Work

Steps

1. Look for offers on the website of the National Employment Service (Nemzeti Foglalkoztatási Szolgálat, NFSZ), on the virtual labour market portal (Virtuális Munkaerőpiac Portál, VMP) and on EURES Hungary (eures.munka.hu).
2. Prepare a CV in Hungarian (and in English depending on the job), with a copy of your diplomas and your language certificates (EURES).
3. Sign your contract (munkaszerződés). No later than 7 days after the start of your contract, the employer must inform you in writing (Labour Code, art. 46) of your working hours, the payment of your salary (frequency and date), the number of leave days and how they are calculated, and the notice rules.
4. Get your numbers: tax number (factsheet HU-NIF-TOUS-001) and TAJ social security number (factsheet HU-SANTE-TOUS-001).
5. If you lose your job, register as a jobseeker at the government office for your county (vármegyei kormányhivatal) or your district in Budapest, with your U1 form if you worked elsewhere in the EU.
6. For a regulated profession or recognition of a diploma, contact the Education Office (Oktatási Hivatal, MEIK centre; see factsheet HU-ECOLE-TOUS-001) or the professional authority.

Documents

• Identity document, residence registration certificate, tax number, TAJ number, bank account number.
• Diplomas and official translations if the employer asks for them.
• In case of unemployment: employer's certificates, U1 form (or former E301) for periods abroad.

Costs and timelines

• 2026 minimum wage: HUF 322,800 per month (HUF 1,856 per hour); guaranteed minimum wage for skilled positions: HUF 373,200 (HUF 2,145 per hour) (Decree 426/2025). Wages are in principle paid once a month, in arrears, in forints (EURES: employer and employee may agree otherwise).
• Probation period: 3 months at most, 6 months if a collective agreement provides for it.
• Notice: at least 30 days; in case of dismissal, up to 90 days depending on length of service; contractual notice can go up to 6 months.
• Working time: 8 hours a day in principle; 12 hours a day and 48 hours a week at most; 20-minute break beyond 6 hours, not counted; 11 hours of rest between two working days; two rest days a week, including at least one Sunday a month. Overtime: 250 hours a year that the employer may impose (Labour Code, art. 109), and up to 150 hours more with the employee's written agreement; Sunday work paid at a 50% premium.
• Paid leave: 20 working days basic, plus 1 day at 25, 2 at 28, 3 at 31, then 1 more day every 2 years up to 10 days from age 45; extra days for parents of children under 16 and in other cases.
• Unemployment (álláskeresési járadék): at least 360 days of work over the last 3 years; 1 day of benefit for 10 days worked, from 36 to 90 days. Amount: 60% of the average wage of the last 4 quarters, at most 100% of the minimum wage (HUF 322,800 per month in 2026). Insured self-employed people receive the same benefit as employees.

Common pitfalls

• Very short unemployment benefit: 90 days at most; prepare your job search before the end of your contract.
• A small job during unemployment: except for simplified occasional work, the benefit is suspended or withdrawn; report it.
• "Simplified" work (egyszerűsített foglalkoztatás): simple declaration, but fewer rights (no sick leave or maternity leave for seasonal workers).
• Coming with foreign unemployment benefit without a U2: register for at least 4 weeks at home, request the U2, then register in Hungary within 7 days.

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA, Switzerland: free access; periods aggregated thanks to the U1.
• British citizens (Scots included): people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement are treated as European jobseekers (Commission guide); the others are third-country nationals and need a residence permit that allows work, requested from the Immigration Office (OIF), online on Enter Hungary (HUF 26,000 according to the OIF scale of 03/03/2026; HUF 39,000 if the application is filed in person in Hungary, €110 at a Hungarian consulate). For a skilled employee, the usual route is the Magyar Kártya (Hungarian card: diploma on the minister's list, sportsperson, artist, film) or the EU Blue Card. The "employment" permit for guest workers is open to nationals of the countries in annex 1 of Decree 450/2024, which has three countries according to the OIF (Georgia, Armenia, the Philippines): British citizens are not among them.