Hungary's Guest Investor Program, the country's second attempt at a golden visa after its 2013 to 2017 bond scheme, has been running since 1 July 2024. It offers one of the longest permit terms in Europe: ten years, against five in most EU programs, for a EUR 250,000 entry point that ties with Greece for the lowest in the bloc.
The program has evolved since launch. It opened in July 2024 without any approved investment vehicles yet in place, and its original direct real estate route was later replaced by two accredited investment funds. What's available today is more settled than what launched in 2024, and this guide reflects the current structure.
Legal Status
What exists today, and what doesn't
Confirmed removed
The direct real estate route no longer exists.
The original program offered three routes at launch, including direct purchase of Hungarian residential real estate worth EUR 500,000. That option was postponed in 2024, then removed entirely by the Hungarian government on 15 January 2025. Only two routes remain, and any material describing a EUR 500,000 property-purchase route as currently available is out of date.
Confirmed active
Two accredited funds, plus the donation route.
The real estate fund route now runs through two funds licensed by the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) and security-cleared by the Constitution Protection Office: the SPRINT Hungária Real Estate Development and Investment Fund, approved 29 October 2024, and the Gravitas Hungary Real Estate Fund, managed by the Gránit financial group. The donation route, a EUR 1,000,000 non-refundable contribution to an approved public trust foundation, has run since the program's launch.
Renewal terms, corrected
The permit renews once, not indefinitely.
The Guest Investor Residence Permit is valid for ten years and renewable for a further ten. That is the consistent reading across the program's own legal basis and every current source we checked. It is not indefinitely renewable every decade, a claim that appears on some older advisory material.
What this means for a client today: the fund route is the practical route for most investors; the donation route suits a specific, philanthropically motivated profile rather than a return-seeking investor. We conduct our own current-status check with OIF and the MNB before recommending either fund by name, so clients are working from the latest accreditation status at the moment they apply.
Investment Routes
Two routes, not three
Both current routes buy the same outcome: a ten-year Guest Investor Residence Permit, renewable once, with Schengen access and no minimum stay requirement. The difference is capital, liquidity, and what you get back at the end.
Real Estate Fund
Investment certificates in an MNB-registered, security-cleared real estate fund. Two funds currently accredited: SPRINT and Gravitas.
- Minimum 5-year holding period
- At least 40% of fund NAV in Hungarian residential real estate
- Capital returned at maturity via the fund's redemption mechanism, not a guaranteed buyback
Public Trust Donation
Non-refundable contribution to a public interest trust foundation supporting education, science or the arts.
- No holding period, because there is no capital to hold
- No return of any kind, by design
- Suits a philanthropic motivation, not an investment one
Direct Real Estate
Originally EUR 500,000 into residential property. Postponed in 2024, then removed entirely on 15 January 2025.
- Do not treat any material citing this route as current
Structuring the Decision
Which route fits which investor
Return-seeking, capital-conscious
The fund route is the only route that returns capital. It suits an investor treating the residence permit as one benefit among several, alongside a real, if modest, expected yield. It also carries the most direct exposure to the program's regulatory history: verify which fund is currently accredited and current on its MNB and Constitution Protection Office standing before any capital moves, not before the application is filed.
Philanthropically motivated, cost-insensitive
The donation route suits an investor who has already decided the EUR 1,000,000 is a cost of the outcome, not an investment. We present it plainly on those terms: four times the fund route's entry point, with no capital return, in exchange for the same permit and a direct contribution to Hungarian education, science or the arts.
In Context
Hungary against the rest of Europe's golden visas
| Program | Minimum investment | Obtaining period | Permit validity | Time to citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | EUR 250,000 | 4-6 months | 10 years, renews once | ~11 years |
| Latvia | EUR 50,000 | ~3 months | 5 years | 10 years |
| Greece | EUR 250,000 | 4+ months | 5 years | 7 years |
| Portugal | EUR 250,000 | 12+ months | 2 years | 5 years |
Hungary's citizenship figure combines 3 years to permanent residence plus a further 8 years to naturalisation, both requiring genuine physical presence, not the 10-year permit term itself.
Long-Term Status
The path to permanent residence and citizenship
- Guest Investor Permit
- Permanent residence at 3 years
- Citizenship at 11 years total
Permanent residence becomes available after three years, but only for an investor who has genuinely lived in Hungary, generally read as more than 183 days a year. This is the same gap we flag on every golden visa: a ten-year permit with no minimum stay requirement is a mobility instrument, not a citizenship instrument, unless the holder actually relocates.
Naturalisation follows a further eight years as a permanent resident, for roughly eleven years total from the start of qualifying residence. Applicants must pass an exam in basic constitutional knowledge, conducted in Hungarian, and demonstrate a clean criminal record and lawful means of support. Hungary permits dual citizenship, which removes one common objection investors raise about other EU naturalisation paths.
Family eligibility is broader than some material suggests. Alongside a spouse, most current sources describe dependent children and financially dependent parents as includable, though the exact age threshold for children varies across sources we've seen, from 18 to 28. We confirm the applicable figure with OIF for each application rather than quote a fixed number here.
On the Ground
Budapest, in practical terms
Budapest is the least expensive EU capital among the countries running a current golden visa, and that shows up in the numbers investors actually care about: cost of living, rental yields, and a functioning international community already built around the city's tech and digital nomad scene.
None of that changes the program's core limitation. No route requires the investor to live in Hungary to hold the permit itself. The moment permanent residence or citizenship becomes the actual goal, physical presence stops being optional, and we say so before an application starts, not after.
Frequently Asked
Quick answers
Can I still buy real estate directly for the Hungary Golden Visa?
No. That route was removed on 15 January 2025. Any material describing a EUR 500,000 direct property route as currently available is out of date. The only routes remaining are the accredited real estate fund route and the public trust donation.
Is the program actively processing applications right now?
Yes. Two funds are currently accredited: SPRINT and Gravitas, both licensed by the Hungarian National Bank and security-cleared by the Constitution Protection Office. We confirm each fund's current accreditation status directly before recommending it, since fund approvals in this program have moved before.
How much do I need to invest?
EUR 250,000 into an accredited real estate fund, held for a minimum of 5 years, or EUR 1,000,000 as a non-refundable donation. Separate government and service fees apply on top of the investment itself; we confirm the current fee schedule with each application rather than quote a fixed figure that may have moved.
How long is the permit valid, and does it renew forever?
Ten years, renewable once for a further ten years, for roughly twenty years total on the initial investment. It does not renew indefinitely.
Do I have to live in Hungary?
Not to hold the permit itself; there is no minimum stay requirement. Permanent residence, by contrast, requires genuine physical presence, generally more than 183 days a year, for three years.
Can my family apply with me?
Yes. A spouse and, per most current sources, dependent children and financially dependent parents can be included. The exact age threshold for children varies by source; we confirm the current figure with OIF for each case.
Latest News & Program Updates
Programme updates
- 2 Sep 2026 — Guide published. Two routes confirmed active (fund, donation); direct real estate confirmed removed. (Lincoln Global Partners)
- 2026 — Gravitas Hungary Real Estate Fund (Gránit group) confirmed as a second MNB-accredited fund alongside SPRINT. (MNB accredited fund registry)
- 15 Jan 2025 — Hungarian government formally removed the EUR 500,000 direct real estate route from the program. (Program status confirmed 15 Jan 2025)
- 29 Oct 2024 — SPRINT Hungária Real Estate Development and Investment Fund becomes the first fund accredited under the program, ten months after launch. (IMI Daily)
- 1 Jul 2024 — Guest Investor Program launches with zero approved investment vehicles available. (IMI Daily, IBA)
Last reviewed 2 September 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Programme terms are set by the relevant government and can change; confirm any figure with the authority, or with us, before acting on it.
