The Hungarian government has introduced a new residency permit for digital nomads called the White Card, which allows internationals to live in Hungary while working for a company outside this country.
According to the announcement of Hungary’s government, the new residence permit is limited to a maximum period of one year; however, it can be extended once for one additional year, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
Internationals who meet the following requirements can benefit from the White Card:
- Hold a valid work contract in countries outside Hungary
- Have a share in a company with profit in a country other than Hungary
- The applicant does not pursue gainful activity while staying in Hungary and does not hold a share in any of the companies located in Hungary
In November, the Parliament of Hungary approved the initiation of a temporary residence permit from which digital nomads would benefit, following the example of other European countries that already offer such possibilities for digital nomads who are non-EU countries nationals.
Citizens from third countries whose “use of advanced digital technology allows their work to be conducted from anywhere” are eligible to apply for the “White Card,” which permits residency in Hungary for one year with the possibility to extend it for an additional year.
With a vote of 134 for and 54 against, Hungary approved the White Card bill in November.
Besides Hungary, several other European countries have started offering such possibilities for digital nomads to make the travel process more attractive, beneficial, and flexible.
Recently, authorities in Spain announced that they would introduce a new plan in order to attract digital nomads after the government approved the measures. Therefore non-EU nationals would be eligible to live in Spain while working for companies and clients located in other EU countries and worldwide.
Authorities in Romania also announced that the country plans to introduce the Digital Nomad Visa scheme in order to permit internationals to live in Romania for a specific period while working remotely for companies outside this territory.
In addition, according to the co-founder and Business Development Manager at Impact Hub Bucharest, Vlad Craioveanu, such a scheme would bring more benefits for holders of this kind of visas compared to other similar programs introduced by other European countries after the cost of living in other countries is higher compared to Romania.
Besides Spain and Romania, the following countries also offer great opportunities for digital nomads: France, Portugal, Germany, Croatia, Malta, Estonia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.
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