Hungarian passports (Hungarian: Magyar útlevél) are issued to Hungarian citizens for international travel by The Central Data Processing, Registration and Election Office of the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior. The passport, besides the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
Regular Hungarian EU passports are burgundy red in colour (before a navy blue color was in use), with the Hungarian coat of arms emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The words “útlevél” (passport, or more literally, Roadletter) inscribed below the coat of arms and “Európai Unió” (European Union), “Magyarország” (Hungary) above. The new biometric Hungarian passport has the standard biometric symbol at the bottom. Ordinary passports issued to citizens valid for two, five, or ten years.
Passport Strength
The Hungarian passport passport ranks 6th in terms of travel freedom, according to the Henley Passport Index. As of 2025, holders of a Hungarian passport may travel to 186 countries and territories without a travel visa, or with a visa on arrival.
EU Acquis
Hungary’s accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004, along with its fellow V4 companions, radically boosted reciprocal visa-free arrangements.[citation needed]
Hungarians can now not only travel visa-free to any member state of the EU, but also have a right to settle there. A valid Hungarian passport or identity card is sufficient for any stay shorter than three months. For periods longer than three months, a residence permit is needed. Hungarians are allowed to settle in any EU country for more than three months if they work or study there, or if they are financially self-sufficient. By virtue of the agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), those rights also apply to Hungarians in Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. The same rights also extend to Hungarians in Switzerland as a result of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons
US Visa Waiver Inclusion
In Sep 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has announced that Hungary will have its status in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) fully restored, following the completion of steps taken to address security vulnerabilities.
This decision reverses restrictions previously placed on Hungarian citizens’ ability to travel under the VWP, as well as their ability to use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
In early 2021, DHS revoked already-issued ESTAs of all Hungarian passport holders born outside of Hungary and continued to deny new ESTA applications to Hungarian applicants born outside of Hungary. In August of 2023, the Biden Administration reduced the ESTA validity period for Hungarian travelers from two years to just one year, while also limiting ESTAs to a single use.