Eligibility for Registration Certificate as retired EEA citizen

Hi all,

I'm a 45 year old Norwegian looking to relocate to Hungary. My life situation is that I'm on a disability pension for life from Norwegian state (not disabled as such, but deemed unfit for work due to back problems).

So when applying for Registration Certificate (this form) I would fall under the "Other" category.

My question is now, am I eligible to get a Registration Certificate as a retired EEA National in Hungary? The Immigration Office web pages are a little unclear, but I get the impression that I either need to work, OR to study, OR to have enough money to support myself, which I do.

Thanks in advance
Olav

Not sure but I have a very strong feeling they mean retired by HU standards which as far as I know is 40 years of work or age 60 for women and 62 for men.
I retired "early at 62" from the US but in Hungary full retirement age for even their own citizens to get benefits is 65.( I get zero perks here as a  senior so far expect a discount to the zoo)
Best advice is to go into immigration in person or contact the HU embassy closet to you and ask.
Even then you may get a few different answers.
This is the land of red tape.I have a strong feeling they will list you as "other" and not give you any sort of discounts or any perks if that is what you're after.
maybe they will issue you a handicapped parking permit but not sure about that either.
If you can afford to live in HU without working they probably will allow you to stay but not sure about health care etc. for you here.
It is a individual case by case thing here.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

This is the land of red tape.I have a strong feeling they will list you as "other" and not give you any sort of discounts or any perks if that is what you're after.
maybe they will issue you a handicapped parking permit but not sure about that either.
If you can afford to live in HU without working they probably will allow you to stay but not sure about health care etc. for you here.
It is a individual case by case thing here.


Thanks for the information.

I'm not after any perks, only an EEA citizen registration certificate that will allow me to live here on my own money. My Norwegian pension is sufficient to live very well in this part of Europe, so I should not be deemed a potential burden to the Hungarian state. As far as health insurance goes, I will have the European Health Insurance card.

Is your Norwegian EHIC valid when you become resident in another country?

@Cynic

From what I understand, it works like this:

A Norwegian who relocates abroad should apply to Norway for "Form E-121" (at least that's what it's called in Norway) after relocating and obtaining an address. Then the Norwegian system will send this form (which informs the new country about the Norwegian citizen's health rights) per post. After getting the E-121 approved by the Hungarian health systems, send in an application to Norway for a new EHIC which will arrive in post.

I assume a cheap health insurance compliant with Hungarian requirements can be used for the EEA citizen  Registration Certificate application, if the new EHIC has not yet been obtained. The waiting time for getting an E-121 can be 8-10 weeks, I've been told.

Ah - that's not an EHIC (hence my query); the E-121 is the old name for what the EU now call the S-1 form which is issued to people in certain circumstances (i.e. diplomats. or citizens in receipt of their state pension) and provides the same rights to medical care as the residents of that country (in your case, Hungary).  Some countries still call their document the E-121.

The EHIC is the card you are issued for temporary travel to other member states.  You should get the Hungarian equivalent of the EHIC card when you register there with your E-121.

The important thing to realise is that both documents only entitle you to the same basic medical treatment as the citizens of the host country, which may not be what you're used to getting at home in Norway; it's worthwhile checking what is covered.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks for the input, Cynic. I'll look into the details of the Health Care once I have figured out whether or not I am eligible for the EEA citizen residence certificate.

Worst case with your health coverage would be perhaps something like you might need to pay for private coverage for the first year you are registered living in HU. After that time you may be able to get the HU National Health coverage.
Head's up, it isn't all that great of coverage but they will do the basics for you.The dentists here, hit or miss, doctors too.
They usually just do enough to keep you alive, no extra's and if they can put it off they will.Maybe you'll get well on your own or just go away.
My experience anyways....
I now do not even bother with yearly check-up's even if they are free here, only go in if something is really bad.
Had a lump on my should and got the run around for over 2 months then was sent somewhere else then had surgery and they didn't even fix my problem which they said they were going to do, otherwise I never would of gone in for surgery. Was just told they looked around with a camera and I need a new shoulder joint.
Didn't address my main issue of a lump on my shoulder, healed up by itself with rubbing fresh aloe on it daily, I don't think most doctors in any country actually know what they are doing, they just throw pills your way and hope they work, if not they hand out more pills.
Sorry off on a tangent...
The national health is cheap, under 8,000 a month a person.
of course that doesn't include tips, which is another issue in itself, mind blowing to have to tip p he medical ladder for care but it's normal here. Hope you never have to find out I'm not kidding.
If you have a serious back issue you may be better off here with a private clinic and doctor because national health may just send you for PT and give you pills, that's about it.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

This is the land of red tape.


Yep.

And the government changes their laws and regulations all the time how to process your application.

So here only "generic" answer can be provided.

Best to contact the Hungarian office directly regarding such issues that "fall outside the norm", such as into "other" categories. Immigration offices here all have English speaking workers. But if one needs translation (language, legal, or otherwise), hire a local professional who has dealt with such issues to assist you.

I once asked at the dental school for some pricing for a person who lives in HU but is from the UK.
I am not 100% sure if this person is registered  as a full time resident of HU or the UK.
I tend to believe it is in the UK for medical care reasons.
I asked if this person could use their UK medical papers for work done at the school.
Was told without having a HU National Health Card they would have to pay out of pocket at the school.
The cost of treatments would be discussed in person before work started.
So to use the system in HU it seems you need to be in the system here.