Hungary
White Card (Digital Nomad Residence Permit): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes. Hungary's White Card (fehér kártya) requires comprehensive health insurance covering the full range of care in Hungary, or proof of funds to cover it. It is for non-EU nationals working remotely for a foreign employer or profiting from a foreign company (not for Hungarian companies or clients), on income of at least €3,000 net a month over the prior six months, and runs up to a year, extendable once by up to another year.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
|---|---|
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | Comprehensive health insurance covering the full range of healthcare services in Hungary for the stay, or proof of sufficient funds to cover such costs. No fixed minimum sum is published for the White Card (the €30,000 figure is the separate Schengen short-stay visa rule). |
For third-country nationals who work remotely for an employer based outside Hungary, or who hold a share in or profit from a company based outside Hungary; you may not work for a Hungarian company or take Hungarian clients. Income of at least €3,000 net/month for the six months before applying (raised from €2,000). Up to one year, extendable once by up to one year (about two years total); does not lead to permanent residence, and family cannot join on a derivative permit. Two-step: a D-visa at a consulate, then the White Card permit in Hungary.
Who qualifies for the Hungary nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- €3,000/mo net (≈ $3,420)
- Length of permit
- 12 monthsrenewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Freelancer, Business owner
€3,000 is net, held for 6 months before applying. A company owner qualifies only if the firm is registered abroad.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
Hungary's White Card requires comprehensive health insurance covering the full range of care in Hungary (or proof of funds) and income of at least €3,000 net/month; it is for foreign-employer or foreign-company remote work only and runs up to about two years, without leading to permanent residence.
Our take
The rule is 'comprehensive cover for Hungary', not a number, and the practical trap is leaning on Hungary's free emergency care, which only covers the emergency itself, not the private clinics nomads actually use day to day.
Carry a proper plan covering Hungary, since the everyday, English-speaking care you will use is private and self-pay.
What happens if you get it wrong
A thin or travel-only policy that does not show comprehensive Hungarian cover can hold up the permit.
Relying on 'free emergency care' leaves the private, non-urgent care you will actually use uncovered.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Hungary without insurance?
The textbook traveller emergency. It cannot wait, it cannot be treated at a pharmacy, and it ends in an operating theatre.
| Emergency room, on arrival | $150–$300 |
| A scan to confirm it | $455–$1,025 |
| The operation | $11,273 |
| Three nights recovering | $3,279 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $15,157–$15,877 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Hungary runs $2,000 to $12,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Yes, comprehensive health insurance covering the full range of care in Hungary, or proof of funds to cover it. No confirmed euro minimum is specific to the White Card.
At least €3,000 net a month over the six months before you apply (raised from the original €2,000).
No. It is strictly for remote work for a foreign employer or income from a foreign company; Hungarian companies and clients are not allowed.
Up to one year, extendable once by up to one year (about two years total). It does not lead to permanent residence.
The rule is comprehensive cover valid in Hungary; it does not specify a Hungarian insurer, so a qualifying international plan that covers Hungary can work.
How to apply
- Processing time
- Within 30 days from submission of a complete application.
- Government fee
- EUR 110 when applying at a diplomatic mission; HUF 26,000 when applying inside Hungary via the Enter Hungary platform; HUF 39,000 in person inside Hungary (extension HUF 23,000).
- Where to apply
- A Hungarian embassy or consulate abroad. Visa-free nationals present in Hungary may use the Enter Hungary online platform or a regional Directorate office.
- 1
Complete the official White Card application form.
- 2
Assemble the required documents: an employer statement or company ownership documents, six months of bank statements showing at least EUR 3,000 net monthly income, proof of accommodation, health insurance, a valid passport, and proof of funds or return travel.
- 3
Submit the application at a Hungarian embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or residence. Visa-free nationals already in Hungary can instead apply through the Enter Hungary online platform or in person at the competent regional Directorate.
- 4
Provide a facial photograph and fingerprints, and pay the administrative service fee.
- 5
Wait for the decision, issued within 30 days of a complete application.
- 6
On approval you receive a single-entry entry visa valid for three months to travel to Hungary; the residence permit card is then mailed to your address. The White Card is valid for up to one year and can be extended once for a further year.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Hungary does not publish a minimum figure, which sounds permissive and is not. It means you are judged against somebody's unwritten idea of adequate, and the safe reading of adequate is enough to cover a serious hospital admission in Hungary, not the cheapest policy that technically exists.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full duration of stay
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
Get a policy that satisfies this visa
Three minutes of honest questions, then we'll match you to insurance that meets Hungary'srequirements and actually works where you're going.
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