Visas & Customs Requirements

Employment:

"Working" visa applications must be submitted to a Hungarian embassy or consulate outside the country in the applicant's native country or place of residence abroad. In order to apply for a visa, the applicant must possess a labor permit.

The employer must apply for the labor permit, which is issued by the Labor Office in Hungary. Labor permit applications must be accompanied by the applicant's degree or certification, which attests to the applicant's qualifications for the job, and a health certificate.

If someone who has already entered Hungary wishes to obtain a work visa, they must first apply for a labor permit inside the country, and then leave Hungary to pick up their work visa.

The application for permit has to be submitted by the employer in the form specified in the annex to the legal regulation to the county (Budapest) labour centre or office competent at the place of employment.

he following documents need to be attached to the application:

• Certificate of the report of the labor force need;


• Authentic copy of the document certifying the basic data on the employer's operations (for example, articles of association);


• Specimen of signature;


• Authentic copy or the authentic Hungarian translation of the document certifying the foreign person's qualifications required for performing the activities;


• Authentic copy or the authentic Hungarian translation of the medical certificate about the foreign person's suitable health condition for the job;


• In the case of professional sports people carrying out sports activities the declaration of the related federation claiming that the official sports person may be employed in the branch of sport.

Employment Situation:

The employment situation has continued to improve in Hungary. The number of registered job seekers and the rate of unemployment has dropped, while the number of employed has increased. Resources available for programmes since the start of the year have allowed to save around 68,000 jobs in the country.

Hungary's average unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in March-May, down from 9.9 percent in February-April. The jobless rate, which was the same for both the 15-74 and the 15-64 age groups, jumped from 7.7 percent in the same period a year earlier. The average number of unemployed was 409,700 in the 15-74 age group in March-May, down 2,100 from February-April. The number of unemployed rose 86,300 in a year. The unemployment rate was between 7.5pc and 7.8pc for much 2008, but started to rise sharply in the fourth quarter due to the financial and economic crisis.

Teaching Positions:

Native-speaking teachers are no longer novelties as they were some years ago. Schools typically want someone with an ESL teaching certificate and at least a year’s teaching experience. However, there are still slots for native speakers without either, especially in the newer, lower-paying schools. The vast majority of private language schools are in Budapest (over 200, rumor has it), but the smaller cities and mid-size towns also have schools.

Language schools are rarely able to provide full-time work, so while the hourly rate is often quite good by local standards, the hours may be few. Many teachers work for two or more schools and give private lessons in order to collect enough income.

Schools don’t post job openings often, even in the local papers. The simplest way to find schools is to look in either the phonebook or a free events magazine in Budapest. While it’s best to drop into the school in person, emailing a short letter of introduction and your CV works as well.