Which EU country has the easiest residency permit requirements?
However the legal regulations are the same in all Schengen country there are big differences in the practice.
The rules of the long term residence in every member country of the Eu is regulated by Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003. However the legal frame of the local regulations are the same in every country but each country developed its own practice according to the current interest of the country. The main factor in the attitude of the countries depend on the situation of the labour market in the countries.
At 2007 eight East European countries joint to the Schengen area. They were Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. These East European ex Soviet Bloc countries were less developed as the original members of the Schengen Area. The wages were (and still are ) significantly less as in the old member countries of the Schengen Area. The 2008 crisis hit the new members differently. Maybe the worst impacts of the crisis were in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Lots of people lost their job and the wages were stagnating. Because within the Schengen Area the labor and the people free to move, lots of people went to work into the older member countries. About 10 -15 % of the workers from Hungary and Poland went to work into UK, Germany, Austria and other Western countries. In 2013-2014, after the crisis was over in Hungary and Poland, the demand for the workers increased rapidly but the Hungarian and the polish workers who already left their country did not return home. Nowadays one of the lowest unemployment rate in the Eu is in Hungary. A huge shortage evolved for both skilled and unskilled workers. There are plenty of vacant job in the building industry, in the catering industry, in the medical services etc. There is a dire need for computer experts, nurses, builders, doctors, cleaner, engineer and many skilled and unskilled workers. The big demand for manpower forced the authorities to grant the a work permission much more easier.
If you want to know how you can obtain a work and residence permit in Hungary please download our detailed guide.
From our free detailed guide you can learn:
Who can apply for Work Permit in Hungary
Where you can apply
Where you can find Jobs in Hungary
Where you can find accommodation
Which documents do you need for the application
What are the most common mistakes and how can avoid them
