The general procedure for entering Hungary and the complete list of the countries whose citizens are exempt of visa can be found through the links of Consulate General of Hungary in NY:

Below you will find a guide and our suggestions that are based on current rules and past experience. We do our best to keep this information up to date, however, due to frequent changes in Hungary's VISA policy we ask you to double-check every step with your home country consulate and/or the Hungarian Consulate General's Office. ALLOW AMPLE TIME (start 2-3 months ahead of your planned arrival) FOR THE WHOLE PROCEDURE.

GUIDE to Obtaining your VISA/RESIDENCE PERMIT in order to enter/stay in Hungary

Hungary is one of the Schengen area countries which handle jointly their immigration policy and procedure. The borders between these countries are fully open, just like they are within the US when crossing from Ohio to Michigan, for example. Therefore (with only a few exceptions, see later) once you enter any of these countries, you are free to travel within the Schengen region and any of these countries are entitled to issue the so-called Schengen visa. This is exactly why obtaining such a visa is so much controlled and therefore difficult (just like it may involve a lot of paperwork for non-US citizens to enter the US).

1. VISA procedures to Hungary (the Schengen) first of all depend on which of the following three groups you belong to.