The Client Service of the National Directorate-General of Aliens Policing (Immigration Office) - Budapest and Pest County Regional Directory at Szegedi út 35-37. District 13, Budapest can be visited by clients without making an appointment. Of course, a booked appointment helps you avoid queuing.
Website and appointment booking: https://oif.gov.hu/
For students: https://oif.gov.hu/students

The opening hours of Client Service II., Szegedi út, Budapest where studies and mobility cases are settled:

Monday to Thursday	8:00 – 14:00
Friday	8:00 – 12:00

The possibilities for foreign students from third countries with higher education qualifications acquired in Hungary are described in details in the linked document: 1) seeking a job or starting a business in Hungary 2) Hungarian Card 3) EU Blue Card 4) guest self-employment 5) Research 6) National Card
As for the status of visiting lecturers, language consultants and researchers, see and scroll down to the description below: 'Conditions of Residence in Hungary for Research Purposes'

Major changes that are still in effect since 1st January, 2024

An outline:

• An extension procedure from Hungary cannot be started if your residence permit expired. Not even with an equity request. The applicant has to go home and start a new visa case.
• A visa to enter Hungary (D or C) is valid only for 3 months after decision-making (not from the date of the receipt)!
• Other purpose ceased to exist! Instead: research / job-seeking / work
• Family unification with study purpose res.card is only permitted for those who possess a residence permit issued before 1st January, 2024. Exception: a baby born in Hungary.

Online consultation sessions are provided from mid-April, 2025 for those whose residence permit expires in summer 2025. Registration is necessary: the link is soon available. Institutional support and to some extent, representation of your case by your international coordinator is offered to ease the process.
General instructions and Q&A sessions are organised online on 29. 04; 05.05; 09.05; 13.05 and 16.05. at 10:30. The agenda will cover studies, job-seeking, research and work permit purposes.

Online consultation material from 2024-25 winter extension period:
On 13th Dec., 16th Dec., and 6th Jan., 10th Jan.

Online consultation material from 2024 summer extension period:
Online consultation slides are available here: 06. 19 (for expiry date until July 15th, 2024), 06. 21 (for expiry date between July 16-31st), 06. 24 (for expiry date between August 1-31st), 06. 25 (Q&A session, errors and issues on EnterHungary website), 06. 28 (Q&A session 2), 07. 19 (for expiry date in July, August and Sept)

In case you need your international coordinator's help, please, send the authorization form to her/him using this subject line: AUTH_Res.perm_EH number_full name_exp.date of your permit

APPLICATION FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT - FIRST ENTRY INTO HUNGARY

IF YOU ARE SUBJECT TO VISA to travel to Hungary, your application for your visa is automatically an application for your residence permit at the same time. Students do not need to visit the Immigration Office in person but come to the International Relations Coordinator of their campus to collect their residence permit. It is now posted to the central address of MATE University by law. No documents but a confirming signature is needed upon the receipt of your residence permit.

Documents to be submitted at the embassy / consulate for visa application and the issual of your first residence permit:

• Passport
• A document proving your address in Hungary (issued by the dormitory coordinator or by the owner of the flat you rent); if you rent a flat or room, your lease contract is needed as well)
• Reservation confirmation from your dormitory
• a passport-size photo
• Letter of Award form TPF or the Ministry, OR Certificate of Scholarship (Erasmus)
• Letter of Acceptance from MATE
• Proof of insurance coverage - for Ministry scholarship holders, the Letter of Award replaces this document

IF YOU ARE NOT SUBJECT TO VISA to travel to Hungary, you have to start a case online at Enter Hungary website to apply for a residence permit within 90 days after your arrival, and visit the Immigration Office within 15 days after you submitted your documents online. It is recommended to start the procedure as soon as possible. Contact your International Coordinator for details of a MATE appointment at the Immigration Office. Later, your coordinator will receive your residence permit by post who will inform you about the arrival of your permit immediately. The process takes two months. You can accelerate this process by applying for your residence permit at the Hungarian Embassy of your home country before arrival. The detailed process of application for a residence permit for study purposes can be found on the EnterHungary website at https://enterhungary.gov.hu/eh/?en.

Documents to be submitted online:
- Application form also downloadable from the website of the Immigration Office. During the process, it is to be filled in electronically.
- 1 passport-size photo
- Accommodation sheet – from the owner of your flat or the international coordinator of the dormitory, Ms. Beáta Kárpáti at Karpati.Beata@uni-mate.hu in any of our Gödöllő Campus dormitory, or Ms. Ildikó Fedor at buda.kollegium@uni-mate.hu – if you live in Somogyi Imre Dormitory, 1118 Budapest, Szüret u. 2–18.
- a copy of your passport
- Letter of Acceptance/Admission (sent by MATE via e-mail or post)
- Student status certificate (in Hungarian) – from MATE (Registrar’s Office)

If you are a scholarship holder:
- Letter of Award for SH, Diaspora programs from Tempus Public Fund, SCYP from Hungary Helps Agency, FAO from The Ministry of Agriculture) OR Certificate of Scholarship from any of the Erasmus Programs

If you are a self-financing student:
- bank statement proving that you have enough money to live in Hungary
- health insurance

LOCATION and AVAILABILITIES:

Name:	Client Service II. (Budapest) IMMIGRATION OFFICE (Országos Idegenrendészeti Főigazgatóság - OIF) http://oif.gov.hu/index.php?lang=en
	Budapest and Pest County Regional Directory
Address:	1135 Budapest, District XIII, 35-37 Szegedi út (Twin Office Building,Ground floor)
Phone number:	+36 1 323 3189
E-mail:	bpkir2@oif.gov.hu
How to get there: Buses start from Keleti Railway Station. Take any of the buses of 20E, 30, 30A and No.32. Get off at "Szegedi út" bus stop.

 

Regulation on address change obligation or how to apply for a new address certificate: https://oif.gov.hu/factsheets/reporting-obligations

Scroll down to point 1) of the last paragraph:
Any change of accommodation must be notified to the regional directorate responsible for the new accommodation within 3 days of the change......
Check it and act accordingly.
Register on Enter Hungary
Enter Hungary > Registration > Start a new case > Announcements > Reporting change in accommodation

Required attachments:

• passport
• residence permit
• a copy of the lease contract / reservation confirmation (if moving IN the dorm) - SAME signature (Lessor's signature)

Click on submit.

• ​​​The Notification of Accommodation is generated by the system on submission.
• The SAME signature as on the lease contract or reservation confirmation (Lessor or dorm coordinator) and your signature are requested preferably on it. Scan it back and upload it. If an authorized person signs your lease contract, the authorization of the Lessor is also necessary.

DO NOT visit the Immigration Office > everything is going on online. You will get the address certificate by post / electronically.

Min. 45 days before the expiry date of your residence permit, you have to apply for the extension by applying via EnterHungary. As your residence permit expires, a temporary residence paper is provided for you, so you have to visit the Immigration Office 1-2 days before or on the day it expires. Temporary residence papers will not entitle you to enter Hungary. So, do not leave the country unless you possess your permanent residence card! If your temporary paper is about to expire, go immediately into the Immigration Office to get a new one.

Required documents:

Student Status Certificate (issued by your Registrar's Officer/Erasmus coordinator at MATE)
- Credit transcript
- Copy of passport
- A document proving your address in Hungary (issued by the dormitory coordinator or by the owner of the flat you rent)
If you live in a MATE dormitory, a reservation confirmation is necessary. If you rent a flat or room, your lease contract is needed as well. You only need a new address certificate if your address has changed. Otherwise the copy of your old address certificate is to be submitted.
- Application for Residence Permit form filled in electronically and as the system generates a pdf file: supplemented with a colour photo, signed and scanned back, submitted. Please, use the attached form as a translation guide only!
- Appendix 9.13 filled in electronically and as the system generates a pdf file scanned back, submitted to confirm your purpose. Please, use the attached form as a translation guide only!
- Letter of Apology ONLY in case you start your application within 45 days prior to your expiry date for certain reasons. In this letter, please, list your reasons why you are late with your application.

If you are a self-financed student, you will also need a bank account statement (proving that you have enough money to live on) and health insurance coverage.

If you extended your scholarship, you will also need the Letter of Extension issued by Tempus Public Fund.

If you graduated from MATE but pursue your studies as PhD, you will also need your Letter of Acceptance from MATE and your new Letter of Award from Tempus. In case you will have scholarship again, you are exempt from the procedural fee. Do NOT pay, even if you are between two study cycles.

Advice on missing documents: the Letter of Extension is often issued at the end of a semester Also, at the turn of two semesters, the issual of new student status certificates can happen only after registration for the following semester. Updated credit transcript might be issued late, at the very end of semesters. Also a relevant reservation confirmation is needed from the dorm.

The Head of Department at Client Service II. advises these students to wait until all necessary documents are available and then apply for the extension only. After submitting the documents and starting a new case, there are 8 days for supplementing missing documents! If those are over and the missing documents cannot be submitted, an equity request for extending the deadline should be submitted (max. 14 days are possible) which results in extra administration.

The procedure of extension might take 2 months, so if you need a valid residence permit (e.g. for travelling) for a given date, please calculate with this time. Do not forget to extend your TAJ card as soon as you have received your new residence permit!

Temporary residence papers will not entitle you to enter Hungary. So, do not leave the country unless you possess your permanent residence card!