.
- A certificate from your employer or a tax authority that shows regular income for the previous six months.
Documents you need
The OIF publishes a list of mandatory attachments. The table below groups them.
| Requirement | What the OIF accepts |
|---|---|
| Purpose of stay (employee) | An authentic letter from the foreign employer that states its business activity, that the job can be done remotely and for how long, and your role. The employer must be shown to operate for real. |
| Purpose of stay (business owner) | A document that shows the company operates for real, your role and position, its activity and your ownership share. Proof can include registration papers or tax records that show regular revenue or profit. |
| Income | Six months of bank statements, or an employer or tax authority certificate of regular income. |
| Accommodation | A lease, a free-use agreement, a property deed, or proof of booked and paid accommodation. |
| Health cover | Proof of full health insurance cover, or proof that you can pay for your own health care. |
| Departure | A valid passport plus a return ticket or the money to buy one. |
| Photo | One passport-style photo. |
How to apply
Where you apply depends on your nationality.
- If you need a visa to enter Hungary, you apply at the Hungarian consulate in your country of citizenship or usual residence. The application also covers the visa you need to collect the permit.
- If you can enter Hungary visa-free, you can apply from inside Hungary during a lawful stay. You can file online through the Enter Hungary portal or in person at the OIF regional directorate for the place where you stay. If a lawyer or a company files for you, the application must go through Enter Hungary.
The OIF takes a facial image from every applicant and fingerprints from applicants older than six. For an online application, the OIF treats the file as received only after you pay the fee and give your biometrics within 15 days of the confirmation.
If you applied abroad and the OIF approves the permit, the consulate issues a D visa. That visa is good for one entry and a stay of 30 days, and it is valid for three months. If you do not enter Hungary within three months of approval, the approval lapses. The OIF sends the card itself by post to the address on your form.
Fees and processing time
The White Card follows the OIF’s general residence permit fee schedule. As of October 2026, the OIF fee page lists these amounts:
| Procedure | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residence permit plus collection visa, filed at a consulate | €110 |
| Residence permit filed in Hungary, in person | HUF 39,000 |
| Residence permit filed in Hungary, through Enter Hungary | HUF 26,000 |
| Extension of a residence permit | HUF 26,000 |
| Appeal filed at a consulate | €160 |
The OIF gives an administrative deadline of 21 days and says a decision on the merits comes within 30 days of filing. Time spent waiting for missing documents does not count. If the OIF refuses the application, you have eight days from the decision to appeal.
How long the White Card lasts and how to renew it
The card is valid for up to one year. You can extend it once, for the same purpose, for up to one more year. The OIF also sets the validity so that your passport is still valid for at least three months after the permit ends.
The extension rules are strict:
- You can only apply from inside Hungary, through Enter Hungary.
- You must hold a valid White Card when you apply.
- According to the OIF, you must have spent at least 90 days in Hungary within a 180-day period while you held the permit.
- You can file no earlier than 90 days and no later than 30 days before the card expires.
Because the presence rule is tied to time in Hungary, a reliable log of your days is useful. Our guide on how to track days for tax residency covers simple ways to keep one.
The limits that matter
The White Card is easy to understand, but it closes several doors that other permits leave open.
- No family reunification. Family members of a White Card holder cannot get a residence permit for family purposes. The one exception the OIF lists is a child born in Hungary to the holder while the permit is valid.
- No switch inside Hungary. While the card is valid, and after it expires, you cannot apply in Hungary for a residence permit on a different basis.
- No path to permanent status. The OIF states that a White Card holder cannot get a national residence card.
- No local work or ownership. The OIF revokes the card if the holder works for or on behalf of a Hungarian employer, or acquires a share in a Hungarian business.
For people who want a long-term base in Europe, these limits often matter more than the income test. Our comparison of a golden visa vs a digital nomad visa explains why some people look at investment-based residence instead.
Tax points to understand
The OIF’s White Card rules do not set out a special tax regime for holders. Tax residence in Hungary follows the general rules. According to PwC’s Hungary tax summary (last reviewed July 2026), a person can be a Hungarian tax resident if their only permanent home is in Hungary or their center of vital interests is there, and a 183-day test applies when the center of vital interests cannot be determined. The same summary gives a personal income tax rate of 15% for nearly all types of income.
Two further points often come up. First, if you are tax resident in two countries, a tax treaty may decide where you are treated as resident; our guide to tax treaty tie-breaker rules explains how. Second, an employer abroad may have its own questions about whether your work in Hungary creates a taxable presence for the company. People in this position often ask an adviser in both countries before they move.
White Card compared with Croatia
Croatia, Hungary’s southern neighbor, has a similar program. The table compares the two using each authority’s own figures as of October 2026.
| Point | Hungary White Card | Croatia digital nomad permit |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum stay | Up to 1 year, plus one extension of up to 1 year | Up to 18 months |
| Income test | €3,000 net per month | €3,622.50 per month, or savings for the full stay |
| Family | No family permits (narrow exception for children born in Hungary) | Family members can apply |
| Local work | Not allowed | Not allowed for Croatian employers |
The Croatian figures come from the Croatian Ministry of the Interior. For a wider view, see our list of digital nomad visas in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can my spouse and children come with me on a Hungary White Card?
No. Under the OIF rules, family members of a White Card holder cannot get a residence permit for family reunification. The only exception is a child born in Hungary to the holder while the card is valid.
Is the €3,000 White Card income gross or net?
The OIF’s current page states €3,000 net per month in the six months before entry. Some older sources say gross, so check the official wording at the time you apply.
Can I extend the White Card more than once?
No. The OIF allows one extension for the same purpose, for up to one year. You must file it from inside Hungary between 90 and 30 days before the card expires.
Does the White Card lead to permanent residence in Hungary?
No. The OIF states that White Card holders cannot get a national residence card, and you cannot switch to another residence permit from inside Hungary during or after the card.
How long does the White Card application take?
The OIF gives an administrative deadline of 21 days and says it decides within 30 days of filing. Time spent on requests for missing documents is not counted.
Important: This article is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Rules change often and depend on your personal circumstances. Speak with a qualified professional in each relevant country before you act.