Hungary’s 2026 guest worker quota set – and many may be disappointed

In 2024, the economic crisis visibly began to ripple through Hungary’s economy, hitting hardest those industries that relied on foreign guest workers due to the lack of local labour. The repercussions followed swiftly: Hungary’s government was the first that year to introduce legislation limiting the number of guest workers arriving from third countries. In 2025, this quota was reduced further, and recently the numbers for 2026 were announced. According to these figures, a substantial number of foreign workers can still legally come to work in Hungary.

Slowing growth, fewer foreigners

Hungary’s economy experienced strong growth right up until the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020. COVID-19 initially devastated that year’s economy, but 2021 saw an unprecedented surge in growth, allowing the government to claim that Hungary was outpacing its regional and European rivals. However, since 2022, domestic growth has stalled or become negligible. By 2024, the government had capped the number of legally permitted foreign workers from third countries.

Experts say rising tensions between those threatened by growing unemployment and the employers of guest workers prompted this move.

Government decides on 2026 guest worker quota

In 2024, the maximum number of third-country foreign workers allowed was set at 65,000—those who are not citizens of the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, or Iceland. By 2025, this limit was cut to 35,000, signalling that economic troubles had not abated but worsened.

In early December, the government, through the Minister for National Economy, confirmed the figure for 2026. The official announcement states that the theoretical maximum remains 35,000 for 2026; no more than this number may legally work in the country next year.

The statement also emphasises that Hungary has one of the strictest guest-worker regulatory regimes:

• Hungarian labour always takes priority;
• foreign guest workers are only permitted if Hungarian manpower cannot fill the vacancy;
• foreign stays in Hungary are always for a specific purpose, require a permit, and are time-limited;
• among the Visegrád countries, Hungary has the lowest share (2.6%) of third-country foreign workers.

The message is clear: Hungary belongs to Hungarians, and the country will neither become a guest-worker haven nor a migrant destination.

Guest workers face slim chances of staying permanently

The government rigorously enforces this policy. Most third-country guest workers may work in Hungary for up to three years and have virtually no chance of obtaining a national residence card (permanent residency), let alone citizenship. The essence of the system—aligned with government messaging—is that guest workers come to fill positions lacking suitable Hungarian workers (such as many in the dairy industry), then return home without acquiring any special rights and without creating permanent state obligations towards them.