Information for LGBTQ refugees coming to Hungary
прокрутіть вниз, щоб отримати інформацію українською мовою
We at Budapest Pride are heartbroken over the pain and suffering Putin imposed on the people of Ukraine. We are expressing our utmost solidarity and aim to aid LGBTQ refugees who seek refuge in Hungary in cooperation with the queer techno collective OMOH.
Here we have collected useful information and contacts to help you. If you are an LGBTQ refugee and need further help from Budapest Pride, please reach out to us in English at help@budapestpride.hu
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LGBTQ refugees are a vulnerable group among refugees in every crisis situation. They often flee from countries where their rights and dignity are not respected, and usually - like now - they arrive to countries where the state doesn’t support LGBTQ equality, the authorities and humanitarian NGOs don’t receive the necessary training in helping LGBTQ refugees. Often times when escaping the imminent danger of war, LGBTQ refugees face further discrimination, prejudice, harassment or hate from citizens, authorities and humanitarian NGOs on the other side of the border.
The current situation dangerous for LGBTQ people: the Washington Post intercepted a letter sent by the United States to the UN saying that Russia has a list of people they want to punish (murder or take to camps) if they manage to occupy Ukraine: on the list there are names of journalists, anti-corruption and LGBTQ activists. Read more here.
I. How Budapest Pride can help LGBTQ refugees
- safe accommodation for short-mid term
- helping with transport from the Ukrainian-Hungarian border to Budapest
- helping with moving on to other European countries if needed
- free pro-LGBTQ psychological counselling in English
- community place for LGBTQ refugees to meet and spend time
- free meals
- contacts to pro-LGBTQ legal aid
- medical services
- technical supplies (power banks, SIM cards, chargers, ect.)
If you are an LGBTQ refugee please reach out to us at help@budapestpride.hu
II. How to enter Hungary legally
1. If you are a Hungarian - Ukrainian dual citizen and you have a Hungarian passport, you should be able to enter Hungary without any problems. When in Hungary, you can stay, live and work in Hungary as long as you want without the need for any further permits.
2. As per the decree passed by the Hungarian government on February 24th, everyone who was legally staying in Ukraine - both Ukrainian and third country citizens - are eligible for temporary protection.
Temporary protection needs to be requested at the asylum authority, and you need to prove that you were staying in Ukraine legally, either as a Ukrainian citizen or a foreigner. This process is planned to be fast and flexible. Authorities are required to make a decision about the temporary protection status in 45 days.
During the process you are eligible to be accomodated in a reception center (refugee camp), provided with food and medical services. If you can provide accomodation for yourself (stay with a relative, friend, or be offered accommodation by a humanitarian NGO), you don’t have to go to a reception center.
After being granted the temporary protection status you will be granted a Hungarian ID, but it will be different from the ID of Hungarian citizens.
To be able to work in Hungary, you need a work permit besides the temporary protection status.
This is an excerpt from the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s guide. Please see the full guide in Ukrainian, Hungarian, English and Russian.
If you are not a Hungarian citizen and you are a male between 18 and 60 as per the current martial law effective in Ukraine you will not be allowed to leave the country by the Ukrainian border guard.
III. Important contact information
1. Local transportation
- Here is a Google sheet to follow the waiting times at all the Ukrainian borders.
- HOMAN TRANSPORT offers free transportation with microbuses from the Hungarian border.
Phone, Whatsapp, Viber: +36706200424
- The Hungarian Railway Company (MÁV) provides free soliarity tickets for refugees fleeing Ukraine from Záhony to any Hungarian destination, regardless their nationality. MÁV runs 8 trains every day from the Ukrainian border, Záhony, to Budapest. The volunteers of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid are helping refugees with providing meals, help with administration and translators both in Záhony and in Budapest. You can purchase the tickets online too.
The 3 big railway stations of Budapest are: Budapest Keleti Pályaudvar, Budapest Nyugati Pályaudvar, Budapest Déli Pályaudvar
The train schedule can be accessed here: mavcsoport.hu/en
MÁV customer service: +36 1 3 49 49 49
- It is free to use the public transport in Budapest (BKK, click for timetable), except for fast bus number 100E to the airport, but you can use 200E instead of it. You can ask for guidance from the staff of BKK.
- For trans people pre-arranged transport can be organised by Transvanilla Transgender Association, please write in English to szervezet@transvanilla.hu.
2. International transportation
- You can buy international train tickets at https://jegy.mav.hu/. Because of the great influx of travellers to Western European cities, train tickets get sold out very quickly. It is advised to get your ticket as soon as possible. Tickets for international train companies can be extremely overpriced when purchased from the Hungarian railway company (MÁV). It is advised to compare prices with Omio's prices. Some trains will only appear on the MÁV website while other trains might be half the price on Omio. So use both.
There are 2 international train stations in Budapest: Budapest Keleti Pályaudvar and Budapest Nyugati Pályaudvar
- There are many good websites for plane tickets, Skyscanner and Google Flights are among the most popular ones. To travel by plane you need to have a passport and proof of vaccination. Airlines like Lufthansa and LOT (Polish Airlines) allow cats and dogs up to 8kg in the cabin in a safe container, see their further pet policy here: Lufthansa, LOT.
Wizzair and Ryainair have the biggest number of cheap charter flights going out from Budapest, but they do not allow pets in the cabin (except service dogs).
- Wizzair offers free short-haul tickets from transit countries (Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia) and reduced price tickets for all flights for people with Ukrainian passports. These seats also fill up very quickly so it is advantageous to book ahead.
- Flixbus runs cheap international buses from Budapest Népliget Bus Station to many European countries.
3. Currency exchange
As per our current information it is pratically impossible to exchange Hryvna to EUR or HUF in Budapest in cash. Also the exchange rates for Hrvna dropped dramatically. We advise you to get a Wise or a Revolut account. Both services allow you to allocate multiple currencies to a debit card You can even assign your virtual debit card to your smartphones 'wallet', so you can pay by card with your phone even without holding a physical debit card.
Wise is used by many refugees, because setting up a new debit card costs only abt. 0,5 EUR and it exchanges currencies on a mid-market rate, allowing the user to compensate for the volatility of the Hryvna.
In Hungary you can pay basically anywhere by card. We advise you to pay with HUF in Hungary and pay with EUR in countries that use EUR. If you pay with EUR in Hungary the store is ging to use a very disadvantegous exchange rate.
4. Roaming and phone charges
- Yettel (former Telenor) offers to cancel all roaming, call and SMS charges for their customers in Ukraine and for international calls from Hungary to Ukraine. The offer is not automatic, it needs to be requested here. They also offer free sim cards with 5GB internet.
- Vodafone offers to cancel all roaming, call and SMS charges for their customers in Ukraine and for international calls from Hungary to Ukraine.
- Telekom cancelled all roaming charges in Ukraine
3. Accommodation
- Szallas.hu (Hungarian booking.com) offers accommodation for refugees in Hungary, Romania and Poland. Their operators speak English, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, German, Slovenian and Slovakian.
Phone: +36-30/344-2000 (9:00-18:00)
Email: szallas@szallas.hu
- Hotel Danubius Hungaria (Hungary's biggest hotel) offers free accommodation for refugees fleeing Ukraine. 1074 Budapest, Rákóczi út 90.
- ShelterUKR is a page, which can calculate the closest shelters, you can filter for shelters where babies and/or pets are allowed, and many more
- If you cannot find accommodation, please write to help@budapestpride.hu
- Trans people can write to Transvanilla Transgender Association in English at szervezet@transvanilla.hu
4. Medical help
- Duna Medical Center is a private hospital that offers free medical services, mainly in the areas of OB-GYN, adult family medicine and pediatrics. They can provide free medicines and examinations as well. Appointments: +36-70-698-0696
They are able to provide interpreters if needed.
5. Humanitarian aid
- Migration Aid: +36 30 592 8066 (SMS, Viber, Whatsapp, Signal)
Organizes travel, accommodation, food, medical aid, other services
- Kaptár coworking space offers a place to warm up, warm drinks, internet and phone charging access for free. 1065 Budapest, Révay köz 4.
- With trans specific requests turn to Transvanilla Transgender Association in English: szervezet@transvanilla.hu
6. Legal aid
- Hungarian Helsinki Committee: LGBTQ-sensitive human rights organization specialized in helping displaced people. Provides free legal aid with in-house counselors speaking English and Russian and able to bring a Ukrainian translator on-board if needed. helsinki@helsinki.hu
- Háttér Society: Hungary’s largest LGBTQ organization providing free legal aid in English at jogsegely@hatter.hu
7. Psychological aid
- Hungarian Psychological Association's LGBTQ section offers free, short, in-person supportive counseling sessions and crisis-intervention(3-6 sessions) in English and Hungarian in Budapest. Apply at: queercounseling.huforua@gmail.com
- Háttér Society: Hungary’s largest LGBTQ organization providing free psychological aid in English via email: lelkisegely@hatter.hu
- Cordelia Foundation, provider free mental health services for refugees, offers free psychological help in English, Russia, Ukrainian and Hungarian. Reach out at cordelia@cordelia.hu, +3613491450
- Transvanilla Transgender Association - free legal advice for trans people in English at jogsegely@transvanilla.hu
8. HIV and STI aid
If you need help with accessing HIV and STI screening or accessing ART medication, please contact Háttér Society's HIV peer support program: hivpeersupport@hatter.hu
9. Community
- Szeszgyár, an eco-feminist community place welcomes everyone and especially LGBTQ refugees on weekdays from 2PM - 9PM who seeks a safe place where you can grab a bite and just be together in a safe and supportive environment.
- Here is an always going list of places where you can hang out without spending any money (public libraries, community places, ect).
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IV. General information about Hungary:
1. Emergency number
The main emergency phone number for police, firefighters and ambulances is 112.
2. Public transport in Hungary:
- trains are free for Ukrainian citizens, these solidarity tickets need to be requested in person. If you need to pay for your ticket (because e.g. you are not a Ukrainian citizen), tickets can be purchased online, from ticket machines at big train stations and from the cash desks at train stations. But you need to buy a ticket before you board the train. Timetable: mavcsoport.hu/en
- buses do not have these solidarity tickets. Long distance bus tickets can be purchased at bus stations or from the bus driver. TImetable (you have to select the preferred vechicle on the top): https://menetrendek.hu/mobile/?lng=en
- public transport in Budapest: Budapest offers free transportation for refugees who fled Ukraine. This goes almost for all vechicles: bus, tram, metro, except for bus number 100E, ferries or HÉV (local railway, with green wagons), . https://bkk.hu/en/
2. Taxis:
It is not uncommon in Budapest that taxi drivers try to rip off foreigners who are unfamiliar with local charges and the city. We do not advise you to just get a taxi on the street or at the train station.The safest option is to call a taxi from a taxi app, because then their route and their charge gets registered in the app and it makes it more safe fo you as a passenger. Bolt, Főtaxi and Taxim are the most commonly used apps.
Uber is not available in Hungary.
3. Airport
Budapest's international airport is called Liszt Ferenc repülőtér, / "Ferihegy" / BUD 2. There are 2 terminals on the airport: 2A and 2B
The easiest way to get to the airport is by the airport shuttle bus 100E and 200E. It leaves from Deák Ferenc tér and you need to buy a special ticket for 900 HUF (2,30 EUR). You can buy this airport shuttle ticket in the BudapestGO app or in the ticket vending machines. The 200E bus is free with a Ukrainian passport.
To travel by plane you will need to show proof of COVID vaccination.
4. Phone service providers:
If you need a Hungarian SIM card, these are the 3 big Hungarian phone companies:
- Telekom
- Vodafone
- Yettel
5. Ordering food
There are 2 big apps for ordering food: Wolt and foodpanda.
Besides ordering from restaurants, you can order groceries, COVID tests and other products on these apps. Inside Budapest delivery times vary between 20-60 minutes.
6. Booking accommodation
The most commonly used services are:
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Szallas.hu
7. COVID-info
(updated on 2022.03.03.)
- you need to wear a mask on public transportation and in insde facilities (stores, banks, post offices, ect)
- you only need to show proof of vaccination in special cases (like at spas)
- it is advised to get 3 vaccinations. If you want to register for vaccination, you can do it here.
If you are an LGBTQ refugee and need further help from Budapest Pride, please reach out to us in English at help@budapestpride.hu
Інформація для українських біженців ЛГБТК, які прибувають до Угорщини
У Будапешт прайд ми дуже засмучені болем і стражданнями, які переживають українці, спричиненими Путіним. Ми звертаємося до вас з величезним співчуттям та у співпраці з OMOH допомагаємо ЛГБТК-біженцям, які шукають притулку в Угорщині.
Ми зібрали корисну інформацію та контакти, щоб допомогти вам. Якщо ви біженець ЛГБТК і потребуєте допомоги, напишіть до Budapest Pride англійською мовою тут: help@budapestpride.hu
ЛГБТК-люди переживають дуже важкі часи в цій кризовій ситуації. Їм часто доводиться перетинати кордон, де не поважають їх права, наприклад зараз, коли вони прибувають до країни, де до ЛГБТК-людей ставляться по-іншому. ЛГБТК-люди стикаються з дискримінацією, упередженнями, переслідуваннями з боку громадян, влади та неурядових організацій під час втечі з військових територій.
Як Budapest Pride може допомогти
Безпечне проживання на короткий і тривалий термін
Подорож від українського кордону до Будапешта
Подорож з Угорщини в іншу європейську країну
Безкоштовна психологічна консультація англійською мовою
Дружня спільнота ЛГБТК, їжа
Медичне обслуговування
Технічне обладнання (зарядні пристрої, сім-карта тощо)
Юридична допомога
Яким чином можуть українські біженці легально потрапити в країну
Громадяни України, які мають біометричний паспорт, можуть вільно перебувати і пересуватися в межах Європейського Союзу протягом 3 місяців.
Згідно з рішенням Європейського Союзу громадянам України, які проживали в Україні до 24 лютого 2022 року, може бути надано статус тимчасового притулку.
Ось докладний посібник українською, угорською, англійською та російською мовами: link
Важливий список контактів
місцевий транспорт
Ось документ, який автоматично оновлюється для тих, хто чекає на прибуття на українсько-угорському кордоні: link
Homan Transport надає безкоштовний проїзд від кордону з мікроавтобусами, їх номер телефону: +36706200424
Угорська державна залізниця (MÁV) надає безкоштовні квитки солідарності громадянам України на міжнародні рейси. Квиток на місце за 3 євро необхідно придбати. Квитки також можна придбати онлайн. Розклад поїздів: link , Номер телефону обслуговування клієнтів MÁV: +36 1 3 49 49 49
У Будапешті для біженців безкоштовний громадський транспорт, за винятком автобуса 100E.
Transvanilla може допомогти трансгендерам в організації подорожі, контакти: szervezet@transvanilla.hu.
Міжнародні подорожі
Квитки на міжнародні потяги можна придбати за цим посиланням: https://jegy.mav.hu. Громадяни України отримують квиток солідарності.
Авіакомпанія Wizzair запропонувала безкоштовні перельоти
Flixbus пропонує дешеві квитки до багатьох міст
Обмін валюти
Наша остання інформація така, що обміняти гривню на форинти практично неможливо, тому рекомендуємо створити рахунок Wise або Revolut.
Роумінг і сім-карта
Yettel скасував роумінг. Ви також можете отримати безкоштовну SIM-карту і 5 Гб мобільного Інтернету.
Vodafone також скасував роумінг.
Telekom також скасував роумінг.
Проживання
Szallas.hu пропонує безкоштовне проживання. Контакти: +36-30/344-2000 email: szallas@szallas.hu
Готель Danubius Hungaria також пропонує безкоштовне проживання
ShelterUKR - на цій сторінці ви можете знайти найближче до вас житло
Ви також можете написати до Budapest Pride, якщо вам потрібна допомога з пошуком житла. Email: help@budapestpride.hu
Медична допомога
Медичний центр «Duna Medical center» запропонував безкоштовну консультацію та ліки. Контакти: +36-70-698-0696. Вони також можуть надати перекладача.
Гуманітарна допомога
- Migration Aid: +36 30 592 8066 (SMS, Viber, Whatsapp, Signal) Вони організовують проїзд, проживання, мед.допомогу, харчування
Юридична допомога
Угорський Гельсінський комітет, безкоштовна юридична допомога для ЛГБТК, також можуть надати перекладача
Háttér Társaság, найбільша ЛГБТК-організація Угорщини, також пропонує безкоштовну правову допомогу. контакти: jogsegely@hatter.hu
Психологічна допомога
Угорське психологічне товариство надавало безкоштовні консультації англійською та угорською мовами. контакти: queercounseling.huforua@gmail.com
Компанія «Háttér Társaság» також пропонує безкоштовні психологічні консультації. контакти: lelkisegely@hatter.hu
Фонд «Cordelia» також пропонує безкоштовні консультації англійською, угорською, російською та українською мовами. контакти: cordelia@cordelia.hu, +3613491450
Допомога при ВІЛ та ІПСШ
Якщо вам потрібен огляд і ліки, товариство «Háttér Társaság» може допомогти. контакти: hivpeersupport@hatter.hu
Спільнота
«Szeszgyár» – це дружнє місце для ЛГБТК, де ви можете безкоштовно пообідати та повечеряти в будні з 14:00 до 21:00.
