Let’s make it clear — all regulations about how foreign citizens can travel to Hungary

police-hungary-border-control
Hegyeshalom, Hungary. Photo: MTI

A couple of days ago, we collected essential rules applicable to foreign citizens in an article. Afterwards, we received a lot of emails and comments in which our readers asked about further facts, mostly the regulation on those having some kind of a residency permit in Hungary. Details for them below.

As we reported before, the number of infections started to rise in Hungary at the end of summer, probably because Hungarian and foreign tourists brought the virus into the country. Therefore, the government decided:

nobody should travel in or out if that is not a must.

They added that the new regulation would at least remain in effect until October. The relevant government decree stated that no foreign citizen could cross the border of Hungary,

but there are a lot of exceptions.

For example,

  • citizens of the V4 countries (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) can come to Hungary even in September if they booked accommodation for at least one day before September 1. They have to obtain a Hungarian or English document declaring that they did a negative COVID PCR test at least five days before entering the country.
  • everybody making business trips,
  • members of the military convoys,
  • the transit traffic
  • those who work maximum 30 kilometres away from the Hungarian border are allowed to enter.
  • foreign athletes can come.
  • sports fans and artists (e.g. trainers, masseurs, singers, bands etc. and their technical crew) can also come.
  • Hungarian citizens can come home from abroad if they have a Hungarian or English document about two negative COVID PCR tests (the difference in time should be 48 hours again) from any Schengen member countries, the USA or Canada. 

We received a lot of questions from those who have some kind of a residence permit. Therefore, we called one of the coronavirus information lines that are free to dial, and they are available not only from Hungary but also from abroad at any time of the day. Of course, since many people are enquiring, one has to wait a couple of minutes until they pick up the phone.

They said that on foreign citizens having a residence permit, the rule is clear. Authorities treat those

who have a permit allowing them to be in Hungary for more than 90 days as Hungarian citizens.

So they can come home from abroad if they have a Hungarian or English document about two negative COVID PCR tests (the difference in time should be 48 hours again) from any Schengen member countries, the USA or Canada.

Those whose time limit is shorter fall into the category of foreign citizens, and the rules and exceptions mentioned above are applied to them.

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