Passport Stamped Again

fidobsa wrote:

I live in Croatia now but before the lockdowns etc. I used to often go to Hungary for shopping trips or to meet friends. Early in September I attempted such a shopping trip but it did not go well as I managed to lose my temporary residence card. I had only included the card with my passport in the hope that my British passport would not get stamped if they were aware I live in an EU country. My passport did get stamped and I did complain. I was told they have to stamp it because I'm coming from a non Schengen country. As UK was never in the Schengen zone I can't see what difference that would make.

I had to apply for a new card which took a few weeks. In the meantime my Hungarian bank debit card expired and a new one arrived by post. When I tried the card in an ATM in Croatia it didn't work. I thought perhaps the first transaction to activate the card must be made in Hungary so today I visited Hungary to test this idea. It didn't work so I will have to write to the bank and ask what to do about it.

This time I only gave my passport and vaccination certificate at the Croatia side of the border but included the residence card at the Hungary side. Again they stamped the passport. On the way back to Croatia a couple of hours later I didn't give the residence card at the Hungary side but they asked to see it! I don't know why they needed it unless it was curiosity to check I had got one.

Even though I've got the HU registration card they now stamp my passport at the airport.  I don't like them doing it as it'll fill it up with pointless stamps and the price of passports is ridiculous.  Looks like Brexit ballcocks I'm afraid. 

BTW, pre-Brexit, I never got my passport stamped in Croatia regardless of Schengen so that sounds like nonsense. Anyway, I thought Croatia was going to join Schengen very soon, perhaps next year.

BTW, nearly everything is on the smartphone. You can probably substitute your bank card for your phone nowadays if you have the bank application installed.

fluffy2560 wrote:

fidobsa wrote:

I live in Croatia now but before the lockdowns etc. I used to often go to Hungary for shopping trips or to meet friends. Early in September I attempted such a shopping trip but it did not go well as I managed to lose my temporary residence card. I had only included the card with my passport in the hope that my British passport would not get stamped if they were aware I live in an EU country. My passport did get stamped and I did complain. I was told they have to stamp it because I'm coming from a non Schengen country. As UK was never in the Schengen zone I can't see what difference that would make.

I had to apply for a new card which took a few weeks. In the meantime my Hungarian bank debit card expired and a new one arrived by post. When I tried the card in an ATM in Croatia it didn't work. I thought perhaps the first transaction to activate the card must be made in Hungary so today I visited Hungary to test this idea. It didn't work so I will have to write to the bank and ask what to do about it.

This time I only gave my passport and vaccination certificate at the Croatia side of the border but included the residence card at the Hungary side. Again they stamped the passport. On the way back to Croatia a couple of hours later I didn't give the residence card at the Hungary side but they asked to see it! I don't know why they needed it unless it was curiosity to check I had got one.

Even though I've got the HU registration card they now stamp my passport at the airport.  I don't like them doing it as it'll fill it up with pointless stamps and the price of passports is ridiculous.  Looks like Brexit ballcocks I'm afraid. 

BTW, pre-Brexit, I never got my passport stamped in Croatia regardless of Schengen so that sounds like nonsense. Anyway, I thought Croatia was going to join Schengen very soon, perhaps next year.

BTW, nearly everything is on the smartphone. You can probably substitute your bank card for your phone nowadays if you have the bank application installed.

Its pot luck, all depends on the Official at the gate. Some stamp, some don't.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

fidobsa wrote:

I live in Croatia now but before the lockdowns etc. I used to often go to Hungary for shopping trips or to meet friends. Early in September I attempted such a shopping trip but it did not go well as I managed to lose my temporary residence card. I had only included the card with my passport in the hope that my British passport would not get stamped if they were aware I live in an EU country. My passport did get stamped and I did complain. I was told they have to stamp it because I'm coming from a non Schengen country. As UK was never in the Schengen zone I can't see what difference that would make.

I had to apply for a new card which took a few weeks. In the meantime my Hungarian bank debit card expired and a new one arrived by post. When I tried the card in an ATM in Croatia it didn't work. I thought perhaps the first transaction to activate the card must be made in Hungary so today I visited Hungary to test this idea. It didn't work so I will have to write to the bank and ask what to do about it.

This time I only gave my passport and vaccination certificate at the Croatia side of the border but included the residence card at the Hungary side. Again they stamped the passport. On the way back to Croatia a couple of hours later I didn't give the residence card at the Hungary side but they asked to see it! I don't know why they needed it unless it was curiosity to check I had got one.

Even though I've got the HU registration card they now stamp my passport at the airport.  I don't like them doing it as it'll fill it up with pointless stamps and the price of passports is ridiculous.  Looks like Brexit ballcocks I'm afraid. 

BTW, pre-Brexit, I never got my passport stamped in Croatia regardless of Schengen so that sounds like nonsense. Anyway, I thought Croatia was going to join Schengen very soon, perhaps next year.

BTW, nearly everything is on the smartphone. You can probably substitute your bank card for your phone nowadays if you have the bank application installed.

Its pot luck, all depends on the Official at the gate. Some stamp, some don't.

I've only been out of and into HU once since Brexit.  I think back to the non-EU days. It was stamp mania and my passport was full up with their rubber stamps. But it's all pants. 

Why the UK cannot negotiate to get back in on the e-gates I do not know?!   

The ridiculous thing is that NI to Rep. Ireland there are no checks and no stamping.  So why not to the rest of the UK from EU member states?  Boris (the PM, not Cynic's dog) obviously has different priorities.

fluffy2560 wrote:

The ridiculous thing is that NI to Rep. Ireland there are no checks and no stamping.  So why not to the rest of the UK from EU member states?  Boris (the PM, not Cynic's dog) obviously has different priorities.

Because they are still in the common market.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

The ridiculous thing is that NI to Rep. Ireland there are no checks and no stamping.  So why not to the rest of the UK from EU member states?  Boris (the PM, not Cynic's dog) obviously has different priorities.

Because they are still in the common market.

Yes, they are.

What I'm saying is  the border between NI and the Republic is unsupervised.   No-one is checking passports on that border.  No rubber stamps. And that's a border between the UK and the EU.

At LHR T5, there's no special EU line and there are gadzillions more people flying into the UK from the EU than there are from Japan or Australia/NZ or Korea etc - all of which can use the e-gates.  It's a waste of time over UK's ego and Brexit posturing.

fluffy2560 wrote:

The ridiculous thing is that NI to Rep. Ireland there are no checks and no stamping.  So why not to the rest of the UK from EU member states?  Boris (the PM, not Cynic's dog) obviously has different priorities.

Why?  It's called the Common Travel Area - it pre-dates the EU but unfortunately, it only gives free travel to people, not goods.

Cynic wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

The ridiculous thing is that NI to Rep. Ireland there are no checks and no stamping.  So why not to the rest of the UK from EU member states?  Boris (the PM, not Cynic's dog) obviously has different priorities.

Why?  It's called the Common Travel Area - it pre-dates the EU but unfortunately, it only gives free travel to people, not goods.

Yes, I know about the CTA.   

I'm saying that's inconsistent with the EU's ideas of people based border control elsewhere.  They can get away with it because it's an isolated island, long history and the troubles etc.

As far as I remember, there's no policing of personal goods there - e.g. people go to Tesco in NI from the Republic etc.  No-one is checking on them. And as was always the case, there's been plenty of scamming going on over commercial fuel taxes and other stuff since forever. 

But people wise, if the UK can continue with the CTA North and South on the island of Ireland, then why not a CTA type equivalent with the EU?   

Same sort of thing going on in Gibraltar - open border with the EU.   The point is that the UK authorities and the EU can do it if they have a mind to.   

So as a first stage, why not more open border with the EU? And just re-enable the e-gates?  And no passport stamping?! 

It's Brexit Bonkers!

fluffy2560 wrote:

Cynic wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

The ridiculous thing is that NI to Rep. Ireland there are no checks and no stamping.  So why not to the rest of the UK from EU member states?  Boris (the PM, not Cynic's dog) obviously has different priorities.

Why?  It's called the Common Travel Area - it pre-dates the EU but unfortunately, it only gives free travel to people, not goods.

Yes, I know about the CTA.   

I'm saying that's inconsistent with the EU's ideas of people based border control elsewhere.  They can get away with it because it's an isolated island, long history and the troubles etc.

As far as I remember, there's no policing of personal goods there - e.g. people go to Tesco in NI from the Republic etc.  No-one is checking on them. And as was always the case, there's been plenty of scamming going on over commercial fuel taxes and other stuff since forever. 

But people wise, if the UK can continue with the CTA North and South on the island of Ireland, then why not a CTA type equivalent with the EU?   

Same sort of thing going on in Gibraltar - open border with the EU.   The point is that the UK authorities and the EU can do it if they have a mind to.   

So as a first stage, why not more open border with the EU? And just re-enable the e-gates?  And no passport stamping?! 

It's Brexit Bonkers!

The UK hasn't disabled the e-gates - EU citizens can still use the e-gates at UK airports (link); except for work visas, neither does the UK stamp EU passports; you need to have this discussion with your home Governments.

The CTA predates the EU, but as I said.  If you compare it with EU freedom of movement, it is actually much more generous (right to vote is the main one; my wife (EU citizen with the right to residence etc) can't vote in UK General elections, Irish citizens resident in the UK can).  The reason there are no border checks is because of the CTA and practicalities, when I lived and worked there, there were 5 Customs posts on something like 250 roads that cross the 500 km border.  Those 5 customs posts were never manned after the 1970s, mainly because they were used for target practice by the terrorists.  These are the practicality of Irish politics; if Paddy doesn't want something, I can guarantee you 100%, it won't happen.  There is a reason why they are experiencing the current issues and why the EU will ultimately fold on it, that reason is nothing to do with the politics, it's simply because the people it will affect adversely (the scamming you refer to), will not accept it; there had already been reported incidents of EU officials being intimidated.  In today's press, reading between the lines, they appear to have a deal for everything related to NI, but the UK will invoke Article 16 on the whole deal, if the EU insist on the ECJ being the arbiter of any dispute between the UK and EU.

Cynic wrote:

....
The UK hasn't disabled the e-gates - EU citizens can still use the e-gates at UK airports (link); except for work visas, neither does the UK stamp EU passports; you need to have this discussion with your home Governments.

The CTA predates the EU, but as I said.  If you compare it with EU freedom of movement, it is actually much more generous (right to vote is the main one; my wife (EU citizen with the right to residence etc) can't vote in UK General elections, Irish citizens resident in the UK can).  The reason there are no border checks is because of the CTA and practicalities, when I lived and worked there, there were 5 Customs posts on something like 250 roads that cross the 500 km border.  Those 5 customs posts were never manned after the 1970s, mainly because they were used for target practice by the terrorists.  These are the practicality of Irish politics; if Paddy doesn't want something, I can guarantee you 100%, it won't happen.  There is a reason why they are experiencing the current issues and why the EU will ultimately fold on it, that reason is nothing to do with the politics, it's simply because the people it will affect adversely (the scamming you refer to), will not accept it; there had already been reported incidents of EU officials being intimidated.  In today's press, reading between the lines, they appear to have a deal for everything related to NI, but the UK will invoke Article 16 on the whole deal, if the EU insist on the ECJ being the arbiter of any dispute between the UK and EU.

Wow, that e-gates thing is new news and good info.   They kept that quiet. 

When I flew into T5 LHR on BA direct in late August and left in early September, the e-gates were not EU friendly - there was no sign up or sticker for EU nationals to use them but there was for all the others including USA/Canada/NZ etc.   That's a recent change.  No stamps either but no e-gates at land borders.

When I was at LHR last, there was a massive queue on the physical passport checks and the vast majority of them didn't look like that came from very far away.  If you came on BA, then T5 was where you ended up.   This was when T5 was being used for yellow COVID arrivals which included all of the EU.   

I'm flying to the UK in about 10 days via Munich on Lufthansa. I wonder if e-gates are going to be reciprocated in Germany.  Might show the UK and EU have finally stopped mucking about inconveniencing people.   My daughter is flying in on Wednesday, I must remember to ask her when she flies back if she can use the e-gates at BUD airport.

As for the CTA, this could have been a model for Schengen. There was a time of course when EU voting rights did exist pre-Brexit but now all gone.     It can imagine it was indeed impractical to police the GB-IRL border and one can imagine the outrage if they'd tried to put up a concrete wall or barbed wire like they are doing on the Hungary-Serbia and now Lithuania-Poland-Belarus border now.  Those are external borders with the EU (cf. external border of the Republic with NI).

I agree the EU is going to have to cave in.  Not just on the UK but everywhere else too.  They're already under severe pressure in Poland and probably Hungary is not far behind (elections due next year here so domestic politics involved).   

Putin must just be jumping up and down with glee over the increasing cracks and division.

Down to COVID, the E-gates have not been operational all over the place.

SimCityAT wrote:

Down to COVID, the E-gates have not been operational all over the place.

That's odd because the e-gates would be more suitable to avoid human contact. 

An immigration person breathing heavily over your documents seems to be rather wrong.

The e-gates have also suffered from Covid issues - not that they caught it, but when it went U/S nobody to fix them; then when the airports started playing silly buggers with passenger flows to try and do something about the queues (the great T5 experiment).  I've never seen an e-gate at a land border, but that could be more related to the fact that I was in a car than who or what uses them.

I was a frequent user of Schiphol and when the e-gates go down there, you are queuing outside the terminal.

Cynic wrote:

The e-gates have also suffered from Covid issues - not that they caught it, but when it went U/S nobody to fix them; then when the airports started playing silly buggers with passenger flows to try and do something about the queues (the great T5 experiment).  I've never seen an e-gate at a land border, but that could be more related to the fact that I was in a car than who or what uses them.

I was a frequent user of Schiphol and when the e-gates go down there, you are queuing outside the terminal.

The e-gates have always been a problem here.  Most of the time they aren't in use.  Not that I could use them anyway unless enabled for heathens from the UK.  There's only about 3 or 4 e-gates at BUD T2B outbound.

It could work just as well on the land borders, just wave passport at a reader while staring into a camera from the driving seat - wouldn't work for passengers I agree.  We just get waved on the AT-HU border but we're driving a HU car and we've all got red passports.

I'm sceptical they really catch anyone using fake documents. Early on in the Syria crisis I saw some Syrians on the TV with fake passports and one made it to the UK without any problems.  That one was just able to  claim asylum at their arrival airport. 

The other one in the story - might have been on the BBC - was a young woman about 25, who could have come from anywhere - she was dressed like she'd been working in Paris. Once in the EU on her fake passport, she was able to travel by train to Sweden without any interruption.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Cynic wrote:

The e-gates have also suffered from Covid issues - not that they caught it, but when it went U/S nobody to fix them; then when the airports started playing silly buggers with passenger flows to try and do something about the queues (the great T5 experiment).  I've never seen an e-gate at a land border, but that could be more related to the fact that I was in a car than who or what uses them.

I was a frequent user of Schiphol and when the e-gates go down there, you are queuing outside the terminal.

The e-gates have always been a problem here.  Most of the time they aren't in use.  Not that I could use them anyway unless enabled for heathens from the UK.  There's only about 3 or 4 e-gates at BUD T2B.

It could work just as well on the land borders, just wave passport at a reader while staring into a camera from the driving seat - wouldn't work for passengers I agree.  We just get waved on the AT-HU border but we're driving a HU car and we've all got red passports.

I'm sceptical they really catch anyone using fake documents. Early on in the Syria crisis I saw some Syrians on the TV with fake passports and one made it to the UK without any problems.  That one was just able to  claim asylum at their arrival airport. 

The other one in the story - might have been on the BBC - was a young woman about 25, who could have come from anywhere - she was dressed like she'd been working in Paris. Once in the EU on her fake passport, she was able to travel by train to Sweden without any interruption.

That's the problem with technology, if Governments buy it, they are expected to use it or get hammered politically.  I'm amazed the NHS app works as well as it does; I have my entire medical history (including the stuff from the military which really surprised me) on my smartphone.  Something is nagging me that the whole thing was developed by the company that Hancock owned before he was elected.

Cynic wrote:

....
That's the problem with technology, if Governments buy it, they are expected to use it or get hammered politically.  I'm amazed the NHS app works as well as it does; I have my entire medical history (including the stuff from the military which really surprised me) on my smartphone.  Something is nagging me that the whole thing was developed by the company that Hancock owned before he was elected.

Some of the IT stuff used by governments is nonsense.  The population in some tiny countries cannot possibly warrant spending millions dealing with a population of thousands.    I can see how attractive it is to have these kinds of "vanity" project - look, we have an app and therefore we're on top of it (whatever it is).   Many politicians don't realise what they are getting into when they go digital.  Needs specialists and one size doesn't fit all.

I always remember the Simpsons' musical episode where every town had to have a monorail sold to them by a flim-flam man (con artist).  Draw your own conclusions about Hancock!

I access the NHS App for my Dad.  It works quite well but if the patient is in receipt of outsourced services (like my Dad's cataracts), the appointments don't show up in it.   

He has quite a lot of appointments so it's important to keep up with it  by entering these appointments manually.   I organised it so my siblings would also share access to the Dad NHS common calendar.  But do they look at it?  Nope!

I just asked she who must be obeyed.  Apparently, the medical records/admin system used by all the NHS sites in Yorkshire is called SystemOne; which has been specifically designed to link with the NHS App, this is why I can see so much of my personal record.  I did have to give separate authority for my digital records to be accessed, maybe that's what you need to ask about for your Dad.  There are some training videos on YouTube that the NHS use to teach their staff, which may also give you some ideas.

Cynic wrote:

I just asked she who must be obeyed.  Apparently, the medical records/admin system used by all the NHS sites in Yorkshire is called SystemOne; which has been specifically designed to link with the NHS App, this is why I can see so much of my personal record.  I did have to give separate authority for my digital records to be accessed, maybe that's what you need to ask about for your Dad.  There are some training videos on YouTube that the NHS use to teach their staff, which may also give you some ideas.

The one down south that is linked to my Dad is called Patients Know Best.   Looks like there's a marketing arrangement where GPs can select compatible providers.  There's a common access method to the actual data.  All of the permissions are naturally given. 

There is a proxy mechanism to allow third parties to look at data stored but that's all too complicated.  So what we've done is simply shared his username and password between us. 

The issue with the calendar is that the outsource providers used for some health care in the UK don't seem to have access to the background data. I asked them and they said they cannot do that. Maybe it's just them. So they send letters which then someone has to tell me or us about and I enter the calendar data.

One thing which causes problems is a power of attorney.  Two of my siblings have power or attorney over finances and health but I don't have it.  My parents set it up this way because they didn't think I could have PoA from abroad or I'd be hard to contact or couldn't be there fast enough. My other sibling, no idea why they don't have it although I could guess.   I suppose at the time it was OK but now I don't see why all four of us don't have it.   

I've got to go and paint a plank of wood. I might watch it dry too!  And I've got to move about 100 bricks out of my garden. Left over from when we built the house. Post-lockdown and COVID and restricted travel has transformed my garden. I'm almost running out of tidying up to do!

I just fitted a rear seat protector in the car; too much is happening nowadays (grandson and dog), so I thought I'd put some protection on my faux-leather seats for when we go out on cold/muddy days.  I'm surprised at how well it fits.

Cynic wrote:

I just fitted a rear seat protector in the car; too much is happening nowadays (grandson and dog), so I thought I'd put some protection on my faux-leather seats for when we go out on cold/muddy days.  I'm surprised at how well it fits.

Nothing to do with passport stamping of course.

We bought some seat covers for our newish car but we've never put them on.   I also have to buy some seat covers for my hobby car as the leather has literally disintegrated on the drivers and passenger sides. 

I've been looking for 2nd hand seats to cannibalise but they are not in good condition either as they are all old the same as the hobby car.   So it looks like seat covers but the only place with quality hard wearing I've found is in the USA, made to order and that's megabucks to import.

My back gave out so I only moved about 30 bricks. I'll do the rest tomorrow or the next day or the day after.  Maybe some elves will move them for me.  The plank was however fully varnished and is busy drying.  It won't dry faster if I watch it.

Today, I got an update from HMG on passport stamping entering HU (my highlighting):

If you are resident in Hungary your passport should not be stamped. You should proactively show your proof of residence as well as your valid passport at Hungarian border control.

and if not a permanent resident (they cannot tell from your passport):

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through Hungary as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you're complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

Last week, I can attest to the German Schengen border guards at Munich looking for passport stamps. Once I showed my HU registration card, they weren't interested in me anymore.  But it's the shape of things to come for sure for British traitors to the EU cause. I am wondering when they will fizzle out on such an expensive and inconvenient campaign bringing few rewards.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Today, I got an update from HMG on passport stamping entering HU (my highlighting):

If you are resident in Hungary your passport should not be stamped. You should proactively show your proof of residence as well as your valid passport at Hungarian border control.

and if not a permanent resident (they cannot tell from your passport):

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through Hungary as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you're complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

Last week, I can attest to the German Schengen border guards at Munich looking for passport stamps. Once I showed my HU registration card, they weren't interested in me anymore.  But it's the shape of things to come for sure for British traitors to the EU cause. I am wondering when they will fizzle out on such an expensive and inconvenient campaign bringing few rewards.

There does seem to be a difference between Hungary and Croatia as people in Hungary are getting permanent residence whereas here it is temporary residence. I went to Hungary again on Tuesday but this time I crossed at Gola, a different crossing point. My passport was again stamped. This time I was going to collect a log splitter I was buying from one of the BalatonBrits members. I also managed to resolve the bank card issue at CIB in Nagykanizsa. Although they sent me the card by post it seems it has to be activated at the branch! Typical Hungarian logic and a good job my UK bank doesn't mess me about like that. It would be a very expensive bank card if I had to travel to UK every time it expires.

I had to look up eGates as I had not encountered them. I think my last flight was BP to Birmingham but was 3 or 4 years ago. I'm told they no longer use the cattle sheds at BP airport.

fidobsa wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Today, I got an update from HMG on passport stamping entering HU (my highlighting):

If you are resident in Hungary your passport should not be stamped. You should proactively show your proof of residence as well as your valid passport at Hungarian border control.

and if not a permanent resident (they cannot tell from your passport):

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through Hungary as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you're complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

Last week, I can attest to the German Schengen border guards at Munich looking for passport stamps. Once I showed my HU registration card, they weren't interested in me anymore.  But it's the shape of things to come for sure for British traitors to the EU cause. I am wondering when they will fizzle out on such an expensive and inconvenient campaign bringing few rewards.

There does seem to be a difference between Hungary and Croatia as people in Hungary are getting permanent residence whereas here it is temporary residence. I went to Hungary again on Tuesday but this time I crossed at Gola, a different crossing point. My passport was again stamped. This time I was going to collect a log splitter I was buying from one of the BalatonBrits members. I also managed to resolve the bank card issue at CIB in Nagykanizsa. Although they sent me the card by post it seems it has to be activated at the branch! Typical Hungarian logic and a good job my UK bank doesn't mess me about like that. It would be a very expensive bank card if I had to travel to UK every time it expires.

I had to look up eGates as I had not encountered them. I think my last flight was BP to Birmingham but was 3 or 4 years ago. I'm told they no longer use the cattle sheds at BP airport.

Be thankful that you still have a UK bank account, as some banks are closing accounts if you don't live in the UK.

fidobsa wrote:

...
There does seem to be a difference between Hungary and Croatia as people in Hungary are getting permanent residence whereas here it is temporary residence. I went to Hungary again on Tuesday but this time I crossed at Gola, a different crossing point. My passport was again stamped. This time I was going to collect a log splitter I was buying from one of the BalatonBrits members. I also managed to resolve the bank card issue at CIB in Nagykanizsa. Although they sent me the card by post it seems it has to be activated at the branch! Typical Hungarian logic and a good job my UK bank doesn't mess me about like that. It would be a very expensive bank card if I had to travel to UK every time it expires.

I had to look up eGates as I had not encountered them. I think my last flight was BP to Birmingham but was 3 or 4 years ago. I'm told they no longer use the cattle sheds at BP airport.

We also get temporary residence and it's for 5 years.  After that, we can apply for extension to 10 years. I think then we can work anywhere in the EU. It's not a happy situation to have our rights rescinded. 

The way the bureaucracy seems to be working is to streamline us into the PRC (Permanent Residence Card) scenarios so after a time, all the registration cards are expired and we're the same as anyone else that's a 3CN (Third Country National).

One thing I don't know is if the date on registration cards is the date effectively a PRC would have  been deemed have been issued.  So we've been on registration cards for 2 years, so I'm thinking a PRC would be valid a further 3 years, meaning after 3 years we could have a 10 year permit.   It's just an unanswered question.  Mrs F has to ask the question. I think my hopes for a 10 year permit in 3 years are likely to be dashed.

But I suggest registration in HU asap if anyone wants it because post-31 Dec 2021, it won't be possible to register without the crazy insane paperwork forms. These forms are many pages but for the British, it's very short with  no qualification tests until the end of year.  All I can say is it's a Bloody Boris Brexit.

eGates  have been around for some years but they are a bit unreliable. In Budapest, they seem to regularly turn them off or they aren't working.  Hard to say what's up with that.  The cattle sheds have now gone in BUD and there's a new terminal extension. It's still stupid as there's no air bridge.  One has to walk down steps in the weather and rain.  It's a "low cost" operating environment.

SimCityAT wrote:

...
Be thankful that you still have a UK bank account, as some banks are closing accounts if you don't live in the UK.

It's OK if you have an address - could be a relative's.   

One thing I've noticed is that some recent UK insurance renewals I've received now ask you where you are resident and there's no EU choices in the menus - just UK, Jersey, Isle of Man or (more oddly) Gibraltar.   It's problematic as some insurances just aren't available in HU.

fluffy2560 wrote:

We also get temporary residence and it's for 5 years.  After that, we can apply for extension to 10 years. I think then we can work anywhere in the EU. It's not a happy situation to have our rights rescinded.

You will only be allowed to work in Hungary.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

We also get temporary residence and it's for 5 years.  After that, we can apply for extension to 10 years. I think then we can work anywhere in the EU. It's not a happy situation to have our rights rescinded.

You will only be allowed to work in Hungary.

Yes, I know that.  It's what I said.

It's restricted on the 5 year one.

I understand the 10 year one enables EU working with an additional application for an EU Blue Pass or whatever it's called.  Seems to be a separate system.

Getting to the EU blue pass version perhaps just about gets us all back vaguely to pre-Brexit status.

fluffy2560 wrote:

eGates  have been around for some years but they are a bit unreliable. In Budapest, they seem to regularly turn them off or they aren't working.  Hard to say what's up with that.  The cattle sheds have now gone in BUD and there's a new terminal extension. It's still stupid as there's no air bridge.  One has to walk down steps in the weather and rain.  It's a "low cost" operating environment.

E gates are only as reliable as the computer and network they are connected to; the ones at Manchester Airport were notorious for intermittent failures, until someone discovered the cause, the cleaner unplugging one of the routers to plug the hoover in - it can be as simple as that.

Air bridges - cost money to use.  No frill airlines like Ryanair just won't use them unless forced to.

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

We also get temporary residence and it's for 5 years.  After that, we can apply for extension to 10 years. I think then we can work anywhere in the EU. It's not a happy situation to have our rights rescinded.

You will only be allowed to work in Hungary.

Yes, I know that.  It's what I said.

It's restricted on the 5 year one.

I understand the 10 year one enables EU working with an additional application for an EU Blue Pass or whatever it's called.  Seems to be a separate system.

Getting to the EU blue pass version perhaps just about gets us all back vaguely to pre-Brexit status.

Skilled migrants only and it's linked to your job/employer - at least that's what the EU website says at the moment.

Isn't your wife a national though?  I'd have thought you would have qualified for the family reunification visa.

Cynic wrote:

..
Skilled migrants only and it's linked to your job/employer - at least that's what the EU website says at the moment.

Isn't your wife a national though?  I'd have thought you would have qualified for the family reunification visa.

EU website is wrong and wrong big time! 

In Hungary, anyone registered and with a registration card up to 31st December 2020 is entitled to a PRC for 5 years.  Moreover, there are no tests for eligibility - not health, finances or other status need be satisfied.  Just need the registration card, address card, form (it's a simplified EEA version), photo and passport. Procedure must be complete by 31st December 2021.

If you can justify you were generally present with intent after 31st December 2020 until 31st December 2021 - i.e. had  a rental agreement for a property or say, an employment contract, you can ask to be registered at their discretion. Seems unlikely permission would be withheld.

I don't know what it's like elsewhere but that's the score on the doors in HU.

My wife and kids are indeed nationals but in this case, it doesn't matter as I'm covered in my own right by the WA (Withdrawal) agreement (as implemented in HU).

Cynic wrote:

E gates are only as reliable as the computer and network they are connected to; the ones at Manchester Airport were notorious for intermittent failures, until someone discovered the cause, the cleaner unplugging one of the routers to plug the hoover in - it can be as simple as that.

Air bridges - cost money to use.  No frill airlines like Ryanair just won't use them unless forced to.

Yes, I know air bridges cost but I cannot see it costing more than a couple of quid per passenger.  During the winter, it's pretty nasty on the airfield.  There's a lot of queueing outside.  Maybe Ryanair  should have a whip round for it before boarding or perhaps you could £1 in a slot to use it!

I was at the LHR queue and the egates struggled to recognise anyone.  Pathetic it was.

I knew I shouldn't have worn that Boris Johnson clown mask.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Cynic wrote:

E gates are only as reliable as the computer and network they are connected to; the ones at Manchester Airport were notorious for intermittent failures, until someone discovered the cause, the cleaner unplugging one of the routers to plug the hoover in - it can be as simple as that.

Air bridges - cost money to use.  No frill airlines like Ryanair just won't use them unless forced to.

Yes, I know air bridges cost but I cannot see it costing more than a couple of quid per passenger.  During the winter, it's pretty nasty on the airfield.  There's a lot of queueing outside.  Maybe Ryanair  should have a whip round for it before boarding or perhaps you could £1 in a slot to use it!

I was at the LHR queue and the egates struggled to recognise anyone.  Pathetic it was.

I knew I shouldn't have worn that Boris Johnson clown mask.

All airfields are nasty in the winter, even those in the warmer climes have their moment when somebody tips a bucket of water the size of Wales over it and the killer frogs come out to play.

A couple of quid p/passenger is how Mr O'Leary makes his profits; with his utilisation figures, he doesn't need to change anything.

Cynic wrote:

....
All airfields are nasty in the winter, even those in the warmer climes have their moment when somebody tips a bucket of water the size of Wales over it and the killer frogs come out to play.

A couple of quid p/passenger is how Mr O'Leary makes his profits; with his utilisation figures, he doesn't need to change anything.

It is indeed how O'Leary makes money but you remember the crackpot scheme to make people pay for the toilets?  I could imagine bottles of unmentionable liquids jammed into the seats or big stains on the floor.  And then was the charging disabled people which they tried to justify through the courts.  Never had a leg to stand on.

I've been on Ryanair once or twice and it's all a bit meh.  The price isn't everything. People will pay more for better service.   Thinking they are getting a bargain isn't always what motivates people. I think the likes of BA and Lufthansa are still carrying people - I suppose people graduate from student slum Ryanair flying to middle class professional on business with BA etc.

Ryanair also treats their staff awfully another reason why will not fly with them. Once was enough.

SimCityAT wrote:

Ryanair also treats their staff awfully another reason why will not fly with them. Once was enough.

We flew from Linz to somewhere on Ryanair but I don't remember where we went.   I was a bit annoyed about Linz airport. It was easy enough to get to but if I remember correctly the car park was quite expensive but  was very close to the terminal.   The plane was basic but for a couple of hours, it was doable.  Never used the airport again. Or Ryanair (I think).