Students from EEA countries (European Economic Area) will not likely have any administrative tasks outside their home or host universities. EEA countries include all members of the European Union (EU), plus Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. The UK is no longer a member of the EEA, from 2020.
The students’ host university handles all necessary legal tasks for the Hungarian authorities. EEA students who stay for 90 days in Hungary are automatically granted a temporary residency permit.
Students from EEA countries who stay for 90 days in Hungary have to take care of the following administrative tasks before and upon arrival at their host university.
- Learning agreement signed before travelling to the host country
- Application for courses of the host university
- Confirmation of arrival signed upon arrival to the host country
These tasks may vary from university to university, but the basic logic is the same.
EEA students wishing to stay longer than 90 days in Hungary must apply for a Registration Certificate. Registration Certificate is a Registration Certificate is a paper certificate that provides proof of the right of residence under EU law, that EEA nationals are permitted to live in another EEA country (i.e. Hungary) for longer than three months.
This is standard procedure among members of the EEA countries. For this paper students must prove they have a valid student status and that they currently undergo a study programme in Hungary.
Non-EEA students must apply for a residence permit. Firstly, they have to check if they are, as citizens of their home country, exempted from the visa requirements. If students can enter Hungary without a visa, they can apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studies. This can be initiated electronically on the Enter Hungary platform.
If students can’t enter Hungary without a visa, they must submit their application for a residence permit at the Hungarian Embassy in the country of their citizenship.
A student from a non-EEA country must also have adequate language skills, which must be proven with an official language certificate.
Students from EEA countries: what administrative tasks do they have in Hungary before & upon arrival?
EEA-students have 3 major administrative tasks upon arriving at their host university (and host country.
- They must have a valid Learning Agreement that includes all the courses of their choice at the host university they had applied for before they travelled to their host country.
- They must apply for relevant courses at the host university.
- They must have a signed Confirmation of Arrival after they arrive in their host country. The signed paper then must be sent via email to their home university as well. This paper must be signed usually within a couple of days after arriving in their host country.
Students from EEA countries don’t have any administrative tasks outside the boundaries of their host university. A host university is the foreign university the student travels to for his/her exchange semester.
EEA countries include all members of the European Union (EU) plus Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. The UK is no longer a member of the EEA, from 2020.
The specific rules of procedures may vary from university to university, but the logic of the administration is more or less the same in all universities. All obligatory administrative tasks are then taken care of by the university.
However, only if you stay in Hungary (or in any other EEA country) for 90 days. If students wish to stay longer than 90 days, then they have some additional tasks.
Administrative tasks of EEA students who want to stay longer than 90 days in Hungary
If students from an EEA country want to stay longer than 90 days in Hungary, then they must apply for a Registration Certificate.
Registration Certificate is a paper certificate that provides proof of the right of residence under EU law, that EEA nationals are permitted to live in another EEA country (i.e. Hungary) for longer than three months.
In more practical terms, this paper is to prove that you can take care of yourself financially in another EEA country for a longer period without living off of the host country. 🙂
The process is simple. EEA students just have to prove their student status towards the Hungarian authorities. This can be done by delivering at least one document from the following list.
- A document to verify their student status. This document can be obtained from the international office of your host university.
- A certificate of admission from an educational institution governed by the Act on Public Education and the Act on the National Higher Education System. This can also be obtained from the international office of your host university.
- Any other reliable means.
EEA students can submit the application for the Registration Certificate either personally at the regional directorate of the National Directorate-General for Aliens (sic!) Policing (hereinafter: NDGAP) responsible for the place of residence; or electronically upon registration via Enter Hungary.
The Registration Certificate costs 1000 HUF (2.6 EUR / 2.8 USD).
Students from non-EEA countries: what administrative tasks do they have in Hungary upon arrival?
Students from non-EEA countries will most likely have to apply for a student visa before travelling to Hungary.
Before you start the application, make sure to check if the citizens of your home country are exempted from the visa requirement in the EEA countries. Check the list of those third countries whose nationals are exempted from the visa requirement when crossing the borders of the EEA member states.
Tasks of non-EEA students, who are exempted from the visa requirements
If you, as a citizen of your home country, are exempted from the visa requirement when crossing the borders of the EEA member states, then you can enter Hungary without a visa for 90 days.
In this case, your only task is to apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studies. Residence permit for the purpose of studies is a certificate that permits students from non-EEA countries to stay in an EEA country for a year.
Students entering without a visa can submit the application for a residence permit electronically on the Enter Hungary platform. Or in person at the local NDGAP.
What obligatory documents are needed for the application for a residence permit for the purpose of studies? Students must prove their student status by one of the following documents.
- Admission certificate.
- A student status certificate issued by the educational institution.
- Plus, in case of a tuition fee obligation, with proof of payment.
Students must also prove their language knowledge. This can be proved in one of the following ways.
- By an official language certificate.
- By a university degree of studies in a foreign language.
- By any other reliable means.
Tasks of non-EEA students, who are NOT exempted from the visa requirements
If your home country doesn’t have such an agreement with the EEA member states, then you must first apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studies in your home country, before travelling to Hungary. The application can be initiated at the local Hungarian Embassy in your home country.
You don’t have to apply for a visa separately in your home country, as the aforementioned application for a residence permit for the purpose of studies also includes a visa application, too.
You must prove your student status and language knowledge in the same way as in the previous section!
The validity period of the residence permit for the purpose of studies is at least 1 year. If the student’s study duration is shorter than 1 year, it is adjusted to the duration of his/her studies.
The residence permit can be issued for a maximum of 3 years. It can be extended for a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 years.
Students have to make sure the validity period of the residence permit doesn’t exceed the validity period of their travel documents!
The residence permit will be delivered by post to the address of the educational institution.
