Arriving: SIM, bank account, transport pass, insurance
Four things are worth doing in the first week, and the order matters: a SIM needs nothing, a bank account needs papers, a student pass needs a student ID.
- What it costs
- A SIM top-up is a few thousand forints; a student bank account is often free; the student pass is a fraction of the full price.
- How long it takes
- A week, once you have the registered address and enrolment.
SIM card
A prepaid SIM is sold with a passport at any operator's shop (Yettel, Telekom, One) and many newsagents; registration is mandatory and done in the shop. If you stay longer, the monthly student plans are cheaper but need an address and a bank account. EU roaming works here too, but a Hungarian number helps with the address registration, the bank and the offices.
Bank account
Many students start with Revolut or Wise, which work at once with a passport and can hold forints. At a Hungarian bank (OTP, Erste, K&H, Raiffeisen and others) a student account is often free, but opening one usually needs a passport, proof of address or the address card, the residence permit or proof of application, and an enrolment certificate. If your scholarship is paid to a Hungarian account you need a Hungarian bank; ask the university which they work with.
Student transport pass
The monthly student pass is a fraction of the full price and valid on every local line in the city: BKK issues it in Budapest, SZKT in Szeged, DKV in Debrecen, Tüke Busz in Pécs. It needs a student ID: the Hungarian one is arranged by the university, with a temporary certificate until it is issued; the European student card is not always accepted. Until then, the 30-day full-price pass or single tickets (in Budapest in the BudapestGO app). Prices are on the operator's site. For trips home, MÁV trains and Volánbusz coaches give a substantial discount with a student ID.
Health insurance
As an EU student your EHIC card from home covers necessary care. As a non-EU student the residence permit requires insurance: scholarship holders often get it, others can buy a student package from insurers, and the Hungarian health card (TAJ) is available on the basis of enrolment; your university's international office knows the details. Find the university's medical office in the first weeks regardless.
Step by step
- Day one: a prepaid SIM with your passport.
- After the lease and the address registration: a bank account (Revolut or Wise until then).
- After the student ID or the temporary certificate: the student pass.
- Sort insurance as the university advises; find the medical office.
Traps
- A bank account without an address: most Hungarian banks refuse. Address first.
- Buying full-price passes for months because the student ID is not ready; ask for the temporary certificate.
- Arriving without insurance: the application stalls and private care is expensive.
Common questions
Do I need a Hungarian bank account?
Not necessarily; many live a whole semester on Revolut. You need one if your scholarship is paid to a Hungarian account or a landlord only accepts Hungarian transfers.
How much is the student pass?
A fraction of the full price; check the current price with your city's operator: bkk.hu, szkt.hu, dkv.hu, tukebusz.hu. Valid only with an accepted student ID.
Where do I get medical care?
At the university medical office and the GP for your registered address; in an emergency call 112. English-speaking doctors are on the international office's list.
Last checked: 2026. 09. 06. Prices and official rules change; always check the official sites before you act.
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