º£½ÇÂÒÂ×

@reedern

Welcome,

Enroll in the Hungarian Public System (Potentially): As a resident, you may be able to get a Hungarian health insurance card, but this process can take time.

You will need an S1 form.

An S1 form in Hungary is a certificate of entitlement to healthcare for individuals moving to the country from another EU/EEA member state, the UK, or Switzerland, particularly if they receive state pensions or are dependants of such individuals. It replaces the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for people establishing their habitual residence in Hungary, allowing them to register with the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund (Országos Egészségbiztosítási Pénztár - OEP) to access the public healthcare system.

How to get and use the S1 form

1. Obtain the form: Apply for the S1 form from the .
2. Register with : Once issued, you must register the S1 form with the before you can use it to access healthcare.
3. Access local healthcare: After registering the S1 form, you can apply to join the local healthcare scheme and access state-funded medical treatment as a resident.

Of course, you can go private, I hear Cigna is good as well as the ones you have already mentioned.

I hope that's straightforward for you? If you need any more help, please ask away.

Moving to Siofok with my wife in November and need to arrange private health insurance - hoping there are some knowledgeable experts here!
Coming from the UK but married to a Hungarian lady, I will be 65 before the year is out. Looking for a basic healthcare package as I am (generally) fit and healthy with no illnesses for many years - but having looked for packages in UK for international insurance they seem to cover everything but also come at a high cost (i.e. paying for things you do not need).
What do non-EU expats take as a health insurance package and are the Hungarian offerings of use? (not investigated these yet, but can see companies like Union, Generali, Aegon etc. seem to have offerings.)
Would welcome advice and experiences from those who have recently gone through this process. - @reedern

This is what I think I know.

Get the UK's "EHIC" card now called a Global Health Card post-Brexit.  You can apply online and it will arrive pretty fast to your UK address.

It has some annoying paperwork in Hungary if you really have to use it in an emergency.  This should be  enough to prove cover to get a Residence Permit.

If you are in receipt of a government pension (unlikely) then you can enrol in the Hungarian health care system and get the magic TAJ card.   I say unlikely as you are not old enough for the UK pension.  I am just 65 now and I won't receive the UK pension until I am 66.5 in in early 2027.

But for the sake of this post, assuming you have a UK government pension, to get the TAJ card, you need an S1 form from the UK government (might be Newcastle Office) which has to be accepted by the HU health care/social system.

You can also pay voluntarily in like a "private" agreement with the social security people but I've never heard of anyone successfully negotiating it with them.   It's supposedly possible.  They won't give you a TAJ card if you don't have a job (in Hungary) or pension receivable in Hungary.

Get a GHIC for you wife too but she may already have a TAJ card for local use.

Another way is to create a company, work for it and pay minimum SS taxes because it's mandatory and as by product, you get the TAJ card.  It's a bit extreme.  And a very annoying hoop to jump through.

I'm afraid the Brexit idiocy really screwed the entire thing up.   If you can speak Hungarian, you could try and get citizenship. Then TAJ cards are no problem.

@reedern
Welcome,
Enroll in the Hungarian Public System (Potentially): As a resident, you may be able to get a Hungarian health insurance card, but this process can take time.

You will need an S1 form.
An S1 form in Hungary is a certificate of entitlement to healthcare for individuals moving to the country from another EU/EEA member state, the UK, or Switzerland, particularly if they receive state pensions or are dependants of such individuals. It replaces the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for people establishing their habitual residence in Hungary, allowing them to register with the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund (Országos Egészségbiztosítási Pénztár - OEP) to access the public healthcare system.

How to get and use the S1 form

Obtain the form: Apply for the S1 form from the .
Register with : Once issued, you must register the S1 form with the before you can use it to access healthcare.
Access local healthcare: After registering the S1 form, you can apply to join the local healthcare scheme and access state-funded medical treatment as a resident.


Of course, you can go private, I hear Cigna is good as well as the ones you have already mentioned.

I hope that's straightforward for you? If you need any more help, please ask away. - @SimCityAT

Sorry, didn't see this post.  The S1 is only if you have a UK government paid pension.  He's not old enough.

@fluffy2560

Very true, I am always thinking of the Austrian retirement age. 

@fluffy2560
Very true, I am always thinking of the Austrian retirement age. - @SimCityAT

What age is that? 

I reckon we'll be at 70 by 2030. 

My own experience is that my age, 65, is probably the limit given health concerns. I feel I am relatively healthy but by 70,  I am sure I will be feeling very different.  Physically it'll be a problem but brain wise, I think it would be OK if not too demanding.

Workwise, I can see myself going on until 70 perhaps if nothing gets truly problematic.  I was talking to my colleague and someone he knows is still working into his 80s.  Good for him!

@fluffy2560

It's 65 for men, and 60 for women, but they are slowly increasing the women's age to be the same as men, 65.

So, not to confuse anyone, the above is the retirement age for Austria. But like most countries, you have to put in at least 15 years of contributions to get a minimum state pension.

I've tried to get a Taj card as I Am a UK pensioner and I was refused. I have a temporary resident card but should get a permanent one soon. I will look into the S1 form.  I asked if I could have my medical insurance transferred over to Hungary but they wont do it.  It is all down to Brexit  - although I agree with Brexit in theory.  I have come over on the united family option.  An American lady was able to get a TAj card because she had grandchildren here (which is the same with me) but this was 13 years ago so not sure what the rules were then. So I pay whenever I need to see a doctor. I've just been told it was because I couldn't get a proper address card but should get it when I have the permanent residence card.  But that would have taken me five years.

@SimCityAT

Hi there

Are you an actually expert on this or are you just calling yourself an expert.   I would like to know as you are giving information that does not agree with what I have experienced.

Or maybe I am just reading your post wrongly.

I've tried to get a Taj card as I Am a UK pensioner and I was refused. I have a temporary resident card but should get a permanent one soon. I will look into the S1 form. I asked if I could have my medical insurance transferred over to Hungary but they wont do it. It is all down to Brexit - although I agree with Brexit in theory. I have come over on the united family option. An American lady was able to get a TAj card because she had grandchildren here (which is the same with me) but this was 13 years ago so not sure what the rules were then. So I pay whenever I need to see a doctor. I've just been told it was because I couldn't get a proper address card but should get it when I have the permanent residence card. But that would have taken me five years. - @jp28ju29

That makes no sense.  If you get a residence card (what is a temporary one? I don't know about that), you HAVE to have an address card.  I've got the Article 50 Withdrawal Agreement card. I retain my "EU rights" supposedly but actually it means very little as I have no entitlement to work or live anywhere else in the EU.  I can work and live in HU.  I often use the description, "I had rights, now I have permission". 

Anyway, you need the S1 paper from the UK or you need a HU tax paying job, however stupid, for at least (I believe 3 months) to get the TAJ card.   It would be possible, however silly, to get a friendly business to hire you and YOU pay them cash under the table to offset them employing you on minimum HU wage.  Once you get the TAJ card, you could fail the probationary period, then move to a voluntary payment to cover yourself monthly.  It's unnecessary hoops and will cost you a fair bit.  But it's a one off to get in there.  Your paperwork might restrict your working rights.

I don't know why anyone with solid family connections to HU or anywhere EU would have voted for Brexit.  I don't want to re-litigate it but it seems like it's turkeys voting for Christmas.   I've been involved with HU for more than 30 years with a HU wife and HU/UK passport holding kids.  I was proud to be British but I feel absolutely betrayed and aggrieved by the UK electorate and being excluded from the vote.  The mop haired clown Johnson and that one hit wonder Farage stuffed a lot of people for their own political aims.  Not a good legacy. 

@SimCityAT
Hi there
Are you an actually expert on this or are you just calling yourself an expert. I would like to know as you are giving information that does not agree with what I have experienced.
Or maybe I am just reading your post wrongly. - @jp28ju29

SimCityAT is a long term contributor here as am I.

He was pretty much on the money apart from forgetting the age entitlement for the S1.

I would suggest anyone in receipt of a UK pension to keep a UK address for pension purposes.  The triple lock should apply to HU as it's an EU legacy.  The rises look substantial percentage wise.

@SimCityAT
Hi there
Are you an actually expert on this or are you just calling yourself an expert. I would like to know as you are giving information that does not agree with what I have experienced.
Or maybe I am just reading your post wrongly. - @jp28ju29

I was given the title because, on the site, sub moderators are assigned titles that oversee different countries. I look after the UK and Austria.

I am sorry you had bad experiences; if you follow the information I gave, then you should be alright. They can't refuse you, as it is the law.

This is our experience.

I am American and my husband is a Hungarian citizen.

We went through this about 15 years ago.

Great idea another poster suggested to sign up for Taj.

The thing is you can not start using it until a full year of payments has been paid in.

Not sure if you can pay up all at once or not.

As a none EU citizen, I had to have my own private health coverage for a full year. It was required with immigration. I purchased a cheap policy with Generalli. I would not count of ever using their coverage, it is lousy; Just good for the purpose of showing you have coverage, in reality they may cover a hang nail on a Wednesday if there is a full moon and Leo is in the stars.

Just winged it for a year and paid out of pocket if anything came up.

After a year I could use my Taj card straight away with just making my monthly fees. ATM, it is 11800 A head per month.

My husband as a citizen on the other hand had to do things differently.

He had a unactive Taj card issued, he could not use it for a full year but paid into it that first year. Guess in an emergency he would be taken care of but not sure how that would of gone.

After his full year of payments, the second year he could start using the Taj and did not have to pay a thing that year.

His 3rd year he paid like I did, every month;

If we travel we pay up for the months we may be gone just to keep it paid up.

You do need all your resident IDs address card etc; at the time of signing up.

The coverage is OK, some depts are great here but others are really bad. I had cancer treatments here, long daily wait times for 6 weeks straight for treatments but I m good now; Other medical depts are not so great, went to a gyno doc post cancer treatments for a HPV shot, just got a serious infection from their exams and a big run around for a entire month before getting a script for antibiotics caused by their sloppy exam and dirty equipment. Never got my HPV shot either!

If you are a fussy person without patience you might not be overly happy with just using Taj. It is all a waiting game every appointment to get in.Some clinics will not let you in unless you have a native speaker with you.

One reason we assume they make you wait a year is some tales from the past.

We knew of a Hungarian couple who returned from the states when the man had cancer; They took care of him right away, he died and never paid a penny into Taj before passing away. I guess they figure if you can live out a year they might break even or you are not that ill to begin with.

This is our experience.
I am American and my husband is a Hungarian citizen.
We went through this about 15 years ago.
Great idea another poster suggested to sign up for Taj.
The thing is you can not start using it until a full year of payments has been paid in.
Not sure if you can pay up all at once or not.
As a none EU citizen, I had to have my own private health coverage for a full year. It was required with immigration. I purchased a cheap policy with Generalli. I would not count of ever using their coverage, it is lousy; Just good for the purpose of showing you have coverage, in reality they may cover a hang nail on a Wednesday if there is a full moon and Leo is in the stars.
... - @Marilyn Tassy

Just to chip in there, as I said in my previous posting, the post-Brexit EHIC equivalent, the GBIC should be enough insurance for the HU residence permit.  Taking out a separate policy is probably not needed but one would have to ask at immigration.

If there's a to-ing and fro-ing to the UK, it could be possible to use all year travel insurance on a UK address.  Whether it would pay out is another matter.  And there would be many constraints.

The GBIC is really the fall back.   I have used it years ago it in the EU when it was the EHIC and it did work. I was told by someone they (the UK)   budget about £4000 of use per person over all time.  Of course, that's just an indicator, not a limit. 

In an emergency, you will be looked after even just with a passport but the card will smooth the way but there's a lot of paperwork and stamping that goes on with its usage.

It probably is easier to have that UK coverage then deal with buying a health plan here privately.

My American friend and her father piad for Premium coverage with Generalli, They did not qualify for Taj as their visa was year to year. No family ties to HU.

It let them down really horribly when her father got sepsis during covid; He died 2 days later, the coverage would not cover his hospital bed as the only treatment they gave him was an IV, told her he would die, they were too busy with HU citizens to deal with him so she should prep herself for him to die!

Gerneralli left her stuck with a $1,200 bill for the bed.

My advice is if you suspect you are seriously ill, go private to get a look see.They will most likely send you onto the National Health hospitals as clinics usually can not handle serious cases. There are private hospitals here but unless you are mega wealthy you do not want to know the premiums for care;

My husband needed hernia surgery years ago; He went to a private clinic because he thought he wanted to wake up post surgery, HU humor, or not!

They refused to treat him in the clinic because he has slight high BP. They do not want any cases where things might go wrong so you will find yourself in the general hospitals even with private coverage.

I saw a private gastro doctor who found my cancer and had the lab tests done ; He sent me onto the Taj system for treatments.

I was in hospital for 5 days in isolation because they saved money on not pre testing me for a chemo allergy before giving it to me. DPD , could take your life faster then cancer ever could. Anytime you need major treatment it is best to investigate all angles first before letting them do anything on you.

In fact when I was sent to oncology, the professor of oncology first asked me if I was a HU citizen or not before treatments started; Never could figure out why but it was very disturbing to think about.