Just Landed in Hungary? Your First 7 Days

Mobile coverage is excellent nationwide and 5G is widespread across Budapest and other cities. The three network operators are Yettel, Magyar Telekom and Vodafone (rebranded One Hungary), with DIGI a cheaper challenger that also bundles home broadband. Prepaid SIMs must be registered to your passport at the point of sale, so buy from an official shop rather than a street reseller. Free public Wi-Fi is common in cafes, shopping malls and on many BKK metro platforms and vehicles.

Typical cost: Prepaid starter pack 3,000-5,000 HUF; monthly plans with generous data run 4,000-8,000 HUF. Home fibre broadband from DIGI or Telekom is roughly 5,000-8,000 HUF/month.

Hungary uses the forint despite being in the EU, and there is no fixed date for euro adoption. Card and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere in Budapest, but keep some cash for markets, small shops, ruin bars and rural areas. Always choose to pay in forints and decline dynamic currency conversion whenever a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, as its rate is deliberately poor.

Opening an account: Foreigner-friendly banks include OTP (the largest), Erste, K&H and Raiffeisen; Revolut and Wise are near-universal among newcomers for day-to-day spending and cheap transfers. Opening a resident account typically needs your passport, an address card or proof of address, your Hungarian tax number, and often a residence permit or registration certificate. OTP and Erste have English-speaking staff at central branches, and appointments speed things up considerably.

Cash: Cards dominate in cities, but carry a few thousand forints in cash for farmers' markets, ruin bars, small bakeries, tips and taxis outside Budapest. ATMs are plentiful; use bank-branded machines (OTP, Erste, K&H) and avoid the yellow Euronet ones, which charge punishing fees and push conversion.

Tipping: Tipping around 10 percent is customary in restaurants and for taxis and hairdressers. Check the bill first, as many restaurants now add a service charge (szervizdij) of 10-15 percent, in which case an extra tip is optional. Tell the server the total you want to pay when they take your card rather than leaving cash on the table.

Registration rules depend on your nationality, but almost everyone settling long-term ends up registering an address. EU/EEA citizens staying beyond 90 days must obtain an EU registration certificate (regisztracios igazolas) from the immigration authority and then an address card from the local government office. Non-EU residents must report their accommodation address to the immigration authority and hold a valid residence permit. Registering an address produces two things you will use constantly: a lakcimkartya (address card) and a personal identification number, both required for banking, healthcare, contracts and most bureaucracy. Expect Hungarian-only forms and bring originals plus copies of everything.

Deadline: EU/EEA citizens: register the stay within 93 days of arrival if staying long-term. Non-EU residents: report your accommodation address within three days of moving in, or by the date stated on your permit.

Where: The National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (NDGAP / Orszagos Idegenrendeszeti Foigazgatosag) handles immigration registration and permits; the local government one-stop office (kormanyablak) issues the address card and personal ID number. Booking online in advance avoids long queues.

Budapest has an integrated BKK network of four metro lines, trams, trolleybuses, buses and suburban HEV trains that is fast, cheap and well-run, with the M1 yellow line being the oldest metro in continental Europe. Always hold a valid ticket or pass, as inspectors check frequently and fine heavily. Intercity travel runs on MAV national railways and Volanbusz coaches, both cheap by European standards. Trams 4 and 6 on the Grand Boulevard run around the clock.

From the airport: The 100E direct bus runs from Terminal 2 to Deak Ferenc ter in the city centre and needs a dedicated airport ticket (around 2,200 HUF), taking 35-45 minutes. Bolt and Fotaxi taxis cost roughly 8,000-11,000 HUF depending on traffic and destination. The miniBUD shared shuttle is a booked door-to-door option at a middle price. A monthly BKK travel pass covering all city transport is around 9,500 HUF.

Most newcomers rent through ingatlan.com, the dominant property portal, or through Facebook expat and flatshare groups, often via an agent. Budapest is by far the priciest market and rents there have risen sharply in recent years; cities like Debrecen, Szeged, Pecs and Miskolc are dramatically cheaper. Read the lease carefully, confirm whether utilities are included, and check who pays the kozos koltseg (building common charge) on top of the headline rent, as it can add 15,000-40,000 HUF a month.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat in central Budapest runs roughly 200,000-350,000 HUF/month; outside the capital, 120,000-200,000 HUF is common, and student cities can be cheaper still.

Deposit norm: Deposits are usually one to two months' rent, plus the first month up front. Agents typically charge a finder's fee equal to about half a month's or a full month's rent, paid once. Get every payment and the inventory documented in writing.

Hungary has a universal public health system funded through TAJ social-security contributions, alongside a large and popular private sector. Employees and their dependants gain public cover through payroll contributions, which entitles them to a TAJ card. Public hospitals are stretched and often Hungarian-only, so many residents and nearly all expats use private clinics for faster appointments and English-speaking doctors. Emergency care is provided to anyone regardless of status.

How to access it: With a TAJ card you register with a local GP (haziorvos) who acts as gatekeeper for specialist referrals and prescriptions. Without public cover, use private clinics such as FirstMed, Rozsakert Medical Center or Duna Medical Center, or pay out of pocket, and expect a GP visit to cost roughly 25,000-40,000 HUF privately. For emergencies dial 104 for an ambulance or 112 for the general emergency line.

Insurance: Non-EU residents almost always need private health insurance to obtain or renew a residence permit, from providers such as Generali, Union Biztosito or international insurers. EU visitors can use an EHIC card for short-term, medically necessary care, but long-term EU residents should secure TAJ cover through employment or self-payment, or buy comprehensive private insurance.

• Greet with a firm handshake and direct eye contact; use surnames and titles until you are invited to switch to first names.
• Say 'egeszsegedre' when toasting, but avoid clinking beer glasses, a custom tied to the 1848 revolution that many older Hungarians still observe.
• Remove your shoes when entering someone's home unless you are explicitly told to keep them on; hosts often offer slippers.
• Be punctual for appointments and social invitations, as lateness is read as inconsiderate; a small gift of wine, flowers or chocolate is appreciated when invited to dinner.
• Learn a few Hungarian courtesies such as 'koszonom' (thank you), 'jo napot' (good day) and 'kerem' (please), which are warmly received.
• Note that Hungarians put the family name first, so 'Nagy Peter' means Peter from the Nagy family; formal address uses the surname.
• Thermal baths are a national institution and a normal social activity, so learn the etiquette of your chosen bath before your first visit.

• Hungarian name order puts the family name first, which regularly causes confusion on official forms and databases, so check which field is which.
• Bureaucracy is document-heavy, slow and almost always Hungarian-only; bring originals, copies and patience, and consider paying a relocation helper for major tasks.
• Directness can feel blunt to newcomers, and complaining is something of a national pastime, but neither is meant as personal rudeness.
• Avoid glib political small talk with people you have just met, as Hungary is politically divided and the subject can turn tense quickly.
• Shops, banks and public offices keep shorter hours than you may expect and many close early on Saturday and all day Sunday, so plan errands for weekdays.