About peddington

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Some Forum Posts:

Hungary: Hungary in the EU after the UK has gone:

Most of what "bor" said I agree. One issue Hungary would face is the return the hundreds and thousands of Hungarian guest worker working in other EU countries. Certainly this would raise the unemployment rate. The other issue may be that there are some powerful forces that have a vested interest in the EU surviving. The could manipulate the outcome behind the scenes. After all Greece was given more than one reprieve, etc. LOL!

Hungary: Enough of Orban:

No Felicia, I think he means that companies like Tesco no longer allowed to run free mini shuttle buses to get customers. This was a good deal for the elderly that don't drive or have other means to go shopping. It is a savvy business decision but of course it costs the company money. Overall the sad fact is that the Hungarian government intrudes in people's lives and tries to tell them what to do and when. Just like theSunday Law I call when they tried to keep all major business closed on Sunday. That of course didn't work. The there was the talk about the "Internet tax" which drove Hungarians to the streets by the thousands. That idea the government dropped and now even reduced the tax (AFA) on it. Unfortunately Hungarian government do a lot of this I call "false starts" maybe to see what flies and what doesn't. LOL!

Hungary: UK person moving to Hungary after Article 50 is triggered:

Not really sure but just in the past few days I heard talk that EU will start kicking out Hungarian workers from the UK. Will this have any ramifications the other way around? Who knows!

Hungary: Most economical way to send money from Hungary to USA:

That is a though one. Of course it depends how much money. Western Union all considered is expensive and there is a limit on the amount. I came across this web site: news@smartcurrencyonline.com I have not done business with them but I think two banks are required. In this case one in Hungary and one in the US. In Hungary they don't use/cash check typically but might work the other way around since we in the US use them and it is common place. Of course not really sure if US banks would honor a check from Hungary. Sorry couldn't be more help!

Hungary: buying a bar in Hungary:

Don't have much experience with this type of business but I would highlight two things; 1. NAV (Hungarian tax authority) now requires an on-line cash register for most businesses that goes directly to them (less chance of cheating so they get their cut). 2. Do make sure there is no debt associated with the establishment that you may inherit unwillingly. (in Hungary it is not a strange concept to sell real estate etc., more than once. Having said that HIRE A LAWYER! Good luck!

Hungary: Driving license:

WOW! I read with great interest what "bor " had to say and well it was worse than I could of imagined! Since I'm not a "resident" and of course not a citizen I'm happily drive on my US license and AAA issued (1 year at the time) $15.00 Int'l Drivers license which is funny because it is not really a license but a notebook that states what you qualified to drive in 10 billion languages, LOL! Since I go back to the states at least once a year this is not a problem. I been stopped by cops and never been a problem (you must understand that cops are poorly trained in Hungary). The rule is that they afraid to make a critical decision as the rule "ask for permission" applies. As long as they can ascertain that you are a foreigner they don't dig deeper. If you have your residence permit or alien registration permit and address card (lakcim kartya) they will not spend much time with you! Ultimately Hungary has a long way to go to get up to speed (and I been saying that for some time now). In Romania that used to be considered "backwards" and less developed when compared to Hungary the written test consists of 26 questions. In the US of course is 20 as I recall. It was a communist thing that you had to know how the engine work and all the other stuff to pass a driver's exam. I certainly agree with "bor" about the assessment that while the testing progress appears so rigourous and prolonged it seems to produce really POOR DRIVER! Ultimately maybe it is just money making scheme like many things around Hungary. It is like owning a gun...almost impossible. Health exam, subject exam, gun club membership, gun safe, ammunition accounting, police inspection etc, etc. It is harder than getting your doctorate! LOL! Yet...just the other day a cop got shot by a citizen. As a cop I hope the higher ups realize that better/different police training is required. I observed a number of police stops and I can tell you that in the US we used to fail cadets at the police academy if they acted like Hungarian police veterans...but well that is another story! LOL!

Hungary: If you can help it use PUBLIC TRANS!:

Hungarian hierarchy is taking advantage of the fools that own and drive a car so they happily tax fuel weathever is going down or up! SO! My advise to you all expats is to make maximum use of public transportation that is still cheaper than owning a car in Hungary! Of course those that are on TOP get driven around in government owned cars and they don't have to pay for the fuel so HURRAY for the SMART ONES! They likely get a discount on their "personal fuel" just like we used to get coupons for fuel as US Embassy employees (or similar) in thew 1990's! So take the tram, bus or train and forget driving!!!

Hungary: Winter tires:

Far as I can tell winter tires are not mandatory on your personal vehicles. Obviously in a snow storm summer tires won't do because of the tire thread depth and because summer and winter tire are made of different rubber. Of course if you get stranded or cause an accident the cops and/or insurance company may not be so understanding if you drive on summer tires in a January blizzard. I think that for taxis and other commercial vehicles the winter tire is NOT optional. Incidentally the word is that in Austria they take it rather seriously and the fines are steep.

Hungary: Hungarian pension:

I heard that some pensions can be "domesticated" but it may not worth it coming to Hungary where wages are low therefore pensions are low too!

Hungary: How to start:

Your "visa free" status gives you 3 months in the EU and/or Hungary. You can apply here and the turn around time is/was about a month. Cost 18,000 HUF,,photo, proof of income and health insurance and a local address (as owner or rental contract or letter from a relative/friend). This of course for a 1 year stay!

Date Joined:

11/14/2013

Total Posts:

348

Posts/Day:

0.28