Last updated on 22 April 2021.
For now, getting vaccinated for the coronavirus in Hungary is possible only if you have a Hungarian social security number. If you have that, you will still need to be registered at a GP (general practitioner) to get the vaccine – let us guide you through the whole process.
For the time being, you can get vaccinated only if you register first at the official vaccine information website here. You can register only if you have a Hungarian social security number (TAJ number). Because of that, foreigners living in Hungary with a private health-care insurance cannot register. After registration, you will receive newsletters every week to keep you up to date. Should you have any questions about your registration, you can contact adatvedelem@mk.gov.hu. They are quite responsive, at least in Hungarian. You can also check if your registration has been successful on this link.
Neither of the vaccines is currently available at private providers. (There was one provider that offered “pre-registration” for HUF 5,000, but they were not able to offer information as to when they could vaccinate you. In the end, pre-registration was cancelled and they refunded the registration fee to everyone.)
IMPORTANT! In the past weeks, several people have posted and shared the (mis)information that even if you have no TAJ number, you can register for the vaccine in Hungary with a generic number 900 000 007. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. Click here to learn why.
Technically, you CAN register for vaccination even if you do not have a GP (general practitioner – a doctor you can visit first when you have a medical problem, and who can send you on to specialists). However, since GPs are involved in the process of sorting people before vaccination, if you do not have a GP, your data will not be processed, and you will not be assigned a time and place for vaccination.
(The information available about this is conflicting and some state sources say that if you have no GP, you will be assigned to one based on your address. In our experience, this doesn’t really work, so if you want to be safe, you should register at a GP and make sure they have your TAJ number on file.)
If you are registered with a GP, all is fine. Sooner or later you will be called. You can also call them and ask about your options.
In Hungary, you can choose your GP freely. You can ask around and then choose a GP someone has recommended to you. However, many practices are full, and GPs cannot accept any new patients there. The only GP that must accept you in their practice is the local GP where you live.
But how do you know who the local GP is? In most apartment buildings, the local GP is indicated on a bulletin board near the entrance. You can also ask your neighbors. You can also find your local GP on the internet, just write “háziorvosi körzetek” (with or without the quotation marks) in the search bar, together with the name of the town you live in (for Budapest, add the district, e.g. “II. kerület” for district 2. Your street might also be relevant).
With the current pandemic-related restrictions, you should not just go to the local GP to get registered. Call them on phone, and explain your situation. They will be able to tell you how to proceed. Please note: since the local GP might not speak English, it is best to ask a friend who speaks Hungarian to help you make the call and discuss the details. You should also know that GPs are really busy at the moment, so be patient and also try writing an email that they can answer outside of their working hours.
Whenever you have questions regarding your health, you can always consult the GP you are registered with. This also applies to asking for information about the vaccines available to you. Because of the pandemic, it is better to reach out to your GP on phone or via email, and you should definitely not just visit the doctor’s office without an appointment.
Learn as much about each process as you can, register for vaccination, contact your GP, learn about the various vaccines. Take an active part in protecting yourself and your neighbors from the pandemic. At some point, you may be asked whether you will accept a particular type of vaccine and it is good to be prepared with an answer. Also, stay up-to-date because more and more information is available about every vaccine as vaccinations proceed.
Vaccine information / registration: vakcinainfo.gov.hu
Checking if your registration has been successful: https://vakcinareg.neak.gov.hu/regisztracio/
Email address for questions about the pandemic: koronavirus@1818.hu
Email address for handling your data related to your registration for the vaccine: adatvedelem@mk.gov.hu
(If you need information in English, there is a bigger chance for getting an answer in email than if you called the hotline.)
You can also read our short summary on available vaccines here.
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