Provisions and Care Provided for Asylum-Seekers
DEFINITIONS
Providing conditions that ensure adequate standard of living consistent with the health and basic needs of foreign nationals seeking asylum is the responsibility of the State. The Hungarian State fulfils its duties related to this responsibility principally through the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing.
The care and support (“material reception conditions”) provided to this group of foreign nationals may be restricted or withheld in specific cases. If later it is proven that the asylum seeker had sufficient means to cover material reception conditions, including the costs of healthcare services (in other words, he/she would have been able to provide it for him/herself), the asylum authority may order the asylum seeker to reimburse such costs, which will be collected as taxes.
Duration of entitlement: following submission of the application, until the final closure of the asylum procedure. Upon receipt of the application for asylum, the asylum authority informs the foreign national about the care and support to which he/she is entitled, as well as his/her obligations in relation to the reception conditions.
Reception conditions: material reception conditions, and all entitlements as well as measures defined in an act or a government decree relating to the freedom of movement of asylum seekers, as well as healthcare, social welfare and the education provided to asylum seekers.
Definition of social eligibility: A foreign national seeking asylum is considered to be in need of and eligible for care and support in reception if the asylum-seeker or his/her spouse or direct line relative living in the same household does not have assets available in Hungary to support themselves, and the per capita monthly income of his/her family, comprising the income of all family members living in the same household, including his/her spouse and direct line relative, does not exceed the amount of the prevailing social base of calculation. Assets and income shall have the same meaning as defined in Act III of 1993 on Social Administration and Social Provisions and Care. An asylum-seeker shall – at the time of submission of the application for recognition – make a declaration on his/her assets and income using the form provided for the respective purpose.
If the person seeking asylum has assets constituting sufficient means of subsistence or his/her income reached the level specified above, he/she must report this fact to the asylum authority at the latest within fifteen days from the date of change in the conditions of assets and/or income.
CARE AND SUPPORT SYSTEM AVAILABLE DURING RECEPTION
During reception the asylum-seeker is entitled to the following care and support on the basis of need and/or based on his/her individual life situation and circumstances:
• Covering material reception conditions, including:
o placement and care in a reception facility
o travel allowances,
o covering the cost of public health funeral.
• Health care
• Reimbursement of the costs of learning and education
• Financial support, including:
o financial support for leaving the country permanently.
COVERING MATERIAL RECEPTION CONDITIONS
The asylum authority provides material reception conditions for the applicants at the designated reception facilities. Reception facilities are institutions providing accommodation and care for asylum-seekers and foreign nationals having been granted international protection. In the reception facilities, eligible foreign nationals have access to all the services intended to ensure that their basic everyday needs are properly provided for as well as support and social assistance in accordance with the European standards and their individual circumstances throughout their period of eligibility.
In the reception facilities, asylum-seekers receive accommodation, three times a day (five times a day for minors under 18, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers) meals (or an equivalent amount of money as meal allowance), eating utensils and hygienic supplies (or an equivalent amount of money as hygienic contribution) and, if necessary, clothing. Accommodation in reception facilities is arranged in consideration of maintaining family unity.
During the asylum procedure, the reception centre may offer asylum-seekers the opportunity of employment within the territory of the reception centre. For any work contributing to the maintenance and the preservation of the reception centre or to the care of the persons placed in the reception centre the foreign national may receive a monthly remuneration of up to 85% of the prevailing mandatory minimum old-age pension.
The asylum authority may accept monetary and in-kind donations – aiming the improvement of the living conditions – from natural and legal persons for supplementing the budgetary resources made available for services provided to asylum-seekers, refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. The asylum authority must ensure proper distribution and accounting of such donations.
Asylums-seekers are entitled to travel allowance at public transport companies (“MÁV” [Hungarian State Railways], “Volánbusz” [Coach Transport in Hungary]) in specific cases. The asylum authority shall provide a certificate for the asylum-seeker as specified by the legislation on travel allowances available on means of public transportation. The certificate may be issued if the client is in the process of managing administrative matters relating to his/her legal status, or when he/she receives specific healthcare service at the competent regional healthcare service provider, or if he/she participates in a programme operated by a civil society organisation within the framework of State competences, or relies on assistance by such organisation.
In the event of the decease of the asylum-seeker, in the absence of a person obliged to make arrangements for the funeral or (s)he cannot be identified or located, or is unwilling to make arrangements for the funeral, the asylum-seeker’s funeral shall be arranged by the mayor of the competent municipality as per the place of death. The asylum authority shall reimburse the municipality for the funeral costs.
HEALTH CARE
If the asylum-seeker is not covered by any social security system and is socially disadvantaged, he/she shall be entitled to access specific healthcare services free of charge. Such free healthcare services shall include the following:
• Primary health care. Available on site to foreign nationals accommodated in the reception centre or held in detention in asylum proceedings, or at the general practitioner providing healthcare under regional service obligation to asylum-seekers accommodated in private accommodation;
• Age-specific compulsory vaccination;
• Outpatient care (examination, medical treatment, costs of medicine and dressings) provided in emergency situations. Specialised healthcare services can be received at the healthcare provider responsible for the region concerned. Emergency situations shall mean any change in the patient’s health condition culminating in a potentially life threatening situation or that would seriously or permanently impair the patient’s health in the absence of immediate care.
• Inpatient medical care provided in an emergency situation (medical treatment, surgical operation, costs of medicine and dressings, etc.),
• Post-care examinations, medical treatment and medical aids necessary until the recovery from the illness or the stabilisation of the health conditions following the outpatient or inpatient medical care;
• Ambulance service, if the
patient’s health conditions exclude any other forms of transportation;
• Emergency dental care and tooth preservation treatment;
• Pregnancy and obstetric care
(and in specific cases surgical procedure for the termination of pregnancy).
• Medicinal products, medical aids and dressings prescribed free of
charge under the fully subsidised public healthcare system to persons entitled
to prescription exemption (“közgógyellátásra jogosultak”), or with 90% or 100%
subsidy.
REIMBURSEMENT OF THE COSTS OF LEARNING AND EDUCATION
In order to ensure that the applicant children of receive education appropriate for their age, the asylum authority shall cover the costs of these children’s participation in the public education system during their stay in the reception facility, until the person seeking asylum reaches the age of 21 years.
Accordingly, all reasonable costs relating to the education in pre-school, primary school and secondary school (or in any other educational institution that meets the child’s special needs) – including costs of ticket or pass purchased for travelling to the educational institution on local or long-distance means of transport, the costs of meals in the educational institution and the fee of dormitory accommodation will be reimbursed – upon request – by the asylum authority.
The asylum authority may, upon the asylum-seeker’s request, cover the asylum-seeker’s expenses for leaving the country permanently. Accordingly, if returning to the country of origin or relocating to a third country permanently, the asylum authority provides a ticket (flight ticket) on one occasion based on the certificate issued by the diplomatic or consular mission of the country of destination, and any other justified travel-related expenses may be partly or fully reimbursed on one occasion.