Tag Archive for: travelling regulations

We would like to give you a short update on the changes to the regulations relating to protective measures connected to the pandemic. The current regulations have been extended until 19.04.2021 and we expect though that this deadline will be further extended.

When planning to enter Hungary you need to keep in mind the regulations posted on our blog.
Here are the in-country regulations that have been introduced or modified, after the government of Hungary stated that its target of giving the first vaccination dose to 2.5 million had been reached.

Curfew is now between 22:00 and 05:00 hours.

Restrictions on services are now terminated, premises that deliver services requiring personal presence no longer have to be closed and services can be provided and utilized; though the obligatory closing time for such businesses is between 21:30 and 05:00.

Exception: for restaurants and cafés the restrictions are unchanged, they can only offer purchases for takeout or delivery only.

Shops need to undertake though observance of the below restrictions. Shops which do not undertake such measures shall remain closed.

Restrictions to be maintained:

  • For every 10 sqm of the shopping area one customer is allowed.
  • The operator of the shop must indicate at the entrance the number of customers allowed into the shop.
  • Operators of shops and of shopping malls must ensure compliance with the protective measures.
  • Operators of shops must ensure that customers queueing keep 1.5m distance (except for members of the same household); hand sanitizers are available for use and surfaces and carts, baskets are disinfected regularly.
  • In counting customers, children under 14 and helpers of people above 65 and of people with disabilities are not considered.
  • Shops without a designated shopping area must ensure that people queueing outside keep 1.5 m distance.
  • Customers are asked to keep distance in shops and complete shopping in the possible shortest time.
  • Outside of shops in shopping malls everybody is obliged to keep 1.5 m distance (except for members of the same household).
  • Operators of shopping malls shall ensure compliance with the restrictions.

For further information please, contact us at the following
Phone number: +36 1 278 5680
Email address: [email protected]

or contact your local Inter Relocation consultant.

In our latest article titled Regulations introduced concerning business and economy related travels issued on 12nd March among others we have informed you about a list of countries from where Hungarian citizens and citizens/90+ day residents can enter for business purpose.

This list has been now extended with the following countries:

  • Azerbajian
  • Georgia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kirgisistan
  • Uzbegistan
Currently the state of emergency is declarted to end on 22nd May, so we assume that the shared entry regulations will remain in force until that date, too. Should there be a change, we will inform you.
For further information please, contact us at the following
Phone number: +36 1 278 5680
Email address: [email protected]

or contact your local Inter Relocation consultant.

Please find below a summary about the regulations introduced concerning business and economy related travels. At the moment they are claimed to be valid till 16th March 2021, though please note, that the period can be extended any time.

Hungarian citizens returning from business or economy related trips may enter Hungary according to general restrictions applicable to Hungarian citizens.

Hungarian citizens may enter Hungary without any restrictions if the purpose of their travel was business or economy related, and the fact is proven upon return, if they travelled to/are returning from

  1. EU member states
  2. EEA member states,
  3. states having status of free movement and residence identical to that of EEA member states based on international agreement
  4. EU membership candidate states (Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey)
  5. UK
  6. other countries listed in the decree of the minister of external economic relations and external affairs

Should any doubt arise with respect to the authenticity of the proof of the travel purpose, then the general restrictions apply.

Non-Hungarian citizens may generally enter Hungary according to previous restrictions, with the exceptions below.

If a Non-Hungarian citizen is the citizen of the states listed above, or is entitled to a stay of more than 90 days in one of those states, and is entering from one of those states, and the purpose of entry to Hungary is a business or economy related purpose, to be proven upon entry, they may enter Hungary without restrictions.

Should any doubt arise with respect to the authenticity of the proof of the travel purpose, the general restrictions apply.

The decree of the minister of external economic relations and external affairs lists countries that supplement the list above, from which Hungarian citizens and citizens/90+ day residents of which may can freely enter from business trips, these countries are:

  1. USA
  2. Bahrein
  3. UAE
  4. India
  5. Indonesia
  6. Israel
  7. Japan
  8. China
  9. South Korea
  10. Russia
  11. Singapore
  12. Turkey
  13. Ukraine

Here are the latest key information about the Quarantine regulations according to Act CIV of 2020.

Key points

  • Travel and entry restrictions and exceptions are unchanged.
  • For those who fall under a quarantine regulation, quarantine is automatic, no further decree is required. All details are communicated by the border guard.
  • The person entering at the time of entry has to designate a “quarantine flat” where they would spend the time of the quarantine, and they must occupy the quarantine flat immediately after entry and stay there for the time of the quarantine, at the same time marking the apartment with the notice received at the border.
  • Quarantine time remains 10 days.
  • The installation of the quarantine application on a mobile device is practically obligatory (unless the person does not have a mobile device or is not suitable)
  • Penalties for quarantine breach can be up to HUF 150,000, or HUF 600,000 in case of multiple breaches.
  • If someone wants to have themselves tested under the quarantine, they need to get an appointment for the test and send an electronic request to police, who will allow leaving the quarantine for the test. If the necessary tests are negative, it has to be reported to the police electronically, who will raise the quarantine by acknowledging the tests results.

Detailed regulations

  • Applicable under the period of pandemic alert.
  • If the relevant government decree requires an official home quarantine obligation for persons entering the country, there is no special administrative procedure required
  • The border guard informs the person entering about the quarantine obligation, the duration of the quarantine
  • The place of the quarantine is according to the choice of the person entering, the “quarantine apartment”, which may not be a healthcare institution
  • The exact address of the quarantine apartment must be provided to the border guard
  • The person quarantined must immediately transfer to the quarantine apartment, the journey may only be interrupted due to health, technical or public transport schedule reasons.
  • The quarantined person must occupy the quarantine apartment without delay and must post the received notice visibly on the entrance.
  • If the quarantined person has a suitable device, he/she must install the quarantine app on their device upon arrival at the quarantine apartment and use it during the official home quarantine. It may be removed from the device following the expiration of the quarantine.
  • Personal data and availabilities of the person entering the country and falling under a quarantine obligation are recorded by the border guard upon entry.
  • The person entering the country may provide their data and the address of the quarantine apartment electronically through the official web page of the Police 24 hours prior to entry.
  • Upon entry, data are compared with passport, and transferred to the local police HQ of the quarantine apartment.

The quarantined person may only leave the quarantine apartment

  1. with the acknowledgement of the local police HQ for a request for testing (see below)
  2. on the orders of a doctor
  3. in case of an illness, escorted by emergency medical personnel
  4. in a life-threatening situation or a situation that threatens with serious damage
  5. if permitted by government decree
  • If the quarantined person identifies symptoms of the quarantine specific illness on themselves, they shall report at their own family doctor or the local family doctor by phone.
  • If the relevant government decree allows for a waiver from a quarantine and the quarantined person has an appointment with a healthcare institution for testing, 24 hours prior to the examination the quarantined person can report it electronically to the local police HQ, which is acknowledged electronically by the police. The quarantined person may then leave the apartment to visit the healthcare institution, travelling there and back without interruptions.
  • If the result of the test should make the person exempt from quarantine based on the relevant government decree, the quarantined person may send the test result electronically to the local police HQ, which is then electronically acknowledged by the police.
  • Compliance with the above obligations is controlled by police. Police may enter the quarantine apartment if it is necessary for controlling the quarantine. A breach of the above obligations can be penalised with fines from HUF 5,000 up to 150,000. If breaches occur multiple times on the same day, the fine can be imposed multiple times, up to HUF 600,000 per day. There is no appeal against the decree imposing the fine.

If a quarantine is ordered by the government healthcare agency, the following regulations are applicable:

  • installation of the quarantine app
  • the exemptions from the ban on leaving the quarantine apartment,
  • electronic reporting of test appointment and visiting test site,
  • police control of the quarantine and fines
  • Decrees regarding quarantine obligations are immediately executable and can be validly communicated orally or in an electronic format that is not considered as a written form.
  • There is no appeal against quarantine decrees. If a person concerned by the decision so requests, the oral decision must be set in writing, and the written decision can be challenged at court at the Tribunal of Budapest Capital.

For further information please, contact us at the following
Phone number: +36 1 278 5680
Email address: [email protected]
or contact your local Inter Relocation consultant.

We would like to give you an update on the recent regulations valid for entering Hungary. The below is a summary of the Government Decrees 408/2020 and 407/2020.

As you can read about this in the media, border control is temporarily reinstated on all borders, the earlier introduced categorisation of countries by level of spread of Covid-19 infection is no longer applicable.

Regulations are not applicable to:

  • Freight Transportation activities
  • Entry with official (not private) passports
  • Persons showing proof of having recovered from Covid-19 infection within 6 months

Non-Hungarian citizens may not enter Hungary, with the following exceptions.

Non-Hungarian citizens may request an exemption from the travel ban through the National Police HQ by filling an online form. Your Inter Relocation consultant can assist with this process.

Non-Hungarian citizens who meet the below criteria or who hold the below mentioned residence documents are treated as Hungarian citizens:

  1. Persons with permanent residence cards (ÁTK, állandó tartózkodási kártya)
  2. Persons holding a residence permit entitling them to stay more than 90 days

NOTE: it is not specifically written in the law, but as per our understanding and as per the police portal, holders of a granted D visa are allowed to enter, too:

„persons holding a valid residence permit issued by the aliens policing authority allowing for the residence in Hungary for a duration exceeding 90 days and presents this document upon entry (“D” type visa is equivalent);”

However the website of the police also mentions that at the time of the border control the officer has the right to request proofs of the D visa, based on what it was issued (accommodation, insurance, financial background, purpose of stay)

Source 1

Source 2

  1. EU/EEA citizens holding a registration and an address card
  2. Athletes, sports experts, sports associations’ delegated/assigned persons returning from foreign sporting events.

Hungarian citizens and their non-Hungarian citizen relatives may enter Hungary, considering the following:

  • If a medical examination shows the possibility of a Covid-19 infection, the person is placed in official home quarantine for 14 days.
  • One may prematurely exit quarantine (with the permission of the epidemic authority) if two negative Covid-19 tests within 5 days, with a difference of at least 48 hours are presented. If the first of the two tests was made in Canada, USA or one of the Schengen countries, it is also accepted; though the certificate has to be issued either in English or Hungarian

The business travel exemption is no longer limited to travels of employees and chief officers of joint venture companies having interests in both Hungary and abroad. The regulations now also allow Hungarian citizens returning to Hungary from a business trip, and non-Hungarian citizens arriving to Hungary for business reasons to enter without limitations (that is, without quarantine, testing requirements, or a total ban on entry). Such persons have to carry proof of their purpose of entry. Should any doubt arise about the validity of such proof, the general limitations shall apply.

Commuting is allowed within 30 km distance of the border, one may enter Hungary for a 24 hour period.

Transiting can be arranged as follows: one may transit Hungary within 24 hours via designated routes and may only stop at designated resting points.

There are special regulations for military convoys.

As of 5th of September a new exception is included in the regulations:

employees of Hungarian cultural institutions returning from cultural events abroad where they participated as performers or technical personnel are treated as Hungarian citizens.

Special regulations for sporting and cultural events:

  • participants of sporting events organised in Hungary (excluding spectators), persons personally invited to such events by the organisers in writing, competitors holding a competition permit, sports professionals, persons participating in the implementation of the sporting event, performers and technical personnel of cultural events organised in Hungary are allowed to enter if they present two negative Covid tests (within 5 days with 48 hour difference, or a test not older than 3 days)
  • spectators of sporting events and cultural events organised in Hungary are allowed to enter if they present a negative Covid test not older than 3 days and the valid tickets for the given event. and they may be obliged to subject themselves to medical examination. They may not enter if they show symptoms of the Covid-19 disease, or they fail to present valid tickets for the event, or the validity of the presented tickets is doubtful. They have to leave Hungary within 72 hours.

For further information please, contact us at the following
Phone number: +36 1 278 5680
Email address: [email protected]
or contact your local Inter Relocation consultant.

Important information about  the details of the regulation (81/2020) which is now in place as of today and is related to travel to Hungary. 

Citizens of the below listed countries are allowed to travel here expressly for business reasons:

  1. Czech Republic
  2. Poland
  3. South Korea
  4. Federal Republic of Germany
  5. Republic of Austria
  6. Slovak Republic
  7. Japan

At the time of entry one needs to prove that the sending company and the receiving company are connected companies based on law 1996. LXXXI 4. § 23.

Based on the information received from the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, assuming the citizens of the above mentioned countries are able to successfully enter Hungary and have the relevant documentation, they can start their residence document applications via the portal of the authority too.

Travel to Hungary is also allowed to those EU/EEA citizens, who  are entitled to permanently reside here and hold a permanent residence card. EU/EEA citizens who do not hold a permanent residence card and non-EU citizens who hold a residence permit or permanent residence permit, may make a special request to re-enter Hungary via an online portal provided by the Hungarian police. It is our understanding that for EU/EEA citizens such requests are generally accepted.

Here is a link to the portal (it’s in Hungarian only):

https://ugyintezes.police.hu/en/uj-ugy-inditasa/

On the site, the option “Államhatáron történő beutazáshoz méltányossági kérelem” category needs to be selected,without registering. Inter Relocation is happy to assist with making such an application. Contact us for more information.

Special personal conditions which can be considered for entry, in case the applicant can justify them:

  1. a) the need to attend court in Hungary by providing official documentation
  2. b) the need for business travel, justified by an invitation letter issued by a state institution
  3. c) the need to enter Hungary for medical treatment
  4. d) the need to sit a school exam connected to active student status and this being justified by the educational institute
  5. e) the need to travel connected with transportation, to enable the person to get to the starting point of the transportation task or to return home, this being proven by an employer certificate
  6.  f ) the need to attend a funeral of a close family member
  7.  g) other

Supporting documents need to be attached to the request.

IMPORTANT:

Currently we have no experience of how exactly this will work (what documentation is requested to justify connected companies). We also understand that in the event that if a person arrives at the border with insufficient paperwork that they may still be allowed entry into the country, but subject to a compulsory 14-day quarantine.

As soon as we receive further information on this, we will notify you. We also suggest that before any citizen travels to Hungary, they contact their own border authority, to check if there are currently any restrictions on returning to their home country.

Summary

The key point is that citizens of the above listed countries can now travel to Hungary, if they can provide information proving the connection between their home country company and the company they are going to work at in Hungary, they should be allowed in without the need for any quarantine. We can then carry out any destination and immigration services that are ordered.