Hi all

I work online for a British employer, and spend about 9 months of the year in Hungary.

HMRC has decreed that I am still a UK tax resident and must continue to pay tax in the UK. I use my mother's address as my UK official residence and I have not registered as resident in Hungary.

However, the National INsurance people say that as I work abroad on an open ended contract, I am not eligible for reciprocal cover and I must register with Hungarian social security.

Does anyone have any experience like this? The whole thing seems to be a bureaucratic nightmare. I have an EHIC card and am considering just using this indefinitely!

Hi , you can't resister for state health care unless you are resident. If you are having problems with residency then you really only have two options - as far as I am aware. Pay for private health care or use your EHIC card though as I am sure you are aware - this only covers you for a limited time.

Thank RH - although as far as I know the EHIC card can be renewed indefinitely if you are a UK tax/NI payer.

Basic private insurance, subsidised by my company, is about £36 a month; Hungarian state healthcare is about £18 a month I think, so it would be good to get on the state scheme if possible, especially considering I may be paying NI to the UK as well!

Hi AA, I'm confused
As you live in Hungary for 9 months of the year, I assume you have residency? Therefore you can pay into the state Health care system - as far as I am aware, you do not need to pay tax to pay health contributions

I'm confused as well!

I am not registered as a resident in Hungary because I am still waiting to sort things out with NI in the UK.

The Hungarian authorities (via my girlfriend) have said I need to give them a form A1, but NI refuse to issue it because they say I am on an open ended contract and therefore must register with social security in Hungary, so it seems a catch-22 situation.

My poor girlfriend has spent ages phoning/writing/visiting government departments and is fed up with it, I don't blame her.

So I'm currently waiting for a reply to a letter trying to clarify all this with NI, once I get that I will go back into the bureaucratic nightmare again.

I go back to UK every 90 days for 30 days, but I'm not sure if that counts, so I'm probably not even legally here...

Have you been to the immigration office and explained that you have no UK health cover, instead you will be paying into the Hungarian system but can not do so until you have your address card?

This post from Ria might help :
"Regarding the EU medical card, when we were in Kaposvar, they asked for it and my partner's just expired. My in-laws didn't even had them with them but the clerk wasn't worried at all. As I said they all just had to sign a form to take full responsibility for their medical needs and that was that.

After you have your Hungarian address card, you can go to the Health Office and ask for a "taj" card. My in-laws were all right and after the forms (S1 I think) were sent off, they got their cards in the post. Steve is on a private pension so he is not covered here by NHS, that's why they wanted him to prove his address for the past year - no idea why this is important though. We still haven't heard back so it's in the process but once we get the forms through, he can pay for his medical card ~5000 Fts a month and he is covered here. However, if you need to pay for your medical, you will need a tax identification number first. That's no big deal, just ask a form from the tax office, fill it out, send a copy of your passport, address card and registration card and they'll send your tax number back to your address.

The problem is everything is tied to something else. You need medical, so you need a tax number and for that you need an address card but to get an address card you need to register with the Immigration Office first..."

Thanks RH. I intend to go back into the bureaucratic labryinth once more when I have got confirmation from NI as to whether I should keep paying NI to the UK (which they unhelpfully did not bother to mention in their letter).

In the meantime I have my EHIC card, which I have already used at a doctor's with no problems apart from the receptionist thinking 'UK' meant the Ukraine...

Fortunately I have a very understanding girlfriend and boss!