Hire Seasonal Agricultural Workers in Hungary
Hungary closed its guest worker route in June 2026, but the seasonal agricultural permit stayed open. We recruit from India, Nepal and Bangladesh into that route — and we are precise about what it does and does not cover.
- One route is open. We only sell that one.
Agriculture, up to six months. Not hospitality, not construction.
What Closed, What Stayed Open
Hungary tightened sharply in 2026 and a great deal of published advice has not caught up. Government Decree 92/2026 (VI. 5.), which amended Decree 450/2024 (XII. 23.), stopped the issue of guest worker residence permits to new applicants from 6 June 2026. Workers who already held a valid guest worker permit before that date can still apply to extend or reissue it, but no new ones are being granted. In practice that route was in any case restricted to nationals of Armenia, Georgia and the Philippines, so it was never the route for South Asian workers.
The route that remains open, and the one we use, is the seasonal employment residence permit. It allows employment of up to six months within a twelve-month period and is not extendable beyond that.
Its scope is narrow and worth stating precisely, because this is where employers get caught. The seasonal permit covers agricultural work — plant production, animal breeding, forest management and fishery. It does not cover hospitality, tourism, construction or general industry. If your requirement sits in one of those sectors, this permit will not carry it, and anyone telling you otherwise is describing a refusal.
Separate routes remain for qualified employment, including the employment residence permit and the EU Blue Card, but those are aimed at skilled and professional hiring rather than the manual roles this page covers. We will tell you which category your requirement really falls into at the first call.
Who We Are
Hire Across Euro is an independent international recruitment consultancy with an active sourcing network across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The founder runs every engagement personally, so a Hungarian grower gets the current legal position rather than guidance written before the June 2026 decree.
What We Handle for Hungarian Growers
Sourcing and Vetting
We shortlist workers whose training documents and work history stand up to consular scrutiny. Every file is checked for document completeness and practical competence before it reaches you.
- Document verification
- Trade competence check
Seasonal Permit Filing
We confirm the work falls within the agricultural scope the permit covers, then prepare and file the seasonal employment residence permit application and the employer documentation behind it.
- Scope eligibility check
- Seasonal permit filing
Season Planning and Returning Crews
Because the permit runs to six months in twelve, we plan intake around your season and build returning crews rather than recruiting from scratch each year.
Arrival and Onboarding
Workers are briefed on Hungarian working-time rules, farm safety expectations and accommodation arrangements before they travel.
What the Seasonal Permit Covers
Four areas inside the agricultural scope of the permit. Anything outside this list needs a different route.
Plant Production
Field, orchard and glasshouse work — planting, tending, harvesting and grading through the season.
Animal Breeding
Livestock and poultry unit staff, including feeding, husbandry and shed operations.
Forest Management
Forestry operations including planting, thinning, clearance and stand maintenance work.
Fishery
Pond and fishery operations, including stocking, harvesting and handling work.
Seasonal Agricultural Workers for Hungary: The Route at a Glance
What the June 2026 decree closed, what it left open, and the scope limit that catches employers out.
| What closed | Government Decree 92/2026 (VI. 5.) stopped the issue of guest worker residence permits to new applicants from 6 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Who it affected | Existing holders may still extend or reissue. In any case the route was open only to nationals of Armenia, Georgia and the Philippines — never to South Asian workers |
| The live route | The seasonal employment residence permit |
| Duration | Up to six months within a twelve-month period, not extendable beyond that window |
| In scope | Agricultural work only: plant production, animal breeding, forest management and fishery |
| Out of scope | Hospitality, tourism, construction and general industry. The permit cannot be stretched to cover them |
| For skilled roles | The employment residence permit and the EU Blue Card remain open, aimed at qualified rather than manual hiring |
| Practical model | Returning crews. Six months matches a Hungarian growing season, so the same trained people come back each year |
Hungary After the 2026 Guest Worker Decree: What Growers Can Still Do
Hungarian employers asking how to hire foreign workers in Hungary in 2026 are working in a market that changed materially in June, and most of the advice online predates the change. Government Decree 92/2026 (VI. 5.) stopped the issue of guest worker residence permits to new applicants from 6 June 2026. Existing holders may still extend or reissue, and applications properly lodged before the cut-off continued under the previous rules, but the route is closed to new entrants.
For employers sourcing from South Asia, that closure matters less than it first appears. The guest worker permit had been available only to nationals of Armenia, Georgia and the Philippines, so Indian, Nepali and Bangladeshi workers were never admitted through it. What matters far more is what stayed open.
The seasonal employment residence permit is the live route for agricultural labour. It allows up to six months of employment in a twelve-month period, without extension beyond that window, and it is restricted to agricultural work: plant production, animal breeding, forest management and fishery. That restriction is real and it is enforced. Hospitality, tourism, construction and general industry are outside its scope, and a grower diversifying into any of those cannot carry the same workers across on the same permit.
Handled properly, the six-month window is a feature rather than a limitation. It matches a Hungarian growing season closely, and it makes returning crews the sensible model — the same trained people coming back each year, with induction and supervision costs falling every season after the first. That is how we plan Hungarian placements. Our live roles are on the vacancies board, our fee and treatment standards are in ethical recruitment compliant with EU labour law, and growers with operations across the region usually also read Romania, Serbia and Croatia.
How the Process Works
Six steps from the first requirement call to a crew on the farm.
Requirement Call
We go through headcount, roles, worksite location, contract length and the start date you are working back from.
Shortlist
We present vetted workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh or Pakistan with their training and work-history evidence attached.
Permit Filing
We file the seasonal employment residence permit application with the employer documentation behind it.
Visa Application
We prepare the consular file and the employer-side documents your HR team is asked to produce, and track it to decision.
Arrival
We coordinate travel and the first days in Hungary, including accommodation and the practical basics.
Onboarding
We support induction at the worksite and stay reachable through the first weeks of the placement.
Quick Answers
Did Hungary stop issuing work permits to non-EU workers?
Not all of them. Government Decree 92/2026 (VI. 5.), which amended Decree 450/2024 (XII. 23.), stopped the issue of guest worker residence permits to new applicants from 6 June 2026. The seasonal employment residence permit remains open, as do the qualified employment routes — the employment residence permit and the EU Blue Card.
Did the closure affect Indian, Nepali or Bangladeshi workers?
No. The guest worker permit had been restricted to nationals of Armenia, Georgia and the Philippines, so South Asian workers were never admitted through it. Much of the published advice misses this, which is why the June change reads as more disruptive than it is for growers sourcing from South Asia.
What work does the seasonal permit actually cover?
Agricultural work only: plant production, animal breeding, forest management and fishery. Hospitality, tourism, construction and general industry sit outside its scope, and that restriction is enforced. If your requirement is in one of those sectors, this permit will not carry it and anyone saying otherwise is describing a refusal.
Official Sources and Further Reading
The permit categories and the 2026 amendments are administered by the aliens policing directorate, with the visa step handled by the consular service. These are the official references.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Hungary stop issuing work permits to non-EU workers?
Not all of them. Government Decree 92/2026 (VI. 5.) stopped the issue of guest worker residence permits to new applicants from 6 June 2026. The seasonal employment residence permit remains open, as do routes for qualified employment such as the employment residence permit and the EU Blue Card.
Did the guest worker route ever cover Indian or Nepali workers?
No. It had been restricted to nationals of Armenia, Georgia and the Philippines. For South Asian workers the relevant route has always been the seasonal permit or one of the qualified employment routes.
What work does the seasonal permit actually cover?
Agricultural work only — plant production, animal breeding, forest management and fishery. It does not cover hospitality, tourism, construction or general industry, and it cannot be stretched to.
How long can a seasonal worker stay?
Up to six months within a twelve-month period, and the permit is not extendable beyond that. We plan intake around the season and bring the same crews back in following years.
We need workers for a hotel, not a farm. Can you help?
Not on the seasonal permit — hospitality is outside its scope. We would look at whether a qualified employment route fits, and if not we would point you at a market where hospitality hiring from South Asia is genuinely open.
Request Seasonal Workers for Hungary
Tell us the crop or operation, the crew size and the season you are staffing. A consultant replies within one business day with the route and what the file will take.
Talk to Us
If your farm or forestry operation in Hungary needs seasonal workers from India, Nepal or Bangladesh, send us the requirement and a consultant replies within one business day with the route, the timeline and a quote.