Central Europe
Hungary for Ukrainians: what to do after arrival
Core guide for menedékes status through OIF. Hungary keeps its own national rule.
Booking and filing before arrival
You can pre-fill data, but the application is submitted in person
Hungary allows advance electronic data entry to reduce administration time. The application is only treated as submitted after in-person identity checks and biometrics.
What you can do before arrival
Pre-fill the data and prepare documents. Do not treat electronic data entry as granted status.
What to do after arrival
Submit in person at a Government Office or the competent NDGAP office for your accommodation in Hungary.
Core path for menedékes status. Hungary’s military-obligation position is not the Czech, Swedish, or Slovak rule.
What you need to do
Start with the first practical steps. The full path and official sources are below.
- 1
Arrival
The local status is beneficiary of temporary protection, menedékes. The main authority is the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF) or a government customer service.
What to prepare
- · An identity document if you have one
- 2
Optional — enter data online before the visit (Menedekes / Enter Hungary)
Before going to OIF you can fill data in the official Menedekes or Enter Hungary forms. That only prepares the queue: menedékes status appears only after an in-person visit with biometrics.
What to prepare
- · Passport or another ID (details for the form)
- · The address where you actually sleep in Hungary — later needed for payments
- · Email / phone if the form asks for a contact
- 3
One OIF visit: menedékes application + biometrics (photo/fingerprints)
This is one in-person appointment, not two steps. At OIF or a Government Customer Service you file the application, biometrics (photo/fingerprints) are taken, and menedékes starts. An online form alone does not issue a card.
Where to go: OIF or Government Customer Service
What to prepare
- · Completed temporary-protection application form
- · Passport or other available personal documents
- · Your accommodation address in Hungary
Full path and official sources
1
Arrival
The local status is beneficiary of temporary protection, menedékes. The main authority is the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF) or a government customer service.
OIF
What to do
- · Open the official OIF page
Why this matters: The application does not start at a random office.
Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912, as corrected on 5 August 2026, extends temporary protection until 4 March 2028. The military-obligation condition applies from 5 August 2026 and does not apply to a person who already had temporary protection in the same state on or before 4 August 2026 and continuously kept it. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1912/oj/eng Hungary kept the broader group eligible under its national temporary-protection rules and stated that it does not agree with excluding a person solely because Ukrainian military obligations prevent them from leaving Ukraine. Do not apply the Czech, Swedish, or Slovak Reserv+ rule here.
Official source: OIF / Safe in Hungary
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
2
Optional — enter data online before the visit (Menedekes / Enter Hungary)
Before going to OIF you can fill data in the official Menedekes or Enter Hungary forms. That only prepares the queue: menedékes status appears only after an in-person visit with biometrics.
OIF
What to do
- · Use only official Menedekes or Enter Hungary — not a Telegram 'registration'
- · Save any confirmation / number the system gives
- · Do not wait for a postal answer instead of a visit: you still must attend in person
Why this matters: People confuse 'I already filled the form' with status. The form does not give a card, payments or housing. But when the system works, the counter prints less and takes you faster.
Official source: OIF / Safe in Hungary
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
3
One OIF visit: menedékes application + biometrics (photo/fingerprints)
This is one in-person appointment, not two steps. At OIF or a Government Customer Service you file the application, biometrics (photo/fingerprints) are taken, and menedékes starts. An online form alone does not issue a card.
OIF
What to do
- · Go to the OIF / Government Customer Service you were directed to — not 'any police station'
- · Complete identity registration and biometrics in the same visit
- · Ask when/how you get the card and which district office covers your address
- · If you have nowhere to sleep tonight, say so at OIF and look for NGO / one-night reception in parallel
Why this matters: The plan used to split 'attend' and 'biometrics' — on site it is one queue. In Budapest the district/address matters for later payments; if you have nowhere to sleep tonight, ask about emergency/NGO help in parallel, not only about a stamp.
Official source: OIF / Safe in Hungary
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
4
Temporary-protection residence card
After registration, a temporary-protection residence card is issued. Hungary has officially extended the legal validity of these documents until 4 March 2028 regardless of an older expiry date printed on the card.
OIF
What to do
- · Check that the personal data on the card are correct
- · If a service refuses the card because of the old printed date, open the current OIF notice confirming validity until 4 March 2028
Why this matters: If an employer, healthcare provider or other service relies only on a printed 2023–2027 date, show the current OIF notice and the automatic-extension rule.
Checked 29 September 2026: OIF cites Government Decree 196/2025 (VII. 8.) and confirms menedékes card validity through 4 March 2028 without a separate exchange solely because an older date is printed (the OIF validity page still has a leftover 2027 sentence).
Official source: OIF — temporary-protection document validity
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
5
Lock in your address — payments and letters get lost without it
After menedékes, an address in Hungary is what the district office / OIF use to see your case: letters go there, and subsistence and school follow it. Even a short hostel stay is worth having in writing while you look for longer housing.
OIF
What to do
- · At the OIF visit ask exactly where to file/change the address for your district
- · Update the address as soon as you move — do not wait for a 'permanent flat'
- · Check that the district office / járási hivatal has the same address as OIF
Why this matters: People get the card and think they are done. Then a letter never arrives or the monthly appearance fails because the system still has an old or empty address.
Official source: OIF / Safe in Hungary
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
6
If you have no housing, first check whether you qualify for subsidised accommodation
Hungary does not provide free state housing to every menedékes beneficiary. Support depends on whether you came from/lived in a defined war-affected area and, after the initial period, on vulnerability or employment. For a working-age non-vulnerable person, longer support can be linked to working at least 20 hours per week and employer-arranged accommodation.
Government Office / accommodation provider
What to do
- · Do not wait for automatic housing after OIF; separately check eligibility for subsidised accommodation
- · If you are in Budapest and do not know where to start, use the Government Office at Nyugati railway station, Teréz körút 55
- · If vulnerable, state the basis clearly: child under 18, pregnancy, disability, age over 65, or caregiver in the defined cases
- · If working-age and non-vulnerable, ask an employer whether accommodation can be arranged under the support scheme
- · If you have nowhere to sleep tonight, ask about emergency one-night reception instead of waiting for full housing paperwork
Why this matters: You need to know this before a hostel or free place ends. Menedékes status by itself does not guarantee long-term subsidised housing.
Housing-support rules have changed several times. Before filing, re-check the current war-affected-area list and the time limit for a new beneficiary to request subsidised accommodation.
Official source: UNHCR Hungary — Housing
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
7
If you have no income, check regular subsistence support
A recognised menedékes beneficiary may qualify for regular basic support: the current OIF page lists HUF 22,800 per month for an adult and HUF 13,700 for a minor. This is not automatic simply because you hold the card; separate conditions apply.
District Office / OIF
What to do
- · Ask the district office for your accommodation address whether you qualify for regular subsistence support
- · If you are aged 6+, do not miss the required monthly appearance; for a child aged 6–17 the legal representative may fulfil it
- · If you are an employable adult or aged 16+, confirm the registration/cooperation requirement with the district office
- · Report employment/income: the regular payment is not made for a month in which you earn income from a Hungarian employer
- · If you move, update the address with both the district office and OIF so post/payments are not lost
Why this matters: People aged 6 and over have a monthly appearance requirement at the district office for their place of accommodation; employable adults and some older minors also have registration/cooperation requirements with the employment service. Missing the appearance can mean losing that month's payment.
Official source: OIF — support and benefits for menedékes beneficiaries
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
8
Healthcare
If you have applied for menedékes status and are not covered by social security, the official OIF guidance provides free primary care and specified forms of specialist care.
OIF
What to do
- · Use the healthcare institution competent for your accommodation address
- · Show your residence document when receiving care
- · Without social security, the official list includes primary care, urgent specialist and hospital care, pregnancy and obstetric care, certain chronic/oncology care, and emergency dental care
Why this matters: You do not need to guess the insurance route: OIF explicitly describes basic healthcare access for an applicant without social-security coverage.
Official source: OIF — provisions and benefits for temporary-protection applicants
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
9
School
After an application for menedékes status is submitted, the child has access to public education. Contact the school competent for your accommodation address.
What to do
- · Find the public school competent for your address
- · Show the residence document and official proof of accommodation address
- · If the child has just arrived, tell the school the previous grade and language of instruction
Why this matters: The official portal ties enrolment to the place of accommodation, and the competent district school must admit children who apply to it.
Official source: Safe in Hungary — Education
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
10
With menedékes status you can work without a separate work permit
A temporary-protection beneficiary in Hungary has access to the labour market without a separate work permit. In practice you need a valid menedékes document, a lawful employment contract, and correct employer registration.
Employer / employment service
What to do
- · Show the employer your menedékes document and sign a written employment contract
- · Do not pay an intermediary for a 'work permit' for ordinary employment as a menedékes beneficiary
- · Check that the employer has registered you in the tax/social system and explained when insurance coverage starts
- · If housing support in your case is linked to employment, check the minimum 20-hours-per-week condition and whether the employer actually arranges accommodation
Why this matters: Do not waste time looking for a separate work permit for ordinary employment. If you need vacancy or training support, use the employment service / Government Office.
Official source: UNHCR Hungary — Temporary Protection
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
11
After the card — bank, SIM and official sites only
Once you have menedékes, daily life is next: a Hungarian HUF account (often needed for payments), a local SIM, and work through official OIF / Government Office pages. Do not hand card photos to a 'Telegram helper' or pay for 'UN electronic registration'.
OIF
What to do
- · Open a HUF account at a bank that accepts menedékes — keep the contract and IBAN
- · For payments and letters, keep the same address as in OIF/district office
- · Never enter card data or bank login on unknown sites or in chats
Why this matters: After status, scams shift: fake 'subsidy' forms, bank-login requests, urgent 'fees to extend the card to 2028'.
Official source: OIF / Safe in Hungary
Verified · Last checked 1 Oct 2026 · Hungary
The source page may be in the destination country’s language.
Popular questions
Official institutions
- OIF Asylum Authority — Budafoki út — In Budapest, a menedékes temporary-protection application is officially accepted by the Asylum Authority at Budafoki út 60, Building A. Outside Budapest, use the competent regional directorate for your accommodation address.
- OIF — Észak-alföldi Regionális Igazgatóság — OIF regional directorate. Temporary-protection competence follows the accommodation address; check the current client-service procedure before travelling.
- OIF — Észak-magyarországi Regionális Igazgatóság — OIF regional directorate. Temporary-protection competence follows the accommodation address; check the current client-service procedure before travelling.
Show all verified institutions
- OIF — Dél-alföldi Regionális Igazgatóság — OIF regional directorate. Temporary-protection competence follows the accommodation address; check the current client-service procedure before travelling.
- OIF — Dél-dunántúli Regionális Igazgatóság — OIF regional directorate. Temporary-protection competence follows the accommodation address; check the current client-service procedure before travelling.
- OIF — Közép-dunántúli Regionális Igazgatóság — OIF regional directorate. Temporary-protection competence follows the accommodation address; check the current client-service procedure before travelling.
- OIF — Nyugat-dunántúli Regionális Igazgatóság — OIF regional directorate. Temporary-protection competence follows the accommodation address; check the current client-service procedure before travelling.
- OIF — The aliens-policing directorate or a government customer service.
- Járási / kerületi hivatal — Regular subsistence support is tied to the district office for your accommodation address. Use the official government-office directory to identify the competent district; a city alone, especially in Budapest, is not precise enough.
What is available now
The core path is available. For some topics BESSMERA may ask for more details or mark that additional verification is needed.
- Core journeyVerified
- Temporary protectionVerified
- Address registrationBasic guidance available
- WorkBasic guidance available
- HealthcareBasic guidance available
- SchoolBasic guidance available
- HousingBasic guidance available
- BankingBasic guidance available
- Life toolkitBasic guidance available
- PetsBasic guidance available
- Driving licenceAdditional verification needed
- Car registrationIn preparation
- DocumentsBasic guidance available
- Local languageIn preparation