Entering Hungary during the Coronavirus Epidemic: FAQ & Checklist (Updated August 25, 2020)
- Is the University going to provide online learning?
- How shall I prepare for my trip to Hungary?
- How do I get to Szeged from the airport?
- What do I have to do when I arrive to Szeged?
- Where am I supposed to stay during home quarantine?
- Can the period of compulsory home quarantine be shortened?
- How will I be able to supply myself during home quarantine?
- I am currently in Hungary, but I would like to leave the country and come back for the start of the semester. Is that possible?
Questionnaire on travelling to Hungary
Useful information on quarantine
As the start of the academic year is approaching and as we would like to ensure that your arrival to Hungary and Szeged will be as smooth as possible, we provide you an information package containing further useful details regarding travel, accommodation self-quarantine and the start of the semester.
1. Is the University going to provide online learning?
Consistent with the current pandemic situation in Hungary the University of Szeged is planning to start the education in the Academic Year of 2020-2021 in the form of the regular face-to-face learning on September 7th, by obeying the regulations related to the pandemic situation.
However, the University is aware of the fact that many students/future students face problems with traveling to Hungary, therefore the University is flexible with the actual starting date of face-to-face education. In case the student is not able to join education from September 1st, the student has to enrol online and follow all classes online until the arrival to Szeged, which should not be later than October 25, 2020. From October 26, 2020 the student will be obliged to attend face-to-face classes. For students, who arrive late, the departments will provide the opportunity to make up for the missed classes.
Students also need to take into consideration that in case of a 14-day quarantine the latest arrival date is October 11, 2020.
2. How shall I prepare for my trip to Hungary?
It is crucial to check the latest updates on the entry requirements published by the Hungarian Consular Services in your country before planning your travel to Hungary.
Since regulations often change due to the current epidemic situation, we also ask you to regularly check the website of the University for relevant and up to date information on the requirements of entering Hungary, furthermore the messages sent via Dream Apply and to your e-mail address, and if you are an enrolled student, messages sent via Neptun.
Below please find an outline of the current regulations:
For a checklist of preparations that should be done before starting your trip, please click here.
Entering Hungary
The Hungarian Government categorized countries and regions into 3 types according to their level of COVID-19 status: green, yellow, and red.
- Green stands for safe/lightly affected countries or regions.
- Yellow is for moderately affected countries or regions.
- Red countries or regions are the most affected countries or regions, with the highest counts of newly infected.
Students coming from green countries or regions can travel into Hungary without any restrictions.
Students travelling from countries or regions with yellow and red status shall be subject to special medical checks and will probably be ordered home quarantine for 14 days at their place of residence in Hungary.
Students who are entitled to stay in Hungary for more than 90 days, are allowed to enter Hungary even from the so called classified countries (green, yellow and red), provided they present upon entry a valid official permit (or D type visa) issued by the Hungarian immigration authority, proving their entitlement to long-term stay. However, when entering Hungary, they shall also undergo special procedures.
Students not falling into the above category, are required to fill out a “Leniency Application” in order to cross the border.
In order to ensure the effortless and smooth enter and stay in Hungary and to avoid being quarantined, it is recommended to have two negative COVID-19 (PCR) test results when travelling to Hungary. According to our legal regulations in effect: ’Epidemiological monitoring is not required if the student can present the results of a molecular biological test (SARS-CoV-2 test) at entry – performed twice in accordance with professional healthcare rules, at least 48 hours apart, and within 5 days prior to entering Hungary – in the form of a medical examination certificate in either Hungarian or English that certifies that SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was not detectable in his/her body at the time of the examination, or if he/she can credibly prove that he/she had already been infected during the six months prior to entry.’
Students arriving a few days later due to the completion of the two tests will not suffer any disadvantages in connection with their studies.
In case you are not able to present the two negative PCR tests - that meet the conditions above - prior to entering Hungary, the University of Szeged provides PCR testing on the University’s premises.
The Hungarian Government has created a new type of Study Certificate for those students who intend to enter Hungary in order to conduct their studies. Students are requested to fill our form in order to receive the Certificate. The form can be accessed on this link:
https://modulo.etr.u-szeged.hu/Modulo2/default/en/forms/details/1914822
Newly admitted students have to register to the Neptun Unified Academic System first on the link below. https://service.neptun.u-szeged.hu/neptun/SZTE_RegEn.aspx
After completing the form, you will be able to download the Certificate instantly. Students who are not able to complete the form or download the Certificate due to technical issues, please write an email to arrival@szte.hu, the University will send it via e-mail to the personal e-mail addresses provided. We kindly ask you to have it printed while travelling, and if asked, show it to the respected authorities.
Those who are already on their way to Hungary or can no longer change the time of their departure and are not able to download the new Certificate, please bring all your documents sent by the University of Szeged or Tempus Public Foundation (letter of acceptance and/or letter of award). You will still be able to enter Hungary this way, but it is recommended to have the new Certificate with you.
3. How do I get to Szeged from the airport?
You are requested to go directly to Szeged (booked accommodation, flat, place of quarantine). There are no restrictions regarding the means of transport, you can use the train, shuttle bus, taxi etc.
For ways of how to get to Szeged, please click here.
4. What do I have to do when I arrive to Szeged?
You are requested to report your arrival to the University by filling in an online questionnaire:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGlKrZMNkub2uw7gXWLk-3L-jAKcEWiG9XHWw5k2bcDu41gQ/viewform
You will need to indicate:
- your name
- e-mail address
- nationality
- the country you have departed from/transit countries
- program and faculty, year
- the address of your accommodation
- type of accommodation (hotel, rented flat, friend’s flat, hostel stc.)
- cell phone number
5. Where am I supposed to stay during home quarantine?
If you are a Stipendium Hungaricum student, you will stay in a dormitory (health programme students: Apáthy kollégium, non-health students: Öthalmi kollégium. Those Stipendium Hungaricum students, who already have a flat, do not need to be accommodated in a dormitory.
Fee-paying students will need to stay at the accommodation indicated in their residence permit, or under the address indicated in their visa application.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you have already rented an apartment prior to your arrival, it can serve as the scene of a possible quarantine.
Be advised that the police will be checking/verifying on a regular basis that you are at the address of the home quarantine. If the police won’t be able to find you at the given address, you might even face the consequence of expellation from the country.
For international students and students from the transborder Hungarian communities, who are not provided with housing during the quarantine period, the University provides quarantine dormitory accommodation in the following locations:
• For medical students: Apáthy Dormitory (Szeged, Apáthy István utca 4.)
• For non-medical students: SZTE Öthalmi Student Apartments (Szeged, Budapesti út 7.)
For useful information on quarantine, please click here.
6. Can the period of compulsory home quarantine be shortened?
The University will provide two PCR tests on one occasion in the first semester of the 2020/21 academic year for international students and students from the transborder Hungarian communities - with obligatory quarantine - free of charge upon entering Hungary. The two PCR tests will provide exemption from mandatory quarantine.
We hereby point out that the test are guaranteed only one time for each student, therefore starting from 26 August 2020, no further free of charge tests will be provided for any student who may leave Hungary and is - upon return - required to spend two weeks in quarantine.
In order to ensure smooth entry and stay in Hungary, we still suggest to have two valid negative COVID-19 (PCR) tests upon entering the country to avoid the 14 days of mandatory quarantine to begin with.
Those students who enter Hungary and arrive few days later than the start of their studies due to process of undergoing the tests will not face any consequences.
In case of any further questions, get in touch with us via the below contact details:
24/7 call center: +36-62-546-800
e-mail: arrival@szte.hu
7. How will I be able to supply myself during home quarantine?
As you will not be allowed to leave the flat, you will need to order everything you need. Please, make sure to have a bank card which can be used for payment in HUF.
Here is a list of restraunts, pubs and shops that have a delivery service.
8. I am currently in Hungary, but I would like to leave the country and come back for the start of the semester. Is that possible?
It is possible to leave the country, however it is absolutely not advisable, as your return cannot be guaranteed. In case you wish to come back to Hungary, you will need to count with the possibility of being quarantined.