Travel ban to Hungary lifted partially

UPDATE: New regulations apply starting from 1 September 2020. Read more here.

Last updated on 31 August 2020.

UPDATE: The state of emergency ended in Hungary as of 18 June 2020. However, some restrictions remain; read more here.

As of 1 May 2020, citizens of 6 countries are allowed to enter Hungary if they travel for business purposes. This is a partial lift of the travel ban announced on 17 March, since when only Hungarian citizens have been allowed to enter Hungary.

Partial travel ban lift for some countries

Citizens of the following countries are allowed to enter Hungary as of 1 May 2020 when travelling for business purposes:

• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Poland
• Slovakia
• South Korea

Upon entering Hungary, citizens of these countries will be required to verify the purpose of their travel, which must be a business purpose. Travel related to tourism remains prohibited even for citizens of the above listed countries until further notice.

Update: As of 22 May, citizens of Austria may enter Hungary if they are not infected with that coronavirus, which they can prove by showing their negataive test results for the SARS-CoV-2, written either in English or Hungarian, received within the last 4 days.

Update: As of 25 May, citizens of Serbia and Hungary, as well as Hungarian permanent residency card holders may enter Hungary from Serbia and do not have to self-quarantine unless they show symptoms of COVID-19.

Update: As of 28 May, citizens of Slovenia and Hungary, as well as Hungarian permanent residency card holders may enter Hungary from Slovenia and do not have to self-quarantine unless they show symptoms of COVID-19.

Update: As of 5 June, citizens of Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, as well as Hungarian permanent residency card holders may enter Hungary from these countries without restrictions.

Update: As of 7 June, citizens of Germany and Hungary, as well as Hungarian permanent residency card holders may enter Hungary from Germany without restrictions.

Update: As of 12 June, citizens of Croatia and Hungary, as well as Hungarian permanent residency card holders may enter Hungary from Croatia without restrictions.

Update: As of 17 June, citizens of Romania and Hungary, as well as Hungarian permanent residency card holders may enter Hungary from Romania without restrictions.

Travel restrictions in Hungary to support social distancing

Since the most effective method for reducing the spread of a highly infectious disease without a reliable cure is to reduce contact between people, the EU decided to close the Schengen borders as of 17 March, meaning that non-EU citizens cannot travel to the EU since then. In line with this, Hungary also closed the Hungarian borders before anyone who is not

• a Hungarian citizen,
• a close family member of a Hungarian citizen,
• an EEA citizen holding a permanent residence card,
• an EEA citizen holding an EEA registration card and a Hungarian address card,
• a diplomat.

This list is now extended with citizens of the countries listed above. In other cases, the Hungarian Police may grant you entry to Hungary if they decide you have a valid reason to enter the country.

As of 13 May, the Police accepts entry applications only online, in Hungarian.

Social distancing in Hungary as of May

The latest regulations specify some changes to restrictions as of 1 May.

• Everyone is required to wear a mask AND keep a distance of 1.5 meters from one another when using public transport or entering a shop.
• Elderly people are asked to limit leaving their homes.
• People above 65 may continue to shop during the protected period of 9 a.m. – noon each day, when no one under 65 may enter shops or markets.
• Parking remains free all over Hungary.
• Mass events are canceled at least until 15 August.

Budapest is considered to pose a higher risk of a coronavirus outbreak, since more than 2 million people live, and even more people work here. As a result, there is a travel ban for those living in Budapest, as they cannot make trips to other parts of Hungary. Moreover, some restrictions remain in place in Budapest and Pest county, but are loosened in the rest of Hungary. Accordingly, outside Budapest and Pest county:

• Open-air facilities may open for patrons. These include beaches, zoos, open-air spas and museums, and open-air spaces (e.g. garden patios) of restaurants, cafés, and hotels.
• Shops may remain open without a time limit (in Budapest and Pest, they still must close at 3 p.m.)
• Restrictions to private healthcare are lifted as of 4 May.
• Restriction to public healthcare will be lifted gradually.

Update: As of 18 May, the same rules apply to Budapest and Pest county as to the rest of the country.

Any questions? Let us know!

Should you have any questions regarding measures to fight the spread of the COVID-19 disease and to mitigate its social impact in the form of social distancing, restrictions, travel bans, or economic relief measures, feel free to contact our colleagues through the for below. We will be happy to answer your questions.

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