Hungary White Card - Digital Nomad Visa in Hungary
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The topic of the video is the Hungary White Card, and here is a small breakdown of things we will discuss about this recently launched program

00:00 Intro

What is the white card?
Who can apply for the white card?
What are the requirements for the white card?
The advantages and disadvantages of having a white card compared to other options to reside in Hungary and beyond
Alternatives to the White Card?

01:24 What is the white card?

We are going to start breaking down the white card by explaining what it really means. So, basically the white card is a recently launched program for foreigners that want to live in Hungary, and have their income from a source abroad which must be unrelated to Hungary.

So, if for example you are an US citizen working for an US company remotely and you want to live in Hungary, the white card is probably the best way for you to do it. You will not have to open a company in Hungary and go through all the bureaucratic ordeal that it represents. You can just keep working for your employer, move to Hungary and get a residence permit at minimal costs.

The same applies if you are not an employee but instead have a company abroad generating income for you remotely. So for example if you are a citizen from India or Australia and have an UK based company in which you work as a software consultant. You can use this as grounds to apply for the White Card in Hungary.

02:18 What are the requirements for the white card?

Now let’s talk about the main requirements for anyone who is interested in the white card:

-You must be a non-EU citizen. The white card is only for non-EU citizens, and also people who are not family members of EU citizens.

-You must perform your work using technology. This is a rather weird requirement as I don’t understand how you could possibly work remotely without using technology, but it is written there and I am sharing this with you.

-You should not work for a Hungarian company or have shares in a Hungarian company. All your income must come from sources abroad.

-You will need a proven income of at least 2000 euro per month.

The advantages and disadvantages of having a white card compared to other options to reside in Hungary and abroad

03:10 Advantages

Budapest

Living in the center of Europe

Not paying taxes in a Hungary company (but you will still have to pay it abroad)

Visa free to Schengen area

03:56 Disadvantages

You can’t bring your family members.

You can’t renew it indefinitely.

The income requirement

05:10 Alternatives to the White Card

And now in the last part of this video we will talk about the alternatives to the white card. I would consider here, basically two types of alternatives regarding the white card.

The first alternative would be other digital nomad visas in Europe and beyond. As you probably have heard, digital nomad visas are becoming more and more popular and many countries in Europe are already offering it such as Croatia and Estonia. There are also options beyond Europe, like Barbados for example. Many other countries are planning to launch a digital nomad visa soon, such as Romania. As a matter of fact I believe that in a few years there will be more countries offering these types of visa, than countries not offering it.

The second alternative to the White Card in Hungary would be in the case that you don’t want to live temporarily in Hungary, but instead, build your way towards permanent residency and citizenship. Since the white card doesn’t count time towards permanent residency in Hungary, this can be seen as a significant disadvantage for some.
The best alternative in this scenario would be getting a self-employment residence permit in Hungary. This way, you can keep renewing it indefinitely and build your way towards permanent residency and citizenship.

But then you might wonder, why is the white card a good option then, if you can just become a self-employed person instead. The difference is that as a self-employed person you costs will be much greater. Taxes in Hungary, social security, opening the company. It involves much more bureaucracy than just using the white card. Both to get in and out. If you are unsure about Hungary, you can also start your journey in Hungary using the white card, and then eventually switch to a residence permit for gainful activity, as they call the permit for self-employed persons in Hungary.