Updated EESZT app includes both Hungarian and EU covid immunity certificate

The Hungarian and the EU covid immunity certificate

The Hungarian immunity certificate is available both as a plastic card and in the new EESZT app. In Hungary, it is still required to visit mass events, sporting events, and concerts or bars where you can dance – even with the July relaxation of pandemic related restrictions. You can also use it to enter Hungary without restrictions, and to enter some countries that accept it (see a list here).

The EU covid immunity certificate aims to facilitate travel within the EU. Holders may enter Hungary without restrictions, same as if they had a Hungarian immunity certificate. Whether you can use it to enter other EU countries without restrictions depends on the individual country, because not all types of vaccines available in the EU are accepted everywhere. The four vaccines accepted all over the EU are Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, and Janssen.

The updated EESZT app

If the EESZT app on your phone has not been updated automatically, you can go to the app store available for your Android phone (for now) and update it manually – just search for “EESZT alkalmazás” in the store. (EESZT is short for Elektronikus Egészségügyi Szolgáltatási Tér, Electronic Healthcare Service Area, and it can be accessed at eeszt.gov.hu in browser.)

Once you have the updated app, you have to log in. The login screen will redirect you to your browser, where you can use your “Ügyfélkapu” (Customer Portal) registration to identify yourself. It is most commonly done with a username and a password, but it is also possible with a Hungarian electronic ID or via phone.

Once you have logged in, the app will ask you whether you want to activate simplified login (“egyszerűsített belépési mód”). If you choose this, you will not have to log in with Ügyfélkapu every time you open the EESZT app – which will make it possible for you to display your immunity certificates even when you do not have an internet connection. For this function, the app will ask for your a secure unlock method – fingerprint if biometric identification is possible and set up on your phone, while password or a pin code may also work. (If you do not want to activate simplified login now, you can do it later in the Settings.)

All your immunity certificates in one app

Once you have logged in, you will see four options displayed on the main screen. Let us take a look at them!

• “Magyar oltási igazolvány” (Hungarian vaccination certificate) is the first option, marked in red. If you click here, you will be shown all the data associated with your Hungarian immunity certificate, including the QR code, your name, your TAJ number, the type of vaccine you received, and the date of your vaccination.
  Please note: the Hungarian immunity certificate is only available in the EESZT app based on vaccination. If you have a plastic Hungarian immunity certificate based on a test or recovery, its data will not show up in the app.

The next three options, marked in blue, refer to the EU digital COVID certificate. Only one of them will work for you, depending on what your eligibility is based on. Each will display the relevant QR code, your name, your date of birth, a unique ID for the certificate, and various data relevant to the specific type of certificate.

• “Uniós oltási igazolvány” (EU Vaccination certificate): choose this option if you are vaccinated. It will be considered valid starting from 14 days after you received the final dose of a vaccine. If you received two shots, both of them will be listed here. For inspection, you will probably have to show the certificate for the second shot (with the later date), but it might be best if you open both at least once so they are stored in the app for later.
  Data displayed include: vaccine type and manufacturer, number of doses received, date of vaccination.
• “Uniós tesztigazolvány” (EU Test certificate): choose this option if you have not yet been vaccinated but have a negative PCR test or rapid antigen test, which is in some cases required for travel. This type of certificate is valid only for a short time: typically 72 hours for PCR tests and 48 hours for rapid antigen tests (depending on the country you wish to enter), so make sure it will still be valid when you want to use it.
  Data displayed include: type of test, date and time of test, place and result.
• “Uniós gyógyultsági igazolvány” (EU Recovery certificate): choose this option if you are considered immune because you have already recovered from COVID-19. The validity of this type of certificate is limited to a maximum of 180 days after recovery.
  Data displayed include: date of positive test result, validity period.

What other information is available in the app?

If you go to the “hamburger” (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner, you can get to the menu of the EESZT app. The first one is for Settings (“Beállítások”). Here you can set up simplified login if you have not done it when you first logged in, or you can deactivate it if you prefer logging in through Ügyfélkapu each time. Here you see a language selector as well. Unfortunately it does not seem to work properly: if your app was downloaded in Hungarian, you might not be able to switch to English. (Our colleagues who use their phone with English language settings managed to download the app in English, though.)

Below Settings, you find a Help (“Súgó”) option that lists some basic information about the app and its use, a Privacy Policy (“Adatkezelési tájékoztató”), and an Impressum (“Impresszum” – basically contact data). From this latter option you can see that the owner of the app is the National Directorate General for Hospitals (Országos Kórházi Főigazgatóság), which you can reach through helpdesk.eeszt@okfo.gov.hu, or calling +36.1.920.1050.

What else do you need?

If you need more information about the app, pandemic related restrictions in Hungary, and travel to Hungary, feel free to contact us through the form below. Have you been able to install the EESZT app? Did we get everything right, or have you found an anomaly? Share your experiences with us on Facebook!