PREPARING THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION
After you have successfully passed the entrance examination, you will receive an official notification from Pázmány University of the fact that you have been admitted to a full-degree study program (Decision of admission). If you have been granted a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship / Scholarship for Christian Young People / Diaspora scholarship, you will also receive a Letter of Award of scholarship through the DreamApply platform.
Before starting your studies at PPKE, you will need to ensure your legal status in Hungary.
If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA member state (EEA = EU member states and Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Lichtenstein), you do not need a visa to enter Hungary (a valid ID card or passport is enough). Nevertheless, once in Hungary, you will need to obtain a registration card for the duration of your studies in the country.
If you are a citizen of a third country, i.e. a country that is not part of the EU or the European Economic Area (non-EEA), in most cases you must obtain a visa to travel to Hungary and then a residence permit to be allowed to stay in the country. On this webpage, you can check whether you need a visa to travel to Hungary.
Visa application procedure for citizens of countries under visa obligation
Upon receiving your Decision of admission (and Letter of Award, in the case of scholarship holders), you should contact the Hungarian consulate closest to your place of residence to start your visa application (Hungarian Missions Abroad). Since the visa process may take up to 1-2 months and you are required to arrive in Hungary towards the end of August, it is strongly advisable to start the process as soon as possible. (Please note that if you do not arrive by the given deadline, you will not be able to enroll and begin your studies, thus you will lose your scholarship.)
You may book your appointment online here: Konzinfo Booking
If you already reside in Hungary, you may submit an application for residence permit at the competent regional directorate (based on your place of accommodation) if there are special circumstances to justify the submission of the application in Hungary.
You must request a D-type visa for the full duration of the study program: long-term visa for study purposes (in Hungarian: “tartózkodási engedély átvételére jogosító vízum”). Please note that with this type of visa you can enter Hungary only once, where you are allowed to stay for 30 days (during this period, you will have to register your accommodation and receive your residence permit card).
You can find detailed information about the residence permit for the purpose of study on the website of the Hungarian immigration authority.
You will need the following documents (checklist)*:
*Please note that depending on your country of origin, the consulate may ask for fewer or more documents than the ones listed above.
The website of the Hungarian consulate in your country may contain more detailed information about the procedure.Scholarship holders (SH, SCYP, Diaspora) are exempt of the visa procedural fee. Self-funded students will need to pay a fee of EUR 110 at the consulate. The decision on visa and residence permit for study purposes should be made by the authorities within 15 days, but usually it takes longer.
Once you receive your visa, you can travel to Hungary. During the Welcome Week we will explain to you what further steps you will need to take.
Procedure for citizens of visa waiver countries
If you come from a visa waiver country (please check out this website and double check with the Hungarian consulate in your country), you may apply for the residence permit for study purposes after arriving in Hungary, however, it is strongly recommended that you start the application procedure at the Hungarian consulate of your home country.
You may also initiate the procedure online via the Enter Hungary platform while still in your country. We recommend that you do this.
You will need the same documents as listed in point 1. (procedure for citizens of countries under visa obligation)
Please note that at the time of travelling to Hungary your passport must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the EU and it shall have been issued within the previous 10 years.
Please note that scholarship holders (SH, SCYP, Diaspora) are exempt of the visa procedural fee. Self-funded students will need to pay a fee of EUR 110.
You can travel to Hungary with your valid passport, and during the Welcome Week we will explain to you what further steps you will need to take to get your residence permit.
Notifying the International Office
You are kindly requested to notify your international coordinator as soon as you have a visa appointment and to keep them updated on the status of your visa proceedings so that we can help you if any problems arise.
Registration procedure for EU/EEA citizens
Citizens of EU/EEA countries are entitled to enter and stay in Hungary for 90 days with a valid ID card or passport. You do not need to make further arrangements in advance. However, once in Hungary, you will need apply for a registration card.
You will need the following documents:
During the Welcome Week we will explain to you what further steps you will need to take to get your card.
