HUNGARY: Expedited Single Permit Processing for Serbians and Ukrainians

January 27, 2017


To facilitate the immigration process for certain non-EU nationals with in-demand skills, Hungary has introduced an expedited single permit process.

The expedited process is available for nationals of neighbouring Serbia and Ukraine whose occupation falls into any of the 37 groups of jobs considered favoured and in demand under the current national occupational codes (“FEOR” codes). These are mostly blue collar, engineering and IT job titles, and the list is updated regularly.

It is thought likely that the process will be extended to nationals of other non-EU countries in the future.

The expedited process allows the Immigration Authority to issue a Single Permit to qualifying applicants within two to three weeks, rather than the fourteen weeks or more for the standard process. Processing may, however, take longer than three weeks during implementation of the new process.

The new process aims to relieve a significant shortage of manpower caused by the flow of Hungarians migrating to Western Europe for better wages. A similar program in Bulgaria introduced a simplified EU Blue Card process for in-demand IT professions, with additional benefits, to address a national shortage of qualified specialists.

Our advice

Companies intending to employ non-EU nationals in Hungary should consider the benefits of this expedited process for Serbian or Ukrainian nationals with certain shortage skills.

If you require any additional information regarding the above please contact a member of our team at [email protected]