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GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Old Nov 10th 2017, 9:42 am
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Default GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

I know. I know, it has been written and said many times before.
The biggest nightmare of moving to Hungary is there attitude to any kind of paperwork.
We all know they invented the dammed Biro, but really they need to move on!

Sorry this is just a personal rant, it is that time when the UK Pension Service want to know if I am still alive.
While this may be a reasonable request they obviously don't understand the Hungarian attitude to documents.
Asked at the local council and mayors office if they can witness the form, NO! they cannot put a rubber stamp on anything written in English. even though the young lady in the office is part of my Hungarian family and lived and worked in the UK and is fluent in English and understands the form.
I can pay to have it translated then they can stamp it, I am sure the Dept of Pensions would love receiving that!

My girlfriend of sorts is a teacher, which is acceptable to D of P but doesn't have a rubber stamp.
Doctors, Dentist Priests or Undertaker would be fine but I don't know any, never needed them.

In the end the solution was simple, the owner of the coffee shop I visit most days stamped it.
So rant over I am back to being relaxed until the next time.

Coffee shop owner said it is not just me, Hungarians suffer just the same, running any business involving food is a bureaucratic nightmare. his usual solution when someone says something is a problem is to leave and return a little later and see a different person who often will not see a problem.
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 9:56 am
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by duztee
I know. I know, it has been written and said many times before.
The biggest nightmare of moving to Hungary is there attitude to any kind of paperwork.
We all know they invented the dammed Biro, but really they need to move on!

Sorry this is just a personal rant, it is that time when the UK Pension Service want to know if I am still alive.
While this may be a reasonable request they obviously don't understand the Hungarian attitude to documents.
Asked at the local council and mayors office if they can witness the form, NO! they cannot put a rubber stamp on anything written in English. even though the young lady in the office is part of my Hungarian family and lived and worked in the UK and is fluent in English and understands the form.
I can pay to have it translated then they can stamp it, I am sure the Dept of Pensions would love receiving that!

My girlfriend of sorts is a teacher, which is acceptable to D of P but doesn't have a rubber stamp.
Doctors, Dentist Priests or Undertaker would be fine but I don't know any, never needed them.

In the end the solution was simple, the owner of the coffee shop I visit most days stamped it.
So rant over I am back to being relaxed until the next time.

Coffee shop owner said it is not just me, Hungarians suffer just the same, running any business involving food is a bureaucratic nightmare. his usual solution when someone says something is a problem is to leave and return a little later and see a different person who often will not see a problem.
Did this yesterday, used our lovely lawyer, took 5 minutes, seemples!
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 11:46 am
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

What I also found very strange at first (got used to it now but still don't get the logic ...) is that for some documents you need the signatures of two witnesses - and they can be anyone, like say friends family members or strangers ...

What good is it if two people sign anything - usually without even reading it ...
My wife can't explain it to me either - and she worked in an office for many years in "Communist" times ...
But she can tell stories about those days!
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 12:24 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

We had a scenario over the TAJ card, third time lucky in Szombáthely.
Turned away asked for form E104
Went this time with HMRC web page print out stating THEY need to contact the UK for form SED040.
I also took in mine and wifes P45 and P60 as we left work in March 2017 (self employed). Now retired and after a phone call from the girl on the desk to who ever, she duly photocopied all the docs and now we will receive the card in next 8 days, but were on the system NOW should anything happen ... Start paying fully from Dec into the system

Michael/Julie

Vas Megye
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 1:19 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by wolfi
What I also found very strange at first (got used to it now but still don't get the logic ...) is that for some documents you need the signatures of two witnesses - and they can be anyone, like say friends family members or strangers ...

What good is it if two people sign anything - usually without even reading it ...
My wife can't explain it to me either - and she worked in an office for many years in "Communist" times ...
But she can tell stories about those days!
Surely that's the same as in England whereby anybody can merely witness your signature, the content of the document being irrelevant?
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 2:39 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

As a German I'm still perplexed - what's the use of this?

There's no checking of id involved - I could sign any declaration as Theresa May and get get some "friends" to sign too ...
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 2:42 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by wolfi
As a German I'm still perplexed - what's the use of this?

There's no checking of id involved - I could sign any declaration as Theresa May and get get some "friends" to sign too ...
The witness confirms that it was Herr Mueller that signed the document as opposed to Frau Schmidt! For example, I occasionally witnessed a friend's signature on documents relating to transactions connected to his Mother. The witness carries no liability for the content of the document. In your example then of course you & your friends would be guilty of fraud!
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 4:17 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Patrick, alright ...

Still it seems a bit crazy to me, but what me worry ...

The "paper war" in any country has some strange aspects, bureaucrats must be a different species ...
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 9:01 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by Expatrick
Did this yesterday, used our lovely lawyer, took 5 minutes, seemples!
Ah! Lawyer, does that mean you paid him, definitely against my religion.
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 9:03 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by duztee
Ah! Lawyer, does that mean you paid him, definitely against my religion.
She tried to refuse payment but as she also witnessed another document we insisted and she eventually accepted a small payment. She's a gem!
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 9:10 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by Expatrick
She tried to refuse payment but as she also witnessed another document we insisted and she eventually accepted a small payment. She's a gem!
Nice Lady to know. :-)
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Old Nov 10th 2017, 9:13 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by duztee
Nice Lady to know. :-)
Damn good lawyer too!
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Old Dec 5th 2017, 1:30 pm
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Default Re: GGgrrrrr! Hungarian bureaucracy.

Originally Posted by kohoutek
We had a scenario over the TAJ card, third time lucky in Szombáthely.
Turned away asked for form E104
Went this time with HMRC web page print out stating THEY need to contact the UK for form SED040.
I also took in mine and wifes P45 and P60 as we left work in March 2017 (self employed). Now retired and after a phone call from the girl on the desk to who ever, she duly photocopied all the docs and now we will receive the card in next 8 days, but were on the system NOW should anything happen ... Start paying fully from Dec into the system

Michael/Julie

Vas Megye
I got the runaround today in the Budapest TAJ office about the E104.

I informed them that they need to contact UK direct for an SO41 and they said that will take 3 months.

Very frustrating.
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