I have seen various anecdotal references to people being refused the E104 form when requested in UK but can't find any definitive explanation of the current system from a non UK site. If you do a search for E104 at the EU website you get no results. I now have dual residency, Hungary and Croatia but am only paying into the Hungary healthcare system. When I applied for Croatian residency I hoped to get by with my EHIC card but found it had expired. I renewed the EHIC but that is still not acceptable, the Croatian health department say I must either get an E104 form from Hungary or start paying into the Croatian system. I will have to transfer to the Croatian system if and when I give up Hungarian residency but it costs about twice as much so I want to put that off for as long as possible.
Does anyone know how to look up current EU law on this? I would like to print something I can show to them in the Croatian health department office.

My understanding is that the EHIC is only valid for non residents. Essentially it is for tourists. If you have residency in a country then you have to sort out your NI/healthcare in that country according to its rules. The country where you pay your NI should issue your new EHIC card

A quick search on the web shows that the E104 has been scrapped and your new country uses form S040 to get form S041 from your old country. so as far as I can see it is up to the bureaucracys of the 2 countries to sort out once you trigger the request - Good luck with that if that is the case !

Health warning - the above about E104 is just my information to hand at the moment.

Yes, that is my understanding of the situation but I don't expect them too take my word for it so I am tring to find something official that explains the new rules. My guess is that people were providing forged E104 forms to get free health cover. If the health department gets the form direct from the EU country concerned they will know it is genuine.

I know the procedure/forms have changed but if the Croatians and Hungarians* both insist on still using the E104 then maybe you should just ask the Hungarians for one.

(* I was recently asked by the Hungarian TAJ office to get an E104 from UK)

Hi rickster000. You mentioned of the bottom of yr msg that you were asked to provide an E104 from the UK. Could you get it, please? I am in the same shoes.

No. Because this is the old procedure and the UK do not use this form anymore. The new procedure is that the Hungarian authorities should ask the UK directly for a form SO41. You should not have to ask anyone for anything.

I went round in circles with this. And because I told them I was in the process of becoming self employed, they were telling me to ask my accountant to do something and the accountant said she could not do what they asked without the TAJ number. It was very frustrating.

In the end, I went onto the TAJ office to try again, this time I was served by a guy who spoke no English. He gave me my TAJ number no problem, no questions asked !!

My suggestion would be for you to try again in the TAJ office and hope you don't get an English speaking jobsworth. But if they do speak English and ask you to get an E104, tell them there are no E104 forms any more from UK, and that the old process has changed and THEY need to ask the UK for an SO41.

They must have heard this many times before. I can't understand why they have not updated their process.

Thank you rickster000! Yes, they should not! But they do, and plus! they are threatening with enormous charges if it is not presented by us (because they would not believe that (actually it is for my son) he has been working in the UK since 2014. However, he reported this at the health authorities (Egeszsegugyi Penztar) but even though they (TAJ office how you call it, or NAV) do not want to contact them....

Anyway, Thanks again

Is he working in Hungary now? If so, his employer should be doing all this.

If you have further problems maybe you should contact the British Embassy in Budapest and explain the situation and ask for help.

What I have found is if you talk to the staff then you can get different stories. I ask in writing and then I have found you get the correct information because they make sure its right before making statements on paper.

This is very true. I have found in different areas of bureaucracy that the info or demands vary between staff in the same department.

Yes, asking in writing is a good option

Alternatively, preempt that by getting something in writing from UK (HMRC) or the British Embassy about the procedure to take in with you.

He has been working and paying everything here in the UK (since 2014) but the Hungarian NAV just has been sending the letters demanding to pay (contribute) -I cannot remember for what) in Hungary.
Anyway, thanks for your advice, it helped

It is weird that they are asking for payment first. It sounds like he somehow has a further complication aside from the normal E104/SO41 hassles.

Does he actually live and work in Hungary, officially?

Same happening to me in Szombathely and STUCK..........going around in cricles with E104 / SO41 but nothing moving!

Is this a verbal run around? As for the procedure in writing and see if the response is the same.

Thanks Peter, will do!