In Hungary, employment relationships may be terminated by either employers or employees, and written notice is required. If the parties agree, the employment relationship may not be terminated by notice for a maximum of 1 year from the start of the employment relationship. Employees may terminate an indefinite employment contract at any time without giving grounds for termination. However, for fixed-term employment contracts, grounds must be given, and termination is allowed only for justified reasons. The notice period begins on the day following the date when dismissal is communicated.
The notice period must be at least 30 days, but, in the case of dismissal by the employer, it may increase by up to 60 days, depending on the employee's length of service. In the event of termination of a fixed-term employment relationship by notice, the notice period shall not exceed the expiry of the fixed-term period.
In Hungary, a residence permit may be issued to a third-party national (i.e., a non-EU national) holding a residence visa to continue their stay after the visa's expiry. EU nationals working in Hungary do not typically need a work permit. The residence permit is granted on the condition that the applicant has a lawful purpose in Hungary, has accommodation and financial means to support the duration of the stay, has insurance that covers the entire range of healthcare benefits, and has permission to return to their country of origin.
For employment purposes, a residence permit may be issued to third-party nationals who wish to perform work to implement an investment in Hungary or who are self-employed. Guest worker permits, for performing work for remuneration under the direction and supervision of others, are no longer available to third-party nationals. Applications processed on or before June 5, 2026, are not affected. Only nationals from Georgia, Armenia, or the Philippines who already have a guest worker permit may apply for renewal after June 6, 2026, until the validity limit is reached.
The validity period of a residence permit granted for the purpose of employment is a maximum of 2 years, which may be extended for the same purpose by a maximum of 1 year, but the validity period may not exceed 3 years from the first issue. A third-country national holding a residence permit for employment purposes cannot receive a national residence card
In Hungary, employees are entitled to paid annual leave based on the time spent at work, comprising vested vacation time and extra vacation time. The amount of vested vacation time is 20 working days. Extra vacation time amount depends on employees' age and the number of children.
Seven working days of the vested vacation time in a given year must be allocated in up to two parts, for the time requested by the employee (except the first 3 months of the employment relationship). Leave shall be granted in such a way that an employee is released from their obligation to work and be available at least 14 consecutive days per calendar year. Employees must notify their employers about their intention to take annual leave at least 15 days in advance.
Leave can be granted by the employer until March 31 of the year following the year when it was due if the employment began on or after October 1.
In Hungary, the daily working time in full-time jobs is 8 hours, but based on an agreement between the parties, it may be increased to a maximum of 12 hours for employees working in standby jobs, or who are relatives of the employer or the owner.
An employee's scheduled daily working time may not be under four hours, except for part-time work, and may not exceed 12 hours (24 hours in the case of standby jobs). The weekly working time may not exceed 48 hours (72 hours in the case of standby jobs).
In the case of remote work, the contracting parties must expressly agree on remote working in their employment contracts. Remote employees work no more than one-third of the total working days in a year in their employers' premises. Employers exercise their control right remotely by using a computer technology device. Employers must provide remote employees with all the information they provide to other employees.
In Hungary, mothers are entitled to 24 weeks of maternity leave. Female employees can take 168 calendar days (24 weeks) of paid maternity leave of which maximum 4 weeks can be taken before the child's expected date of birth. The starting date for entitlement to the childcare allowance can be any day in the four weeks preceding the expected date of childbirth, but at the latest on the day of childbirth. The remaining weeks must be used after the birth of the child.
This period also applies to mothers who have custody of a child for adoption. If the child receives treatment in an institute for premature infants, the unused portion of the maternity leave may be used after the child has been released from the institute up to the end of the first year following birth. The duration of maternity leave is recognized as time spent at work for social insurance qualification purposes.
Maternity benefits are paid in the form of infant care allowance for the duration of maternity leave. The benefit is paid at the rate of 100% of the insured's daily average gross earnings (minimum wage is used in the absence of earnings) in the last 180 days before the expected date of childbirth. Employees must have at least 365 days of coverage in the last 2 years to be eligible for this benefit.
In Hungary, there are 2 types of minimum wages:
Current minimum wage rates (effective from January 2026) are as follows:
|
Minimum Wage (Hungarian Forints, HUF) |
Per Month |
|
Gross Minimum Wage |
322,800.00 |
|
Guaranteed Gross Minimum Wage |
373,200.00 |
In the absence of a contract, the salary must be paid at least once a month. The salary must be paid by the 10th day of the month following the month in question, along with a written pay slip. If the wage payment day falls on a weekly rest day or a public holiday, it must be paid on the previous working day at the latest.
Get the full Country Snapshot with 25 sections of information about labor law in Bahrain.
Your request has been received. We'll be emailing you the country snapshot shortly.
Get the full Country Snapshot with 25 sections of information about labor law in Hungary.
Your request has been received. We'll be emailing you the country snapshot shortly.
