Hungary, formally, until 2012, the Republic of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Köztársaság), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast. The country's capital and largest city is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and the Schengen Area. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.
There is a long history of tourism in Hungary, and Hungary was the world's thirteenth most visited tourist destination country in 2002. Tourism increased by nearly 7 percent between 2004 and 2005. European visitors comprise more than 98 per cent of Hungary's tourists. Austria, Germany, and Slovakia make the largest numbers of visitors to the country. Most tourists arrive by car and stay for a short period of time. Hungary's tourist season is from April through October. July and August are the best tourist months. Budapest is the country's most popular tourist destination.
Tourism in Budapest
Budapest became one of Central Europe's most popular tourist attractions in the 1990s. Attractions in the city include Buda Castle which houses several museums including the Hungarian National Gallery, the Matthias Church, the Parliament Building and the City Park. The city has many museums, three opera houses, and thermal baths. Buda Castle, the Danube River embankments and the whole of Andrássy Avenue have been recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hungary has an estimated 1,300 thermal springs, a third of which are used at spas across the country. Hungary's thermal waters and spa culture are promoted to tourists. Only France, Japan, Serbia, Iceland, and Italy have similar thermal water capacity. Hungary's thermal baths have been used for 2,000 years for cleansing, relaxation and easing aches and pains. The Romans were the first to use Hungary's thermal waters in the first century, when they built baths on the banks of the Danube River. Budapest lies on a geological fault that separates the Buda hills from plains. More than 30,000 cubic metres of warm to scalding (21° to 76°C) mineral water gushes from 118 thermal springs and supply the city's thermal baths. Budapest has been a popular spa destination since Roman times. Some of the baths in the city date from Turkish times while others are modern. They have steam rooms that utilize the healing properties of the springs. Most of the baths offer medical treatments, massages, and pedicures. The most famous of Budapest's spas were built at the turn of the 19th century.
Regional tourism
Lake Balaton in western Hungary is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe. It is the second most important tourist destination in Hungary. 2.5 million tourists visited the lake in 1994. Hungary's other tourist attractions include spas, excellent facilities for activity holidays, and cultural attractions such as the villages of the Great Hungarian Plain and the art treasures found in Budapest. Hungary has more than 400 camping grounds. There are more than 2,500 km of dedicated bicycle lanes in the country. Fishing is popular in Hungary and almost half of the country's 130,000 hectares of rivers and lakes are used by anglers. The country has excellent opportunities for birdwatching, and horse riding and hunting are also popular.
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Tourist Visa Requirements:
- The Applicant should have a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended date of departure from Hungary with at-least two blank pages. Passports valid for more than 10 years will not be accepted as the main required travel document.
- One visa form (photocopy allowed), this form must be typed and signed by the Applicants. Please write your e-mail ID in column 17 of your visa application Form. The Embassy of Hungary will write the e-mail for the communication, if required. Those who don't have e-mail address please provide the ID of the travel agents or close relative. Failing to do so will result in the refusal of the visa application.
- Application form that is not dully filled and signed by the Visa applicant will be rejected. Any change on the application form shall be signed by the visa applicant next to the change. Minors shall submit an application form signed by both parents exercising permanent or temporary parental authority or legal guardianship.
- Two recent passport size colored photographs (35 x 40 mm wide) with white background, 70-80% face coverage. Photograph taken with a digital camera must be high quality colour and printed on photo-quality paper. Photograph should not be more than 6 months old.
- A Covering Letter from the Applicants. If self employed than on the letterhead of the company.
- Original Certificate of registration in the case of the self-employed duly signed and stamped by an authorized person.
- A leave letter from the Company in Original duly signed and stamped by an authorized person of the business entity.
- Original Bank statement of the applicant or in case of student his/her sponsor's for the last three month duly signed and stamped by an authorized person of the bank.
- Original Salary slip of the last three months from the employer and it should be signed by the authorized signatory and with company stamp/seal on it.
- Income tax return acknowledgment or in case of student his/her sponsor's for the last two assessment years.
- Original Pension slip of the last three months duly signed and stamped by an authorized person.
- Original Hotel Reservation on the letterhead.
- For minors a declaration by the legal representative on the coverage of the costs certified by public notary.
- Proof of sufficient funds/ Credit Card to cover the period of stay.
- When you apply for a short stay visa you also need to prove that you have travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in case of urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment during your stay including repatriation. If you apply for multiple entry visa you have to have insurance covering the period of the first visit. Please note that the insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of Schengen States not only Hungary even if your destination is Hungary. Insurance has to cover the entire period of your intended stay. The minimum coverage shall be Rs. 2 million (EUR 30 000). Please be advised that travel medical insurance cannot be substituted for cash. However, credit card policy may provide for insurance if coverage amounts to the necessary amount of Rs. 2 million. Please note original Insurance is required with the Insurance seal on it. This is a mandatory requirement. We provide Travel Medical Insurance for Schengen Visa.
- Air ticket/ Itinerary with Agency IATA seal on it.
- Visa application should not be lodged three months before the start of the intended visit.
- Visa is valid for 3 months with a maximum stay of 30 days.
Embassy of the Republic of Hungary has implementing a change in arrangements for the collection of passport from visa application centres. Now, it will be no longer possible for third parties to collect the documents on behalf of an applicant, except in the following cases:-
- A parent collecting for a dependent child.
- One member of a family group collecting the passports of the whole family.
Business Visa Requirements:
- The Applicant should have a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended date of departure from Hungary with atleast two blank pages. Passports valid for more than 10 years will not be accepted as the main required travel document.
- Handwritten or not machine readable passports issued after 01.04.2010, or contain a manual entry (observation) regarding the biographical data page of the passport, will not be accepted.
- One visa form (photocopy allowed), this form must be typed and signed by the Applicants. Please write your e-mail ID in column 17 of your visa application Form. The Embassy of Hungary will write the e-mail for the communication, if required. Those who don't have e-mail address please provide the ID of the travel agents or close relative. Failing to do so will result in the refusal of the visa application.
- Application form that is not dully filled and signed by the Visa applicant will be rejected. Any change on the application form shall be signed by the visa applicant next to the change. Minors shall submit an application form signed by both parents exercising permanent or temporary parental authority or legal guardianship.
- Two recent passport size colored photographs (35 x 40 mm wide) with white background, 70-80% face coverage. Photograph taken with a digital camera must be high quality colour and printed on photo-quality paper. Photograph should not be more than 6 months old.
- An Introductory Letter from the company or firm in India indicating purpose of visit, organization to be visited and duration of proposed stay.
- An Introductory Letter from the company or firm in India indicating purpose of visit, organization to be visited and duration of proposed stay.
- The original Employment certificate duly signed and stamped by an authorized person of the business entity.
- Original letter of invitation from the Hungarian business partner duly signed and stamped by an authorized person of the business entity. Please be advised that letter of invitation has to be issued in Hungarian language. English language letter is not accepted in this case, or;
- Providing evidence of the actual business relations in Hungary by an original letter of reference from the regional branches of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture in original. Please be advised that the original letter of reference has to be issued in Hungarian language. English language letter is not accepted in this case. The invitation letter has to provide for a detailed weekly break up schedule of the perspective program if the intended stay in Hungary is more than 30 days. Visa applicants will be called for an interview in these cases. If the intended stay actually involves work in Hungary visa applicant has to produce a work permit issued by Hungarian authorities on the request of the Hungarian business partner.
- Original Salary slip of the last three months from the employer and it should be signed by the authorized signatory and with company stamp/seal on it.
- Original Bank statement of the applicant for the last three month duly signed and stamped by an authorized person of the bank.
- Income tax return acknowledgment for the last two assessment years.
- Proof of sufficient funds/ Credit Card to cover the period of stay.
- Original Prearranged accommodation. Original Reservation of accommodation is accepted provided that you paid a deposit or have to pay a cancellation fee. Please note that proof of prearranged accommodation has to be presented even if it is arranged or covered by the Hungarian business partner.
- Original Certificate of registration in the case of the self-employed.
- Air ticket/ Itinerary with Agency IATA seal on it.
- When you apply for a short stay visa you also need to prove that you have travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in case of urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment during your stay including repatriation. If you apply for multiple entry visa you have to have insurance covering the period of the first visit. Please note that the insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of Schengen States not only Hungary even if your destination is Hungary. Insurance has to cover the entire period of your intended stay. The minimum coverage shall be Rs. 2 million (EUR 30 000). Please be advised that travel medical insurance cannot be substituted for cash. However, credit card policy may provide for insurance if coverage amounts to the necessary amount of Rs. 2 million. Please note original Insurance is required with the Insurance seal on it. This is a mandatory requirement. This is a mandatory requirement. We provide Travel Medical Insurance for Schengen Visa.
- Applications for visa may at times be referred to the Hungarian Government for clearance.
- Visa application should not be lodged three months before the start of the intended visit.
- Visa is valid for 3 months with a maximum stay of 30 days.
Embassy of the Republic of Hungary has implementing a change in arrangements for the collection of passport from visa application centres. Now, it will be no longer possible for third parties to collect the documents on behalf of an applicant, except in the following cases:-
- A parent collecting for a dependent child.
- One member of a family group collecting the passports of the whole family.
Transit:
Airport Transit Visa means a visa valid for transit through the international transit areas of one or more airports of the Schengen States. If you transit through several airports in Schengen States, you need to turn to that Schengen State on which territory the first transit airport is situated. Indian nationals generally require an airport transit visa for the Schengen area.
- The Applicant should have a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended date of departure from Hungary with at least two blank pages. Passports valid for more than 10 years will not be accepted as the main required travel document.
- Handwritten or not machine readable passports issued after 01.04.2010, or contain a manual entry (observation) regarding the biographical data page of the passport, will not be accepted.
- One visa form (photocopy allowed), this form must be typed and signed by the Applicants. Please write your e-mail ID in column 17 of your visa application Form. The Embassy of Hungary will write the e-mail for the communication, if required. Those who don't have e-mail address please provide the ID of the travel agents or close relative. Failing to do so will result in the refusal of the visa application.
- Application form that is not dully filled and signed by the Visa applicant will be rejected. Any change on the application form shall be signed by the visa applicant next to the change. Minors shall submit an application form signed by both parents exercising permanent or temporary parental authority or legal guardianship.
- Two recent passport size colored photographs (35 x 40 mm wide) with white background, 70-80% face coverage. Photograph taken with a digital camera must be high quality colour and printed on photo-quality paper. Photograph should not be more than 6 months old.
- Air ticket/ Itinerary with Agency IATA seal on it.
- Confirmed onward/ return air ticket.
- Confirmed hotel accommodation with sufficient funds/ credit card to cover stay and medical health Insurance for the period of stay in Hungary. Invitation is required. Approved list of Indian Travel Insurance Companies providing Travel Medical Insurance for Schengen Visa. We provide Travel Medical Insurance for Schengen Visa.
- Original Bank statement of the applicant for the last three month duly signed and stamped by an authorized person of the bank.
- Original Salary slip of the last three months from the employer and it should be signed by the authorized signatory and with company stamp/seal on it.
- Visa application should not be lodged three months before the start of the intended visit.
- Visa is valid for 3 months with two days stay allowed.
- At present Embassy is not processing visa on urgent basis.
Embassy of the Republic of Hungary has implementing a change in arrangements for the collection of passport from visa application centres. Now, it will be no longer possible for third parties to collect the documents on behalf of an applicant, except in the following cases:-
- A parent collecting for a dependent child.
- One member of a family group collecting the passports of the whole family.
- Applicants/Representatives who do not wish to collect their documents in person and whose documents cannot be collected by one of the above should select pass back by courier at the time they make their visa application.
