Thank you for accepting me on forum. There seems to be lot's of good and informative info on here. Myself and my husband are looking to move to Hungary in the not too distant future (hopefully) so this site will be very useful.

Welcome Jessica from another newbie, Me and my wife hope to move soon also.Yes, this is a great resource.

Welcome Some questions if I may
Why Hungary?
Why move? - retire, job, both, lifestyle etc.
Which area?

Perhaps the same questions for Jack_Russells4ever

Peter, to answer your ?

Hungary is attractive to us because it beautiful and a much slower pace of life than the UK, property is much more affordable in most areas compared to other parts of the continent.
We are retiring and seeking a rural lifestyle.

Thanks for the welcome guy's.

Our reason's for choosing Hungary are similar to Jack_Russells4ever.
We have been to Hungary a few times on holiday around the Lake area and love it.

Hi Jessica and & JR4e! I'm a newbie too and have found this to be the best Hungarian ex-pat forum in the whole of Internetland.

I know nobody asked me, but my desire to live in Hungary originally stemmed from just wanting to get the heck out of the UK. I originally looked into the idea of living near (or preferably ON) the Le Mans circuit, but decided that France was perhaps a little too pricey. I then considered Portugal but it seemed too hot and arid in the places I'd prefer to be (i.e as far away from tourists and the ex-pat enclaves as possible). But that's how I discovered this forum. I saw the Hungary sub-section, thought "hmmmm", read a ton of threads, looked at some property and decided that Hungary was the place for me. It was a gut feeling, an instinct - I looked at some videos of rural Hungary on youtube and it was as if Hungary was saying "come to me".

Yes, all very romantic and unrealistic I know. Have I even visited the place? No! I'm not a well travelled or particularly adventurous person and have only been to France a few times. My plan is to sell an inherited property next year, then travel to Hungary and rent for a while to get my bearings and hopefully find somewhere permanent. I currently house-share with someone, so wouldn't be burning all my bridges and could come back to the UK if I really don't like it in Hungary. But my main aim is to not live in the UK, so if not Hungary, then it has to be somewhere.

I've heard people say that Hungary is like Britain in the (insert your favourite decade here). That really appeals to me. I want a peaceful, rural life where I don't have to put up with too much noise, yapping dogs (big woofs are OK and I know most Hungarians have larger dogs, it's just "yap yap yap" that drives me up the wall) and can come and go as I please, exploring the countryside or staying in and playing video games. No-one to answer to or look after (I've got commitments here in the UK that I just don't want anymore). I'm not interested in making friends so am not worried about feeling isolated or lonely - I've always been a loner. I just want a stress-free life with no responsibilities.

Apart from the rainbows and unicorns reasons for moving, I'm keen to move to a country that is fighting globalization and Hungary seems to be one of the few countries taking a stand. Paying off its debt to the IMF early and then politely telling them to "do one" is a magnificent achievement. I'm looking to buy in the south-west of Hungary and was delighted to discover that the whole of the west is a massive "no GMO" region. Despite being a billy-no-mates, I'd like to live in a country that still upholds family values and it seems that Hungary does this. And do you know what I can't wait to do? Throw recyclables away in the ordinary dustbin! I am sick of washing up "trash" because we only get our recyclables collected every fortnight and there's always a bin-man inspecting your rubbish to make sure you haven't committed the cardinal sin of putting a newspaper or tin can in it. Oh and not having to pay nearly £2k a year in council tax for this "privilege" will be nice too.

If my UK property sells for a decent price, I should have enough to buy a house and not even have to think about getting a job for at least ten years. Which suits me as I'm a very lazy person. Ten years is ample time to get a reasonable grasp of the language which would help in gaining employment when the time comes. I'm in my mid 40s now and hope to spend the rest of my life in Hungary, if the universe wills it.

tl:dr version - I'm having a mid-life crisis and want to run away to a fantasy land that I've never even visited.

Hippo, you seem to have the same feelings as we do. Hungary has so many pluses and few minuses. We hate globalisation and this rush to a new world order or one world government. The planets needs thousands of small nations not one or a few. No nation or group of nations should be able to dominate the entire planet.

Hi Hippo - some of your reasons for wanting to get out of the UK are similar to what ours were. With the benefit of hindsight there are things I would have changed/done differently....but that is all part of the learning curve/life experience. For the benefit of other newbies, here is a brief list of my pros and cons which I hope is helpful to others. Even if you don't agree - they are areas you might like to consider:

Cons:
Language - harder than you think - especially in rural areas. I would say 10 years should do it if you study hard
Con artists - there are plenty of expats here who find themselves in desperate situations and then pass on that misery to others. If you are buying property...look on local sites first to see what the real price should be.
Dogs - I think I have mentioned the appalling treatment of dogs before. And they do bark all the time in some rural areas.
Politics - This is a country with a 'rich' history. I don't get into political discussions, especially not about Hungary...but do your research.
Customer Service - To some people, they might find the service here lacking and unfriendly when compared to other Western countries.
Money - Hungary is not as cheap as you might think. What you don't pay much for in one area...comes out of another. The govt gets its taxes somehow!
Culture - Hungarian culture is very different imo to British culture and can take some adjusting.
Weather - Lets just say it can be extreme in any season.
Bureaucracy - Still exists and can be very painful at times.

Benefits:
Away from it all - Yes, if you want to keep to yourself you generally can here - especially during the winter months
Alcohol - Wine is superb and cheap
Culture - The Hungarian way of life is very family orientated, and has not been too diluted. I love all the folk arts/dancing etc.
Sustainable lifestyle - It is certainly doable here. Re recyclables - I would point out that they have just introduced this in our town, although I don't think its compulsory yet.
Weather - Can be awesome, lots of sunny days even in the winter...seasons are still distinguishable
Standard of Living - For expats, the standard of living can be much higher than one is used to in the UK, assuming you have some form of UK income i.e. pension etc.
Hungary - Has some wonderful places to visit, plus it borders 7 countries so is a wonderful base to explore if you so wish.
Hospitality - Once you have experienced Hungarian hospitality - you won't find anything to match it.

Hope this is helpful....I am sure many other forum members can add much more from their own experiences.

Ah yes bureaucracy. If you have anything against ID cards this may not be the country for you. I think I now have four:
Registration card - applied for when you have been here more than 3 months - see other threads for more info
Address card - this identifies where you live and is needed for many transactions
TAx card - needed for employment purposes. If you buy a house you will automatically be assigned a tax number.
HAJ card - for healthcare

I have found that once you are in the system it seems very efficient. In the past I have had serious medical treatment which means that I need regular checkups and tests. I tried to organise this through my village doctor but due to problems with communication it didn't work so I put it off for a while. Then I found out that a neighbour worked in our county hospital and she kindly arranged an appointment for me with the appropriate specialist. I used to work in the NHS so was very interested to find out what it would be like here. My impression is that the systems are very efficient. Basically I arrived at the hospital with a Hungarian friend in tow to help me. I had to register at reception which was a ticket system and a friendly receptionist registered me on the computer within about 5 minutes. This is where your HAJ card and address card are invaluable. I then proceeded to the clinic. Whilst seeing the specialist another nurse printed out the paperwork I needed for the tests. I then went back down to reception showed my paperwork and they booked the appointments for me there and then. I had to have an array of blood tests done so I arrived at my local clinic at 7 in the morning, handed in the paperwork and was given a printed bar code in return. I was whisked in for the test and out again in about 30 seconds flat! The next afternoon I returned to the clinic with my barcode which was used to printout the results from the computer and given to me. From what I understand here you as the patient collect your test results and then take them back to the specialist for interpretation if needed. All in all the systems seem to involve the patient more. I don't know why I felt surprised by this, even now Hungary can still surprise me and makes me realise that us 'westerners' can be blooming arrogant sometimes thinking that we have everything sussed.
Also health prevention here is another interesting story but that can wait for another time.

Health Prevention ?? Hmmm The Hungarian diet in many cases could fall under this category, white flour, sugar, wine and tobacco.

But you can get to a health spa on the Hungarian NHS to redress some of the above

Wow, Thank you all for your input
Lot's of information for me to digest.

I concur Pol - saves me time typing

Ha Ha! I am sure there is much more...I ran out of steam In any event, I am sure one person's perspective is not the same as everyone elses...they are just some general pointers. I think a good list would be 'what to and what not to bring from the UK'. I.e. English garden tools just don't cut it (excuse the pun) - and wish we had brought more useful tools i.e. angle grinder, chain saw, etc. Oh and the fact that mattress sizes are different still irks me

Some very good points made by Polgardi. No place is perfect but if one goes into a move like this with an open mind and a spirit of adventure, Hungary is full of possibilities. We are eagerly looking forward to our trip.

I'll second that!