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Information on Visa and Frontier Crossing

We suggest that foreigners who wish to visit Hungary for fewer than 90 days and who don’t intend to work or engage in other income-producing activity familiarise themselves with the agreements regarding visa exemptions. Individuals bearing the passport of one of the countries listed below can travel without a visa to Hungary.
Citizens of certain specified countries need only their identity cards to travel to Hungary.

Foreigners who want to stay longer than 90 days or to work (or perform other activity producing income) have got to apply for a visa.

Important Information

The authorities may ask foreigners arriving at the border to demonstrate compliance with entry criteria; if they determine that conditions for entering or staying in Hungary haven’t been met, entry may be denied - even to those with a valid visa. Foreigners entering without a visa or with a visa permitting only a short-term stay (90 days or less) cannot obtain a residency permit.

Foreign citizens whose visa entitles them to apply for residency in Hungary have got to apply for permission within 15 days. If the visitor plans to stay less than a year, the application must be submitted at his/her local police station; if the planned stay is for more than a year, the application must be submitted at police headquarters for the county (“megye”) where the visitor is living or at Budapest police headquarters (if the visitor is staying in Budapest.) Foreigners applying for permission to reside longer than one year or to extend a previous residency permit have got to attach a health certificate.

Those staying longer than 30 days in Hungary, if they don’t live in a hotel or other commercial accommodation, have got to check in at the local police station. Checking in may be done personally or by the householder hosting the visitor.

Driving a car in Hungary requires a valid international driving licence.

Transporting animals to Hungary requires a veterinary certificate. The certificate should include verification that:

• the animal was examined and is healthy,
• the animal received all inoculations required by local and international regulations,
• no infectious disease typical of the particular animal species occurred in the previous three months at the location where the animal was kept.

Customs Regulations

Information on customs regulations is available on the official home page of the Customs Police

Currency Exchange, Banks

Currency
The official means of payment in Hungary is the Forint (Ft, HUF).
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 HUF.
Bank notes: 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 HUF.

Exchange
In Hungary there are 28 banks (800 branches), 84 Savings banks (260 branches) and 599 businesses (2230 offices) involved in exchange.
There is no mandatory minimum amount for currency exchange.

You can find current exchange rates on the following web pages:
Yahoo Currency Conversion

Banks
In Hungary banks are usually open between 8 .00 - 16.00 on weekdays. Some banks are open on Saturday, but all are closed on Sunday. ATM machines and currency exchange machines are available throughout the country.

The credit cards used most often - AMEX, Diners Club, EnRoute, Euro/Mastercard, JCB, VISA - can be used to withdraw cash from banks and ATM machines and to pay bills in hotels, restaurants and shops. Emblems at the entrance mark the shops where credit cards are accepted. Most banks have their own automated networks.

Detailed information is available on the Bankcard home page.

You can use your bank or credit card to get cash at post offices throughout Hungary. More than 3200 post offices nation-wide provide this service.

Traveller’s Cheques
Traveller’s cheques can usually be purchased in major banks.

Driving

Required Documents
- Driving license
- Liability insurance.
(Insurance can be taken out at the appointed insurance companies)
- Green card

Roads

Hungary map

Hungary has a public road network of over 30,000 km. Every Hungarian town and village can be reached on a sealed (paved) road.
The motorways are marked with the letter “M”, the international roads are marked with the letter “E“.
Seven of the 8 main roads in Hungary originate in Budapest; the eighth starts from Székesfehérvár and goes to Rábafüzes. The secondary roads are marked with two or more digits.

Motorways (Highways):
M1: Budapest - Hegyeshalom
M15: Hegyeshalom - Rajka (half-ready - further parts under construction)
M3: Budapest - Gyöngyös - Füzesabony - Polgár (provides access to Slovakia; sections beyond are under construction)
M5: Budapest - Kiskunfélegyháza (parts towards Szeged and the southern frontier under construction)
M7: Budapest - Balatonaliga
On 01 January 2000 motorway tickets were introduced on motorways M1, M3, M5 and M7. Drivers of cars can buy yearly tickets for 30,500 HUF, monthly tickets for 3,400 HUF, tickets valid for 10 days for 2,000 HUF and valid for 4 days 1,270 HUF. The toll booths of motorways M1 and M3 operate as ticket offices and check-points. Motorway tickets can be purchased in towns, at petrol stations near motorways, in 50 offices of the Magyar Autóklub (Hungarian Automobile Association), and in 35 major post offices. Signs in blue-black letters are displayed where tickets are available.

Ring Road (M0)
This is presently being built around Budapest. New parts are continuously being opened for traffic. Presently it connects motorways M1, M5 and M7 and trunk-roads 6, 5, 51 and 7 without passing through Budapest.

Traffic Fines
Police may assess fines of up to 10,000 HUF on the spot; these fines have got to be paid later by cheque. In the case of major offences, police may revoke driving licences on the spot.
Important! The blood-alcohol level permitted in Hungary is 0.00%.

Areas in Budapest Closed to Public Traffic
The Castle District in Buda is a separate, restricted area (closed using barriers); drivers must pay a special fee to enter.

Passenger cars aren’t allowed to drive from Margaret Bridge onto Margaret Island. Passenger cars may enter from Árpád Bridge, but only to the car park at the hotels.

Driving is restricted in the following areas: Óbudai Island, Római part, Népliget and Városliget.

Driving is prohibited in the downtown shopping precincts.

Further information on public roads
Information on public roads:
Útinform: Tel: 00-36-1-336-2400 (non-stop)

Information on traffic in Budapest:
Fovinform: Tel: 00-36-1-317-1173 (non-stop)

Parking

Budapest map

Pay Car Parks in Budapest

Drivers have got to pay for parking in the inner districts of Budapest. Tickets can be bought for a maximum of 2 hours in the slot-machines (ticket machines) on the streets. Cars aren’t guarded in these parking places.

Parking fees:120-300 HUF/hour. Given that the machines take coins, it is worth keeping 50 and 100 HUF coins for this purpose.

Cars will be clamped if no parking fee has been paid or the period paid for has expired.

During sightseeing excursions, passenger cars and buses are allowed to park free of charge in the major tourist centres (e.g., the Citadel, Heroes Square, Városliget (City Park). There are parking lots for buses at Belgrád rakpart (lower rakpart, wharf), in Duna Street near Erzsébet Square.

Parking garages in Budapest:

- I. Kosciusco Tádé u., WIPARK Krisztina Garázs
- V. Aranykéz u. 4-6.
- V. Szervita tér 8.
- V. Roosevelt tér
- VII. Nyár u. 20.
- VIII. Futó u. 52.
- VII. Osvát u. 5., Sky-Park
- VIII. Kálvin tér (entrance from Baross Street)
- VIII. Csokonai u., Palace
- IX. Balázs Béla u. 39.

In addition, drivers can find car parks with similar prices and discounts for longer periods in several parts of the city.
There are P+R Car Parks (with places for 50-280 cars) next to underground stations and major traffic junctions.

Parking beyond Budapest

There are few multi-storey car parks outside the Hungarian capital, although guarded car parks are offered by hotels and large pensions. Generally, parking within cities and towns must be paid for and is not guarded. Parking fees depend on the tourism season, the category of the vehicle, and the part of the day or week.