Hungary is located in eastern Central Europe, making it very easy to access from all directions. The country shares its borders with Slovakia, Ukraine, Austria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. You can easily reach it by plane, train, bus, or car, and since Hungary is both a member of the EU and the Schengen area – meaning it now has open land borders with all its neighbors except Ukraine and Serbia –, most expats won't need a visa to visit Hungary. The country also has visa waiver agreements with over sixty countries, but you are advised to check with the Hungarian embassy or consulate in your home country to see what applies in your case.
Do you need a visa to travel to Hungary?
If you're a citizen of the EU/EFTA area, or one of the non-EU countries that have signed and implemented the Schengen treaty (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland), you can enter Hungary with just a valid passport and/or identity card.
As of late 2025, the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is in effect in Hungary. This means that non-EU travelers entering the Schengen zone will have their biometrics (fingerprints and photo) registered at the border. The ETIAS travel authorization is expected to launch in late 2026.
Hungary also has visa waiver agreements in place with thirty countries in the US and Latin America, as well as in Asia and Oceania. If you're a national of these countries, you are allowed to travel to Hungary without a visa and stay there for a specific amount of time that usually does not exceed 90 days. The countries with which Hungary has visa waiver agreements in place are:
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong (but only if you're a holder of a "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" passport), Israel, Japan, Macao (only for holders of "Regio Administrativa Especial de Macau" passports), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Good to know:
The period of visa-free stay may differ for each nationality, depending on what type of passport you have (ordinary versus diplomatic) or whether you have an ID instead of a passport.
General visa requirements for Hungary https://www.expat.com/en/guide/europe/hungary/19161-general-visa-requirements-for-hungary.html
If you do need a visa to enter the country, and you plan to stay in Hungary for less than 90 days, you can apply for a short-term stay visa. You can download the application form at the Consular Services website. This is the Type C Schengen Visa, which is a short-term entry permit for tourism, family visits, or business meetings that strictly prohibits local employment and residency beyond the 90-day limit. You will need a passport and documentary proof of travel purpose, income, accommodation, and return to request this visa.
Transit visas in Hungary
Some nationalities need an Airport Transit Visa if they have a transit flight in Hungary. This type of visa allows them to enter the international zone of the airport and to remain there until the time of departure of the flight to the destination country. These nationalities are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
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Planning your trip to Hungary
Hungary is very accessible from all directions, due to its location and landlocked state. Most expats like to arrive by air since the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest is only a 3-hour flight or less from most major European cities. It's also a 6-hour flight from the Middle East and a 9-hour flight from the US East Coast. Hungary's second-largest airport, Debrecen, offers limited connections to the UK, the Netherlands, Israel, Turkey, and Germany.
There are also comfortable and frequent train connections with Vienna and Prague, as well as international coach services with Hungary's neighbouring countries of Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Romania. As for Hungary's road network, the expressways make it rather easy to enter the country by car or motorbike, but you will need an e-vignette to make use of the highways.
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
