Leaving Hungary - What's the process?

Sorry things didn't work out as planned for you.
Congrats on the new job offer though.
I would think one thing to do is to contact the immigration office and let them know you will be moving away.
This way they may let you know what other official things you must do.
One would be to cancel your national Health so they won't fine you later for non payment.
You may have to go into your local city hall for your district and also let them know your leaving.
Immigration office would be my first start.
I am visiting the US ATM and nothing really has changed much here, only the prices are getting higher on food and health care.
You will need the extra job income to move back home.
In HU we have more then we need every month in the US we are bunking with our adut son and it's still tight.
Years ago on our second move to Hawaii for some lameo reason my husband didn't wish to work, he was "chillin" I worked in a beauty salon but one income in Hawaii is nothing.
We easily went through a savings of at least $80,000 in just over a years time in Hawaii.
By the time we actually moved away from Hawaii and found jobs in another state we were $110,000 in the hole! Insane I know.
I know how stressful and wasteful not having a steady income can be. Good luck.

Sadly, I have no advice other than to say forget it all. If you could not even get a job here, you owe the Hungarian State nothing (even if they think you do). Let them try to collect.

But even sadder still is the loss to the Hungarian economy of your skills due to the ridiculous Hungarian work/business requirements.

And even adding to that sadness (for Hungary not for you) -- you will probably prosper far better in the USA than you ever could in Hungary. I have been in Hungary for almost a decade and finding it nearly a dead end road for most people that are not working to build cars for a foreign corporation at less than western European wages.

Yes, there is a huge brain drain in Hungary.
I mentioned in the past that on a lark my husband called up a machine shop in Hungary a few years back.
He saw the were looking for a skilled machinist and he was just interested in knowing what the wages were for that job.
In the US he was highly valued as the no. 1 man in ever prototype shop he ever worked in. Mostly in the US he  did sub contractor work in small custom shops owned by other skilled Hungarians.
They did allot of special job one of a kind parts for the US gov. Space shuttle parts nuke valves for subs, special night vision equipment for the USAF jets.Also many new parts for the medical field, heart lung machine pumps etc.For over 9 years in a row all he did was make tiny parts for USAF dash board connections for the electrical units. Wow the gov. must have a ton of spare parts.
He never got an exact no. for an hourly wage, he did piece work, you make it you get paid a ton if you break it then you get nada. Some of the tiny special alloy metal materials cost over $10,000 for a tiny piece of metal. Lots of skill needed and a good hand.

Over the years we have owned 3 small shops ourselves, he was so good at machining he could even set machines for a space case like me to run under his control.
Ok, in HU they offered about $4.00 an hour!!!
WTF!! What a joke, they would be lucky to find a person who could make a screw let alone parts for a space shuttle.
He was trained in Hungary during the cold war years when the schools in HU were tough and good. 4 years of trade school . This was his one saving grace when he entered the US as refugee who could not speak much English. Everyone wanted to hire him, he really saw the sts. paved in gold as the US is sold to the rest of the world.
Of course every good thing comes to an end, he got comfy with his skills and never bothered to learn the new CNC machines, instead we opened up our own small job shop. Too many closed in the late 1980's and it was hard after that to land a good gov. contract.
Only the big dogs can play that game now in the US, many small job shops closed down and many a owner did themselves in, killed themselves over the loss of their small shops. Of course the media never told that tale of woe.
All good, go with the flow or drown.
Please write on this site once you settle down in the US again and let us know how it's going for you and yours.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Sorry things didn't work out as planned for you.
Congrats on the new job offer though.
I would think one thing to do is to contact the immigration office and let them know you will be moving away.

Thanks for the good wishes! Yes, the Immigration office was my first thought, but here "common sense" and "government services" seem to be mutually exclusive. I'm sure there's a law disallowing they even be mentioned in the same sentence.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I am visiting the US ATM and nothing really has changed much here, only the prices are getting higher on food and health care.

Aye. I hear you on the health care costs, it's been getting out of hand for a while in the US. On the other hand, I'd rather choose which doctor I go to. The utter disinterests doctors have in their patients here is gross. For example, the pediatrician my daughter is assigned could not be less interested in doing a proper checkup on her visits. He doesn't even measure her. The doctor we had in Pécs, however, was 5-stars; she even TRIED speaking English to me.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

By the time we actually moved away from Hawaii and found jobs in another state we were $110,000 in the hole! Insane I know.

I could not fathom being in the hole that much. You've gotta be blessed with an iron will to survive THAT stress. Dang.

klsallee wrote:

Sadly, I have no advice other than to say forget it all. If you could not even get a job here, you owe the Hungarian State nothing (even if they think you do). Let them try to collect.

Well, I still have to come back since the wife's family is here, and getting arrested or harassed by the authorities is not a good idea

klsallee wrote:

But even sadder still is the loss to the Hungarian economy of your skills due to the ridiculous Hungarian work/business requirements.

Yes, some of the requirements are quite ridiculous. For example, to get my residence permit I had to move to BP simply because I had to have an address in the city where I am working. Why couldn't I simply use my in-law's address as my residence? What if I wanted to commute from Gödöllő every day?!

Iron will yes plus some good smokes!! Ha, ha, all good at least we have/had our health as the saying goes...
I know in HU I went to a cancer doctor for a spot of skin cancer that was suppose to be removed in the US before we left 2 years back while on a visit.
Lots of paperwork in the US with my low income insurance plan.
Had all the test results etc. to take to the doc in HU. Waited 2 more months to get into the clinic, sat in the lobby for over 3 hours with an appointment and she was done with me in less then 4 min. said she couldn't see anything wrong with her naked eye!! If something big shows up call her and come back! Great treatment in HU!!
So far the patch they took off in the US is holding, so criminal everywhere with the medical industry.

Food prices will shock you in the US but many things that seem so hard in HU are super easy in the US.
Plus  the shopping is great here, only sad thing is no one really dresses up in the states.
My husband said you can just pick up and leave HU but if you ever plan on going back someday to live maybe stopping all the official things you can is a good idea. They may try to charge you for years of non payment for health care in HU if you ever move back to live.
Don't feel bad, at least you guys gave it a shot which is more then most people do.

In all honesty we probably spent a good $10,000 or more on my dog!
Used to have a long 4 month quaratine in Hawaii.
He could only go to one place for holding in Ohau.
We stayed in a high rise hotel in Wikiki for 4 months and I refused to work while he was locked up. Had to drive the Island to where they kept him so I could visit him daily. Plus all the treats to keep him happy in his dog run for that long.
Then moving to an outer Island and shipping everything over from the mainland.
So dumb to move that far and bring everything we owned with us.
All got ruined by the damp weather, leather sofas and rain forest weather just don't mix, mold time.
We tried a couple of small businesses in Hawaii, one on Ohau and one on the Big Island. Just allot of bad luck, bringing a moody teenager along also cost allot of money.
We got burnt so badly money wise that now in HU we are afraid to remodel or spend on anything just in case we leave, after 10 years we are still waiting to settle down in Hungary.

OEP ugyfelkapu   is where you get your Taj card.
Maybe they should know your leaving?
Go into your local city hall and see what they recommend to do.
Your wife may have to another office rather then immigration as she is a HU citizen.
Best maybe to settle things, then whenever you come back again you'll have no worries.
Just coming back for a visit shouldn't be a problem but if you ever wish to return to live full time it may be good to stop everything before going away.
This is what my husband recommends, always some sort of paperwork.

Kenyo00 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

Sadly, I have no advice other than to say forget it all. If you could not even get a job here, you owe the Hungarian State nothing (even if they think you do). Let them try to collect.

Well, I still have to come back since the wife's family is here, and getting arrested or harassed by the authorities is not a good idea

You are assuming that NAV and Hungarian Immigration are both competent, and that they can share information and communicate without inter-agency feuds.... 

Seriously, just because the wife's family is here, is not a reason for you to visit Hungary. Send her on a nice holiday with your extra USA income, and never come back. Or invite her relatives to the USA. Or have a family reunion in Vienna. There are ways around every "perceived" obstacle if you just think about it.

I would say your only "obligation" is to inform the regional municipality and national agency that handles your residency status, that you are leaving the country. All else should "bubble up". But that is simply my opinion, base on zero facts.

Otherwise, you can also contact NAV, in which I have experienced two results:

1) You get someone competent who knows how to process your paperwork and you fill out some forms and you are golden

or

2) No one you contact has a clue how to process your application. You spend a lot of time being the ball in an inter-agency ping-pong game and you are never sure if you come back to Hungary if you will be arrested or not. Especially since you now alerted them to your existence so you are now on their radar....

Hope it's not as hard to leave Hungary as it is to stay in Hungary.
Twilight Zone for sure!
I know in Hungary my son is still married to his ex wife.
He has remarried a Japanese National, God help us if he ever goes back to HU where he married the first time,
they may lock him away for bigamy!
He is just lazy, should send in a copy or his divorce decree .
I would hope if one cancels all official documents like health, let the tax office know your gone etc. that one would be good to go.
Hungary does have a few rules that are laws unto themselves though.
I personally wouldn't worry to much about entering Hungary in the future.
As long as your not wanted by interpol all should be fine.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....I personally wouldn't worry to much about entering Hungary in the future.
As long as your not wanted by interpol all should be fine.

Just come through Vienna, Austria and cross by road.  They'll never know. They have hardly even agreed to share API between EU countries, never mind anywhere else.

In theory, if you get a traffic or street stop by the cops, they could check your foreign passport number (get new passport with new number) which of course, immigration will have BUT of course, not being joined up, the police are unlikely to know anything about you if you are not wanted for anything.   But of course, it's not just passport number, but date of birth and mother's name as well.  They might have got better.

That said, in any case, (de-)registration is perhaps (I am not sure about here in HU) a criminal offence but a civil one, so the cops probably not interested in that business - not their responsibility. 

BTW, when I left HU once years ago, I tried to de-register but could not find anyone to report it to, including NAV (forerunner was called APEH then) so I just went away.   Didn't seem to affect me in any way when I came back.  I think I was just too "old" as a data subject for their IT system - aged out of the system.

fluffy2560 wrote:

That said, in any case, (de-)registration is perhaps (I am not sure about here in HU) a criminal offence but a civil one.

I am not a lawyer, but I doubt even that. A Bureaucratic offense maybe, but that has no civil penalties that I am aware of.

True your not a prisoner of Hungary and a free agent.
You can come and go as you wish although in the future you may have to follow the rules of just a 90 day stay as an American unless you get a visa to stay longer.
We may not be living in Hungary beyond a couple more years, never know, the winters are too long for us and the summers to short.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I personally wouldn't worry to much about entering Hungary in the future

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

True your not a prisoner of Hungary and a free agent.
You can come and go as you wish

Kind of like the California overland boarder check.

You can be wanted in California and 37 other states, but all they will ask you is whether or not you have fruit in your car....

True, when my husband was a refugee from HU back in the early 1970's he had to clear interpol and wait in a refugee camp in Italy for over one year.
He had nothing to hide but in Cal. I met many, many people from Hungary that made me question how much they really do background checks on people.
Some people were a bit off and scary criminals as well.
I have even met a few HU in Vegas who seem to be hiding in the US from something in Hungary.
These are people I met at my gym, not like I was out looking to meet troublemakers mind you. Just so many one is bound to run into one or two just by chance.
Or perhaps I attract the wrong sort of element!

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

That said, in any case, (de-)registration is perhaps (I am not sure about here in HU) a criminal offence but a civil one.

I am not a lawyer, but I doubt even that. A Bureaucratic offense maybe, but that has no civil penalties that I am aware of.

Incidentally, last time I heard about someone getting into court about this was when I was in Serbia a few years ago.  The fine for not registering was about 80 EUR but I don't know how the payment was classified.

As far as I know, it's very difficult to do  things in many countries without registering as these systems are all becoming interlinked so all the details are centrally accessible. I notice Mrs Fluffy has to get her ID card out regularly when dealing with bureaucracy.   Not something I'm used to from the UK.

Visiting Las Vegas ATM and they ask for ID's all the time.
Even for the "gifts" given away to casino players.
Some stores allow you to use the ATM card without showing ID and other stores want ID and your first born.
Not sure about in the EU with showing ID every time one uses their bank card. We only use cash in the EU. For one reason my husband does not really trust giving it to a waiter or store clerk, afraid of scammers. Not sure why we feel so much more trusting home in the US.
Yes the old days of getting away with murder in one country and skipping out are long gone, they can find anyone anywhere if "they" chose to.
Other then hiding in grandma's basement for life it is impossible to break the laws in one place and start up new somewhere else.
All good, so far I have lived without causing any trouble, not done yet however...

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Some stores allow you to use the ATM card without showing ID and other stores want ID and your first born.
Not sure about in the EU with showing ID every time one uses their bank card. We only use cash in the EU. For one reason my husband does not really trust giving it to a waiter or store clerk, afraid of scammers. Not sure why we feel so much more trusting home in the US...

They used to do the ID check here but now they need the PIN entered on the keypad, it's pretty much impossible to know that unless you are the cardholder.  So they've stopped asking.  If they use the ZipZap card machine, then yet they would ask for ID.

It's OK to use your cards in Europe.  Just make sure it's always in your sight and look carefully at the machine you are putting your PIN into.  If they take your card away, there's a chance they could clone it but without the PIN, it's pretty much useless.

One thing that really is dumb in the US/Canada is checking IDs when buying alcohol.   Someone who is plainly over 21 shouldn't need to get their ID out and besides, the average store clerk has no idea about European IDs.   Being asked for ID when one is over 40 is just plain absurd.

Darn, I wish someone, anyone would card me when I buy alcohol!
Just for my vanities sake!!
I was carded up to around age 35 so guess I shouldn't feel so bad...

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Darn, I wish someone, anyone would card me when I buy alcohol!
Just for my vanities sake!!

I was thinking exactly the same. Being carded after 40 is not an inconvenience, it is a complement. 

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Darn, I wish someone, anyone would card me when I buy alcohol!
Just for my vanities sake!!

I was thinking exactly the same. Being carded after 40 is not an inconvenience, it is a complement. 

40 is but a distant memory......

fluffy2560 wrote:

40 is but a distant memory......

So, it is like an uber complement.

A complement beyond all others.

You are deity to be worshiped and admired for getting such a complement.

Everyone should prostrate themselves at your feet to learn the secrets of youthfulness and longevity.

You could become a brand, making millions (Euro, not Forint) in celebrity endorsements and marketing. If Oprah, CNN, et al., does not call you tomorrow I will be shocked, literally shocked.

(Those of us over 40 may not get this, but what I wrote above is **cough** (unfortunatly) the world today that we live in)

P.S. Is there any way possible, that my comment can get more:  ?

The only clerks that ask for my ID when buying alcohol are "old dudes" who are flirty.
Not exactly what I pray for when trying to get picked up!! ( Not like I am trying at all)
So sad to get old, have "young men" give a a look then they realize I could be their mom and they turn away fast. The old men my age are just too old, let themselves go a long time ago.
Thanks God I have my husband, I keep him staying a "clean old man"  make sure he is well groomed and all.
Darn, is this were it all leads to? Ha, ha!

Hmm.....It is not fair to compare Hawaii with anything be it HU or the US! Hawaii is artificially high being an island and there is a high standard of living! While the US sure is more expensive than HU you failed to mention my pet pee the VAT/Sales tax at a whopping 27%., and that is from your mobil bill, gas, electric etc. This of course doesn't mention traffic, speeding fines where there is no "traffic court" to state your case but you have to pay it or the "guilty" car get's de-registered! I don't want to get on my soap box but Hungary has a long way to go!

True, Hawaii is not even like any other US state.
Hungary is frustrating even for locals.
We have asked advice over the years on a variety of subjects from our neighbors, one lady is sharp as a tack and is 83 her daughter is 64.
They should know what's the deal with many issues in Hungary as they have lived in several different systems in Hungary during their lives.
They are at a loss many times with not knowing how much to tip, who to tip where to go to make a complaint who is the best dentist in our area, etc.
They have helped us allot over the years but even they can't keep up with the changes and new rules that seem to pop up from nowhere.
Not sure what is going on now but read Hungary is even considering Marshal Law?
A curfew and other restrictions?
Hope I misread the post.

No you didn't misread it! Apparently the Hungarian Constitution has no "adequate" provision for such contingency which is hard to fathom, but here you go! Of course dictators and would be dictators like tools like that for quick and effective crisis management! Sad but then Hungary was under communist and Soviet iron hand for a long time! These things don't change fast. It will be another 20 to 30 years to see significant changes!

Wow, let's hope it does not come down hard anytime soon.
My husband was raised under the old system, freaked him out so he left.
Only reason were are back in Hungary is because things had changed for the better, time will tell.
On the other hand, seems every country is putting more controls on everyone.
The US is turning into a police state too.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....Not sure what is going on now but read Hungary is even considering Marshal Law?
A curfew and other restrictions?
Hope I misread the post.

Got a link to this Marilyn?

I didn't read anything on martial law. There was a "national emergency" way back in September over the refugees. Orban would of course love any of that as he could show his Putin stripes.

Sometimes only the local media mentions things on a low key and sometimes local political talk shows. Until it get's picked up by some reporter that writes for foreign media it is hard for foreign speakers to pick up on it! Ask a Hungarian friend..........

peddington wrote:

Sometimes only the local media mentions things on a low key and sometimes local political talk shows. Until it get's picked up by some reporter that writes for foreign media it is hard for foreign speakers to pick up on it! Ask a Hungarian friend..........

Hmmmm....martial law is a massive step.  Might have just been an opinion.

I'll ask Mrs Fluffy as she seems to know everyone.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Got a link to this Marilyn?

I think she is referring to this:

http://hungarytoday.hu/news/state-terro … tion-70279

"The Hungarian government has proposed amending the fundamental law to include a so-called “state of terrorist threat” among instances that mandate the mobilisation and, if need be, the domestic deployment of the armed forces."

peddington wrote:

Sad but then Hungary was under communist and Soviet iron hand for a long time! These things don't change fast. It will be another 20 to 30 years to see significant changes!

I would rather say that things have actually changed quite fast already. A fast change to a political dominance of nationalistic and hard right and far right wing politics in Hungary.

Guess we are off topic but these new  possible rules are something to keep our eye out for.
No threat as of yet and nothing to freak over just now.

And the worst part is when your body get's old but your mind stays young! LOL!

Your telling me, was so lucky to visit with 2 old friends last week, have known them since we are all 13, 14 years old.
I still see them young with long shinny hair and blue jeans on walking and running everywhere, sadly one is now in a wheelchair and the other undergoing treatments for brain cancer.
Both are still into social issues and often go to animal rights protests etc.
Just because the ol' body wants to give out doesn't always mean the mind has given out.
Some people are tougher then others, took a 3 day long job here in Vegas, about killed me the 6 hours of work per day, a women working with me was 81 and does that sort of work all them time.
Put me to shame.

Indeed! I don't know which is worse to see with a healthy mind a non working body or to walk around with a working body and be totally unaware of what is going on and be trapped in your mind!? Some are lucky and never see either then take their leave of this earthly world! Like the cowboys used to say; I hope to die with my booths on! But as the song goes maybe it is best you can hope for is to "die in your sleep"!