IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? The Immigration Office in Budapest has announced that certain work and residence permits issued in October and November were accidentally issued with the wrong data uploaded into the permits’ biometric chips.

What does the change mean? Affected permit holders will be notified by registered mail and will be required to attend an appointment at the relevant Immigration Office, sit for fingerprints and photo and wait approximately two weeks for a new permit.

  • Implementation time frame: Immediate.
  • Visas/permits affected: Work and residence permits.
  • Who is affected: Foreign nationals who were issued permits in October and November 2015.
  • Impact on processing times: The appointment to replace an incorrect permit will take approximately half a day per individual.
  • Business impact: The Immigration Office did not indicate how many permits were issued with incorrect data, but foreign nationals who gave biometric photos and fingerprints and were issued permits in October and November are affected.
  • Next steps: BAL will be contacting clients who may have been issued incorrect permits. Alternatively, if you receive a letter, please reach out to your BAL representative for further guidance.

BAL Analysis: Employees and family members who were issued permits in October or November last year should be aware that they may have incorrect data in their permits and will be notified if their permits are among those that need to be replaced. 

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Hungary. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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