A more flexible interpretation of the possibility of switching to the EU Blue Card had already appeared earlier in the practice of the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF) and has since been applied consistently in administrative procedures.
According to the OIF, the purpose of this approach was to align the procedures with the EU directive governing the EU Blue Card and to better reflect the interests of foreign employees working in Hungary, by enabling them to obtain an EU Blue Card providing a longer-term and more stable residence status.
Under the previous procedural practice, switching to the EU Blue Card was not possible in the case of certain residence permit types, including:
- residence permits for employment purposes,
- guest worker residence permits, or
- guest self-employed residence permits.
As a result of the more flexible procedural practice, the possibility of domestic switching is now available to all third-country nationals who hold a valid residence permit and meet the statutory requirements for the EU Blue Card. Accordingly, switching to an EU Blue Card may also be carried out while holding a White Card or a Working Holiday type residence permit.
Detailed information on the residence permit types available in Hungary can be found in the Knowledge Base section of our website.