Hungary Tourist Visa from India: Eligibility, Fees, Timeline

This guide walks through the tourist route from eligibility to collection, as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For other purposes, such as business, study or family visits, start with our Hungary visa guide for Indians.

Who is eligible for a Hungary tourist visa?

Any Indian citizen with a genuine tourist purpose can apply. What you cannot do is travel without a visa. India is not on the EU visa-exemption list (Regulation 2018/1806, Annex II), there is no visa on arrival, and Hungary has no eVisa for Indians.

• Length of stay: a C visa can allow single, double or multiple entries, but you may stay a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period, counted from the first entry.
• When to apply: no earlier than six months before the visit.
• Multiple-entry visas: under Commission Implementing Decision C(2024) 2434, Indian nationals living in India who have obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years qualify for a two-year multiple-entry visa. If your passport expires sooner, the visa ends three months before its expiry.
• Passport condition: handwritten passports and passports with manual corrections on the biographical data page are not accepted.

Does Delhi or Mumbai handle your file?

Hungary splits India between two offices. You still apply at a VFS Global centre, but your state decides which mission examines the file.

VFS lists 16 centres: New Delhi, Chandigarh, Gurugram, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Jalandhar, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Cochin, Pune, Goa, Puducherry, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

How do you apply for a Hungary tourist visa?

1. Fill in the form online, then download and print it. Enter your e-mail ID in column 17.
2. Book the appointment with VFS Global. C visa appointments are arranged directly with VFS, not with the Embassy.
3. Build the file using the checklist below. Documents marked with an asterisk on the checklist must be originals.
4. Attend the VFS centre to submit the file and give biometrics. If a third person submits or collects for you, they need an authorisation signed by you and certified by a public notary.
5. Pay the visa fee and the VFS service fee at the centre.
6. Wait for the decision and collect the passport, or pay for the optional courier return.

Which documents does a tourist file need?

The VFS checklist for Hungary has a common section and a tourist section.

• Printed and signed application form
• Two recent colour passport photos, 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm, white background, no more than six months old
• Front and back photocopy of the current passport
• Salary slips for the last three months, stamped and signed by the employer
• Income tax return acknowledgment for the last two assessment years
• Bank account statement for the last three months, signed and stamped by the bank
• Certificate of registration if self-employed
• Airplane ticket booking
• Travel medical insurance for each applicant, including children, from the Embassy's list of approved Indian insurance companies for the Schengen procedure
• A travel agency certificate for a prepaid programme, or, for your own itinerary, an accommodation reservation with a deposit paid or a cancellation fee payable
• An employment certificate referring to the leave granted; students travelling during the academic year add an enrolment certificate referring to leave; retired applicants add three months' pension slips

The ticket booking can be a verifiable flight reservation; buy the ticket after the visa is decided. Note one difference between sources: the Embassy's short-stay page asks for ITR acknowledgments for the last three assessment years, while the VFS checklist says two. Bringing three years covers both.

What will the visa cost you?

The VFS fee includes CGST 9% and SGST 9% and is charged per application on top of the visa fee. Visa fees are not refundable. The fee is also waived for students and pupils on study trips, researchers, NGO representatives aged 25 or less, and family members of EU citizens.

How long will you wait, and what if the answer is no?

The Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai both state that a C visa is decided within 15 calendar days and, in individual cases, the period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days. VFS adds that biometric discrepancies make processing longer. Plan your application so that even a 45-day decision would arrive before you fly.

Refusals are part of the picture. The European Commission's statistics show a refusal rate of 13.1% for short-stay Schengen applications lodged at Hungarian consulates in India in 2025 (2,106 visas not issued; 16,251 applications lodged), and 13.2% in 2024. If you are refused, lodge an appeal in person, yourself or through a holder of power of attorney, within 8 calendar days of receiving the refusal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides within 15 days.

Once you travel, expect the EU Entry/Exit System at the border. Since 10 April 2026 it is fully operational and replaces passport stamping: short-stay visitors give passport data, a facial image and fingerprints at their first entry or exit.

Before you book: four checks

• Confirm whether your state falls under New Delhi or Mumbai.
• Buy insurance only from an insurer on the Embassy's approved list.
• Make sure the accommodation booking shows a deposit paid or a cancellation fee payable.
• Match the leave dates on your employment certificate with your travel itinerary.

Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters for visa files, with packages from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact us.

Frequently asked questions

Can Indians get a Hungary visa on arrival?

No. Indian nationals can enter Hungary for a short stay only with a valid C (Schengen) visa, which must be obtained before travel by applying through VFS Global in India.

How many days can I stay in Hungary on a tourist visa?

A C visa limits stays to a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period, counted from the first entry. The visa itself can allow single, double or multiple entries.

Do children need travel insurance for a Hungary visa?

Yes. Each applicant, including children, must have travel medical insurance from the list of Schengen-approved Indian insurance companies published by the Embassy.

Can someone else submit my Hungary visa application?

Yes, if they carry an authorisation duly signed by you and certified by a public notary. Biometrics still have to be given in person unless you are exempt.