The Hungarian labour market has one great advantage for an EU citizen: you walk in without a permit and with the same rights as everyone. The less obvious part is the details, and there are many: how long the probation lasts, how generous the leave is, how short unemployment benefit can be.
Here is what to know about working in Hungary, using the rules and the 2026 figures.
Do you need a permit for working in Hungary?
Not if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. You work like a Hungarian. You do need to register your stay after three months, as explained in residence in Hungary for EU citizens, and to get your tax number and TAJ number. Your employer may help with the last two; see the Hungarian tax number guide.
British citizens arriving now need a residence permit that authorises work. Qualified workers typically use the Magyar Kártya or the EU Blue Card; see moving to Hungary from the UK.
Where do you find work when working in Hungary?
Start with the National Employment Service (Nemzeti Foglalkoztatási Szolgálat, NFSZ), its Virtual Labour Market Portal (VMP), and EURES Hungary. Prepare a CV in Hungarian, and in English if the job needs it, with copies of your diplomas and language certificates. For a regulated profession or a diploma to be recognised, contact the Education Office (Oktatási Hivatal) or the professional authority.
What should your contract say?
You sign an employment contract (munkaszerződés). At the latest 15 days after you start, the employer must tell you in writing about your hours, salary and pay date, how your leave is calculated and the notice rules. Keep this document. It is your reference if there is a dispute.
Reading a Hungarian contract can be the hardest part of a job offer. Moovy can help you spot which clauses to check, such as probation, notice and overtime, and draft your questions for the employer in Hungarian with a translation. It cannot sign for you or represent you.
What is the minimum wage when working in Hungary?
The 2026 minimum wage is 322,800 HUF gross a month (1,856 HUF an hour). For jobs requiring at least a secondary-school or vocational qualification, the guaranteed minimum is 373,200 HUF (2,145 HUF an hour), under decree 426/2025. Pay is monthly, in arrears, in forints. From your gross pay your employer withholds 15% income tax and 18.5% social security.
How long is probation, notice and working time?
- Probation: at most 3 months, 6 if a collective agreement provides.
- Notice: at least 30 days. On dismissal, up to 90 days depending on seniority. A contract can set a notice of up to 6 months.
- Working time: 8 hours a day in principle; 12 hours a day and 48 hours a week at most; a 20-minute unpaid break after 6 hours; 11 hours' rest between two working days; two rest days a week, with a Sunday at least once a month.
- Overtime: an employer can impose up to 250 hours a year (2025 figure); Sunday work is paid at a 50% premium.
What leave do you get?
Paid leave starts at 20 working days. You add 1 day at 25, 2 at 28, 3 at 31, and then one more every two years until you reach 10 extra days from age 45. Parents of children under 16 get additional days.
Public holidays are set by the Labour Code: 1 January, 15 March, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Monday, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November, and 25 and 26 December. In 2026, Good Friday is 3 April, Easter Monday 6 April and Whit Monday 25 May. Bridging days are fixed yearly by decree: for those working Monday to Friday in 2026, you work Saturday 10 January to be off Friday 2 January, Saturday 8 August for Friday 21 August and Saturday 12 December for Thursday 24 December. Offices and shops close on national holidays.
What if you lose your job?
Register as a job seeker at the government office of your county (or district in Budapest), with your U1 form if you worked elsewhere in the EU. To receive unemployment benefit (álláskeresési járadék), you need at least 360 days of work in the last three years. You earn one day of benefit per ten days worked, from 36 to 90 days. The amount is 60% of your average pay over the last four quarters, capped at 100% of the minimum wage (322,800 HUF a month in 2026). Self-employed insured people have the same benefit as employees.
Two traps. The benefit is short, at 90 days at most, so begin your search before your contract ends. And a small job during unemployment can suspend or cancel the benefit, unless it is simplified casual work, so declare it.
What about simplified work and unemployment from abroad?
"Simplified employment" (egyszerűsített foglalkoztatás) is easy to declare but gives fewer rights: no sick pay or maternity leave for seasonal workers. If you arrive with unemployment benefit from another country, register at home for at least four weeks, request the U2 form, and register in Hungary within seven days.
If you prefer to freelance, you register as a sole trader with the tax authority instead of signing an employment contract. For help with the cost side, see the cost of living in Hungary.
Labour rules and amounts change, so check the Labour Code and the current decree before you sign.
What documents should you have ready?
Your identity document, your registration certificate, your tax number, your TAJ number and your bank account number. Your employer will ask for them in this order, and the tax and TAJ numbers can take a couple of weeks, so ask for them as early as possible. If you hold diplomas, keep copies and, if the employer requests them, official translations. A faithful translation is essential for a diploma, since a mistake in a name or a grade can delay recognition.
Is a job search in Hungary different for foreigners?
The tools are the same as for Hungarians: the NFSZ, the VMP portal and EURES Hungary. A job search in Hungary is easier if your CV is also in Hungarian, since many employers and public bodies read Hungarian first. For regulated professions, ask the professional authority what is needed before you apply, because recognition of a diploma can take time.
What are the traps for employees?
- The 15-day written information. If you do not receive it, ask for it.
- Probation. Three months at most, or six if a collective agreement says so, so the notice rules can differ in that period.
- Simplified employment. Fewer rights, as above.
- Working time. Overtime and Sunday premiums exist, but check the contract for how they are paid.
For the costs of life on a Hungarian salary, read the cost of living in Hungary. For health cover through your employment, see healthcare in Hungary.