CARE AND BENEFITS PROVIDED FOR PERSONS APPLYING FOR RECOGNITION AS BENEFICIARY OF TEMPORARY PROTECTION

Upon request, Hungary may grant temporary protection (recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection) to Ukrainian citizens residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022; stateless persons or non-Ukrainian third-country nationals who have been granted international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022, and family members of such persons.

An application for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection shall be deemed to have been lodged after verification and recording of the applicant's identity and biometric data.

1. Documents

Pending the receipt of the document certifying the status of beneficiary of temporary protection (plastic card), the applicant's identity data, right of residence in Hungary, legal status and address of his/her accommodation in Hungary are certified by the residence document issued at the time of application (humanitarian residence permit for asylum seekers or Data Sheet for the ex officio issue or extension of a residence permit on humanitarian grounds). The residence document must be presented to the authority or the service provider concerned when dealing with official business and when receiving the services and benefits to which the applicant is entitled.

The residence document does not in itself entitle the applicant to travel abroad. With regard to the applicant's stay in a country within the Schengen Area - other than Hungary - and thus his/her travel within the Schengen Area to a country other than Hungary, we recommend contacting the aliens polcing/border police authority of the foreign country of destination, as the Hungarian asylum authority does not have jurisdiction in this matter.

If the validity of the residence document issued at the time of application expires before the delivery of the document certifying the status of beneficiary of temporary protection (plastic card), the applicant shall appear in person before the authority and request an extension of the validity.

The applicant shall notify the asylum authority of the address of his/her new accommodation when changing his/her place of accommodation in Hungary. Subject to the Act on the Registration of Personal Data and Addresses of Citizens, an official residence card (lakcímkártya) will not be issued to applicants for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection. The applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection proves the address of his/her place of accommodation in Hungary by presenting his/her residence document.

2. Employment

Ukrainian nationals holding a biometric travel document may undertake employment in certain shortage occupation positions without a permit immediately after their entry into the territory of Hungary without submitting an application for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection. Ukrainian nationals holding a biometric travel document may undertake employment in non shortage occupation positions for a period not exceeding 90 days after their entry into the territory of Hungary, if they hold a work permit. The employer shall submit an application for work permit at the competent government office.

A person applying for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection is entitled to undertake a job within the territory of Hungary without a permit, including jobs undertaken through a temporary-work agency. (See Article 6(4) of Government Decree 86/2022 (7.III.). The employer shall notify the competent authority of the employment of the applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection in accordance with the provisions of Section 71 of Act II of 2007.)

A person seeking recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection can undertake public employment.

3. Health care

An applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection is entitled to the following health care services free of charge, if he/she is not covered by social security:

·         primary care;

·         specialised medical care or hospital care in cases of urgent need (a person in need of special treatment, e.g.: an unaccompanied minor, elderly person or disabled person, pregnant woman is entitled to specialised medical care and hospital care not only in cases of urgent need)

·         prenatal care, obstetric care;

·         public health care services – medicines;

·         oncology patient care and other types of care for chronic patients;

·         emergency dental care and orthodontic (i.e. tooth-retaining) treatments.

Place of receiving care: competent health care institution with territorial responsibility.

(See Article 6 (2) of Government Decree No 86/2022 (7.III.) and Article 44 (2) of Government Decree No 301/2007 (9.XI.).)

The applicant must take his/her residence document with him/her and present it to the service provider concerned when using the listed healthcare services.

4. Education, training and care of applicants for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection as minors

From the date of the application for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection, the minor has the right to participate in public education under the same conditions as Hungarian citizens, and is subject to compulsory schooling. Children of pre-school age (from the age of 3) and children of compulsory school age may participate in free pre-school and school education at the public education institution competent for their place of residence.

In case the person applying for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection is responsible for the care for a child or student, the child or student is entitled to free school meals in the institution and during holidays  pursuant to Act XXXI of 1997 on the Protection of Children and Guardianship Administration (hereinafter referred to as: Guardianship Act) for a period of 6 months from the date of submitting the request. After the end of this period, the child or student in the care of the applicant is entitled to meals for children provided by the institutions in case of social need in accordance with the Guardianship Act.

Enrolment: at the competent educational establishment with territorial responsibility as per the place of accommodation of the applicant for temporary protection.

To be entitled to free nursery, school education, care, free school meals in the institution and during holidays, applicants shall present their residence document to the service provider concerned.

5. Travel fare discount

The applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection is entitled to full travel fare discount for inter-city travel by train or long-distance bus only in the following cases:

• ··to conduct official matters related to a status of beneficiary of temporary protection;
• ··to receive medical care from a regionally competent health care provider;
• ··to participate in a programme run by a non-governmental organisation, or to receive assistance from such an organisation.

In order to obtain the certificate entitling its holder to travel fare discount, the application along with the supporting documents shall be submitted to the asylum authority.

6. Support for permanent departure from the territory of Hungary

In the event of the applicant’s return to his/her home country or permanent departure to a third country, the asylum authority will once provide a ticket (plane ticket) for the applicant to the destination indicated in the certificate, and may reimburse all or part of the certified travel expenses, upon the applicant’s application, on the basis of a certificate issued by the diplomatic mission or consular post of the destination country concerned.

Before permanently leaving the territory of Hungary, the applicant must declare to the asylum authority that he/she withdraws his/her application for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection and surrender his/her residence document.

7. Payment of the costs of public health funerals

If the person obliged to bury the person applying for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection does not exist or cannot be found, or if the person obliged to bury the person fails to fulfil his/her obligation, the mayor of the municipality of the place of death shall, within thirty days of becoming aware of the death, arrange for the burial of the deceased person under municipal authority.

The costs of the public burial will be reimbursed to the municipality by the asylum authority. The claim for reimbursement must be submitted to the asylum authority within two months of the date of the order for the public burial.

8. Reimbursement of document translation costs

A person applying for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection may, in accordance with the rules applicable to persons recognised as beneficiaries of temporary protection, request reimbursement by the asylum authority of the costs of translating his/her documents proving his/her education or vocational qualification into Hungarian, for example, in order to facilitate his/her social integration. This form of aid is not available for use in the naturalisation procedure.

An application for reimbursement of translation costs is required to be submitted to the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, the enclosures of the application are the following:

a)the original copy of the document to be translated, and

b)a certificate issued by the educational establishment attesting to the level of education required for the continuation or commencement of studies, or a certificate issued by the employer attesting to the specific professional qualifications required for the employment.

If the applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection does not have a certificate issued by the educational establishment or by the employer, the certificate shall be replaced by a declaration on the purpose of the translation of the document.

Reimbursement of document translation costs is possible only if the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, as the asylum authority, has approved the application for translation of the applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection. In such cases, the translation will be ordered by the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing.

Reimbursement of costs of translations ordered and already paid by the applicant for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection before his/her application for translation was approved may not be claimed subsequently.

Accommodation

The committees on protection of the county government offices are responsible for the tasks of providing accommodation and care to persons applying for recognition as beneficiary of temporary protection. Thus, the protection administration systems provide accommodation to those in need. In Budapest, in this regard we suggest to visit the transit center set up by the Metropolitan Committee on Protection in the BOK Sports Centre, Building "B".

Please note that, under the current legislation, a person who applies for recognition as a beneficiary of temporary protection is not entitled to receive regular subsistence allowance until he or she is effectively recognised.