SCHENGEN VISAS

Any travel to the Schengen member countries with a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period requires a Schengen visa. In other words, travelers should not stay longer that maximum 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area.

The Schengen visa procedure is regulated by the Visa code. (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02009R0810-20200202)

 

 Attention! Visa is only a preliminary permission for entry, which does not automatically authorize its bearer to enter Hungary or other countries of the Schengen area. At the external border, travelers may be requested to provide proof of the existence of the conditions of entry and stay in Hungary and/or the Schengen area.

 

 Attention! Our Mission can only provide general information regarding your journey to Hungary, meanwhile on the entry rules, the National Police Headquarter can provide credible and up-to-date information.

 

Which country is competent to issue the Schengen visa?

The Schengen visa application has to be submitted at the representation of the country which is competent for examining and deciding on it according to the main destination of the travel. The competent country will be:

(a) the country whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit;

(b) if the visit includes more than one destination, or if several separate visits are to be carried out within a period of two months, the Member State whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length of stay, counted in days, or the purpose of stay; or

(c) if no main destination can be determined, the country whose external border the applicant intends to cross first in order to enter the territory of the Schengen Member States.

If the applicant plans to visit any other Schengen Member States besides Hungary, the applicant is strongly recommended to check its entry rules.

 

 When to submit a visa application?

Applications should be submitted no more than six months before the start of the intended travel. Holders of a multiple-entry visa may lodge the application before the expiry of the visa valid for a period of at least six months.

As the processing of a visa application may take up to 15 days, travelers are advised to submit their applications not later than 15 days before the travel takes place.

 

 How to obtain an appointment?

VFS Global company is the authorized external service provider for receiving Schengen visa applications on behalf of Hungary.

For more information on the application procedure and for making an appointment in the visa application centers, please visit the website of the VFS Global at https://visa.vfsglobal.com/phl/en/hun/ 

 

 Basic application documents:

            (For individual Schengen Checklists, kindly visit the VFS Global's webpage above)

  • completed application form signed by the traveler,
  • passport,
    • it should have been issued within the previous 10 years,
    • it should be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Schengen states;
    • it should contain at east two empty pages.
  • photo,
    • it should be a passport-size photo taken within the last 6 months
  • Travel medical insurance
    • its minimum coverage should be EUR 30.000;
    • it has to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with urgent medical treatment, repatriation for medical reasons or death;
    • it should be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person’s intended stay or transit.
  • application fee

 Depending on the purpose of travel, additional supporting documents should also be attached according to the harmonized list of such documents.

A visa application is admissible only if the above documents are submitted no more than six months before the start of the planned travel and the fingerprints provided.

 

Admissibility

Please be informed, that following conditions of admissibility must be fulfilled when submitting the Schengen visa application

  • When lodging the application, the applicant shall:
    •  present an application form in accordance with Article 11;
    • present a travel document in accordance with Article 12;
    • present a photograph in accordance with the standards set out in Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 or, where the VIS is operational pursuant to Article 48 of the VIS Regulation, in accordance with the standards set out in Article 13 of this Regulation;
    • allow the collection of his fingerprints in accordance with Article 13, where applicable;
      • Member States shall collect biometric identifiers of the applicant comprising a photograph of him and his 10 fingerprints in accordance with the safeguards laid down in the Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
      • At the time of submission of the first application, the applicant shall be required to appear in person. At that time, the following biometric identifiers of the applicant shall be collected:
        • a photograph, scanned or taken at the time of application, and
        • his 10 fingerprints taken flat and collected digitally.
  • Where fingerprints collected from the applicant as part of an earlier application were entered in the VIS for the first time less than 59 months before the date of the new application, they shall be copied to the subsequent application.
  • The following applicants shall be exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints:
    • children under the age of 12;
    • persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible. If the fingerprinting of fewer than 10 fingers is possible, the maximum number of fingerprints shall be taken. However, should the impossibility be temporary, the applicant shall be required to give the fingerprints at the following application. The authorities competent in accordance with Article 4(1), (2) and (3) shall be entitled to ask for further clarification of the grounds for the temporary impossibility. Member States shall ensure that appropriate procedures guaranteeing the dignity of the applicant are in place in the event of there being difficulties in enrolling;
    • heads of State or government and members of a national government with accompanying spouses, and the members of their official delegation when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organisations for an official purpose;
    • sovereigns and other senior members of a royal family, when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organisations for an official purpose.
  • pay the visa fee in accordance with Article 16;
  • The visa fee shall be waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories:
    • children under six years;
    • school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
    • researchers, as defined in point (2) of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 8 ), travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research or participating in a scientific seminar or conference;
    • representatives of non-profit organisations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations.
  • The visa fee may be waived for:
    • children from the age of six years and below the age of 18 years;
    • holders of diplomatic and service passports;
    • participants in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations, aged 25 years or less.
  • provide supporting documents in accordance with Article 14 and the harmonized list of supporting documents (https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=C(2014)7594&lang=en)
  • where applicable, produce proof of possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance in accordance with Article 15
  • the application must be been lodged no more than six months before the start of the intended travel

Please be informed, where the competent consulate or the central authorities of the competent Member State find that the conditions of admissibilty have not been fulfilled, the application shall be inadmissible and the consulate or central authorities shall without delay:

  • return the application form and any documents submitted by the applicant,
  • destroy the collected biometric data,
  • reimburse the visa fee, and
  • not examine the application.

 

Decision-making

During the decision-making process, the Consul

  • consults in every case the entry ban list (SIS, or Schengen Information System)
  • inspects former visas issued for the applicant
  • has to consult the competent authorities of the Schengen states, in particular cases

Some Schengen States require that they be consulted on visa applications submitted to other Schengen States by citizens of certain countries. The consultation process may take up to seven calendar days. Such consultation is currently required for nationals of the countries listed here.

  • may proceed with prior consultation with the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade according to the Article 22. of the Visa Code
  • may consult with foreign representations of other Schengen states
  • may request a personal interview with the applicant
  • may request further documents or certificates in addition to the already submitted ones

Decision on the visa application must not exceed 15 days (10 days where it is applicable under visa facilitation agreements). In specific cases, this period may be further extended up to 45 days.

 

 Refusal

The visa application will be refused

  1. if the applicant
  • presents false, counterfeit or forged travel document
  • does not prove the purpose and conditions of the intended stay
  • does not certify that he/she has sufficient means of subsistence both for the duration of the stay and for the return to his country of origin or residence
  • has reached or exceeded the maximum duration of authorized stay on the Schengen territory: 90 days in any 180-day period
  • is a person for whom an alert has been issued in the Schengen Information System (SIS) and his/her entry has to be refused
  • is not in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, when applicable

2. When doubt arises concerning the validity and the content of the supporting documents, the reliability of the statements made by the applicant.

The reason for refusal is notified to the applicant on the established refusal form.

In case of refusal, the visa fee will not be reimbursed.

 

 Appealing against a refusal

In case of refusal, a new visa application may be submitted any time but the visa fee has to be paid again.

Applicants have the right to appeal against a decision resulting in a refused visa application (or annulment or revocation of a visa). Appeals have to be submitted, within 8 days from the date when the refusal decision was received (3 days from the date when the annulment or revocation was received), personally at the Consulate by the applicant or by a person who has a power of attorney from the applicant.

The appeal should be submitted in writing, in Hungarian or in any official language of the European Union (e.g. English).

With the appeal, further supporting documents may be submitted and the applicant may be called in for a personal interview.

The fee for the appeal procedure should be paid at the time of submitting the appeal. This fee will cannot be reduced or reimbursed, not even for applicants who are otherwise waived from paying the visa application fee.

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade decides on the appeal within 15 days (in 5 days on appeals against a refusal of the annulment or revocation of a visa). If the refusal is upheld in its decision, it may be subject to a judicial review initiated by the applicant.