Dear Visa Applicant,
Please let us inform you that people having Iraqi, Syrian, Iranian and some other passports must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Schengen States.
A Schengen visa is an authorization issued by a Schengen State with a view to transit through or an intended stay in the territory of the Schengen States of a duration not longer than 90 days in any 180 days period (short stay visa).
The Consulate General of Hungary hereby provides you information regarding visa application related questions, such as procedure, deadlines, basic supporting documents, visa fee, etc.
Kindly read it carefully in order to have a faster and more comfortable procedure. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at:
Consulate General of Hungary in Erbil
Erbil, Gulan Street- Double Side New Baharka Road
Tel: 0751 184 3391 or 0751 184 3392
Opening hours for applicants: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on working days.
The application must be submitted to the Consulate General at least 15 days prior and not earlier than three months before the start of the intended journey. We ask you to make an appointment online https://konzinfobooking.mfa.gov.hu/ or request by e-mail at consulate.erbil@mfa.gov.hu in time in order to be able to apply at least 15 days before the intended travel.
Kindly note that the application procedure can take up to 30 mins per applicant.
Starting by 1st of February Schengen Visa applications can be only be submitted at the TLScontact outsourcing office in Erbil or Baghdad.
Procedure
First of all we have to mention that the whole procedure is ruled by the Schengen states. (Only in case of long-term visa - staying more than 90 days in the Schengen area - are specific regulations depending on the countries.) For these reasons, we have to ask each of the basic supporting documents and all of the Schengen states have the right to examine the applications. If any of them refuse the application, we cannot issue visa for the applicant. The language of the procedure shall be in English; also documents provided during the visa procedure have to be translated to English.
Important!
As a general rule, a decision is taken by the Consulate General within 15 days.
This period may, in individual cases, be extended up to 30 days and, exceptionally, 60 days, if a more detailed examination of your application and/or additional documents are required.
Some Schengen States require that they be consulted on visa applications submitted to other Schengen States by citizens of certain countries. The consultation process may take up to eight calendar days. Such consultation is currently required for Iraqi, Syrian and Iranian nationals.
For these reasons the procedure for holders of Iraqi passports at the Consulate General of Hungary may take at least 15 days that can be extended up to 30 or even up to 60 days in certain circumstances. In case of delay in filling the necessary documents the decision may take more time or the case happens to be decided upon the documents admitted until the given deadline. Please take this into consideration if you are planning to travel to the Schengen countries.
Where to submit a visa application?
You must lodge the application for a Schengen visa at the Consulate (or outsourcing office) of the country that you intend to visit, or – if you intend to visit more than one Schengen State, the Consulate of the country where you will spend the longest period.
If you intend to visit several Schengen States and the stays will be of equal length, you must apply at the Consulate of the country whose external borders you will cross first when entering the Schengen area.
As a general rule, you must apply for a visa at the Consulate with territorial competence for the country in which you legally reside. If you have doubts about this, e.g. there is no Consulate of the Schengen State that you intend to visit in the country where you reside you should contact the central authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Immigration Office) of that country. There you can get information on whether that Schengen State is represented by another in the country where you reside.
As detailed above we are allowed to issue visa for applicants aiming to travel to mostly to Hungary. If you would like to visit other countries, you cannot apply at our Consulate General, please contact the consulate or embassy of that country.
As well, if you plan to visit Hungary as main itinerary of your trip and also other Schengen states you have to prepare your documents according to your actual plan.
There are more types of visas and residence but we are explaining now the Schengen visa, i.e. “type C” only, since most of the people are interested in this type. (You can find further information regarding residence in Hungary at: http://www.bmbah.hu/index.php?lang=en)
Short stay uniform visa (C)
This visa authorizes the bearer to a single, double or multiple entries and, in case of an uninterrupted stay, to a stay of maximum 90 days, while in case of an interrupted stay, to a stay of altogether maximum 90 days within the 6 months counted from the date of the first entry.
Application form
The application form is required for each and every visa application. You can get it anytime in hard copy at our Consulate General or you can download it here:
http://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/visa-application-forms
Please fill in the form but do not sign in advance.
Supporting documents
As it was mentioned before, supporting documents are needed to be attached to the application form. These are aiming to provide us with the following information:
1. Purpose of stay
Before the travel to Hungary/Schengen area it is necessary to know the purpose of the travel.
Schengen visa shall be issued for the purpose of tourism, business, medical treatment, presence at the seminar/conference, culture, sport, study, scientific research, employment, visit of the family and friends, official, voluntary service, other.
2. Travel document, flight reservation
The travel document must have been issued within the last ten years and must be valid at least 90 days after the intended departure from the Schengen area. It must contain at least 2 blank pages.
Reservation of return or round ticket (also needed for issuing of the visa: the visa has to contain an exact time for validity; from xx day to yy day) is also required.
3. Financial means, accommodation
Proof of financial means:
- bank statement (for at least last 3 months),
- employment confirmation,
- proof of real estate property,
- document about finances provided by a third party,
- document about accommodation in private,
- invitation letter with financial guarantee
Employees travelling for official purposes (training, official meetings, conferences, etc.) should have a letter of support from their company, including the purpose of travel, duration of stay, bearing of costs, place of accommodation, position of traveler at the company, basic salary).
Please note that the Schengen and the Hungarian authorities will assess the application upon the provided documents and they may require any other documents (proof of integrations into the country of residence: family ties, professional status, etc.) proving that the traveller will leave the territory of the member states before the expiration of the visa.
4. Travel medical insurance
Applicants for Schengen visas must prove that they are in possession of travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States. The insurance must be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person´s intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage is EUR 30.000.
Applicants for uniform visa for multiple entries must prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance covering the period of their visits. In addition, such applicants must sign the statement, set out in the application form, declaring that they are aware of the need to be in possession of travel medical insurance for subsequent stays.
5. Visa fee
The visa fee shall be paid in USD, 90 USD for adults and 45 USD for children between 6-12 years. We kindly ask you to pay in small notes and to provide us with the exact amount of the visa fee.
Important!
A visa is only a preliminary permission for entry, which does not authorize its bearer automatically to enter the country. The traveler need to fulfil entry conditions and may be requested to provide proof of these conditions of entry and stay in Hungary and upon lack of these may be returned from the border. Your short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. At border or during other controls you may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in the Schengen States and why you are visiting the Schengen countries.
In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter the Schengen State or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.
Family members of EU/EEA nationals
You may be entitled to an accelerated visa procedure free of charge if as you meet the following criteria:
- you are a family member of an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) citizen; and
- that EU/EEA citizen is travelling to or is residing in a member state other than that of which he/she is a citizen; and
- you are accompanying the EU/EEA citizen or planning to join him/her in the Schengen State of destination.
If you think you are entitled to an accelerated visa procedure you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application. You can find further information on our website and at the notice boards of the Consulate General.
Other important information
- if stamp was used for admission (even in prior cases) that has NO legal implications;
- Iraqi citizens are subject to prior consultation procedure that means at least one member state requires such prior consultation;
- the negative decisions on applications must be notified to the applicant; such decisions must state the reasons on which they are based and that applicants whose applications are refused have a right to appeal; the appeal has to be filed in written form within 8 days from receiving the decision detailing the arguments against the refusal and having new or modified documents, proofs of statements; the appeal has a fee of 34 USD payable upon appeal, non-refundable; the appeal will be conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary within 15 days;
- In case of further questions on Schengen visa please contact our Consulate General at the above detailed numbers or e-mails.
Thank you for your attention.
Consulate General of Hungary in Erbil
Required documents
In order to apply for a visa, you need:
- a passport with at least two empty pages. The passport should have been issued within the last 10 years. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date on which you intend to leave the Schengen territory, or, in the case of multiple journeys, the date on which you intend to leave after the last stay.
- a visa application form completed but not signed yet
- Any person appearing in your travel document must complete a separate application form. The visa application form for a child under 18 must be signed by a parent or guardian at the Consulate General of Hungary.
- a recent identity photograph
- in the countries where the Visa Information System is operational your fingerprints will be collected when you submit your application (exemptions exist for specific categories of applicants).
- visa fee - to be paid when you submit your application
- a travel medical insurance covering emergency medical, hospitalisation and repatriation (including in case of death). The minimum cover should be of 30.000 EUR. This insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen area or at least the states you visit and has to be valid throughout the duration of the stay.
- various documents relating to the purpose of your stay, evidence of means of support during your stay and your accommodation.
The complete list of documents are available on the website and at the consulate general. During the processing time the consulate may, in individual cases, ask you to submit additional information or documents.
