Doing Business in Hungary 2010 - International Franchise Association

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that security issues are handled via an interagency process. Visa applicants should go to the following links. State Department Visa Website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html Consular Section, U.S. Embassy Budapest: http://budapest.usembassy.gov/consular2.html For information on this topic please consult the Commerce Department’s Country Commercial Guides on EU Member States: EU Member States' Country Commercial Guides Alternatively, search the Commerce Department’s Market Research Library, available from: http://www.export.gov/mrktresearch/index.asp under Country and Industry Market Reports. Telecommunications Return to top Telephone service, including long-distance, is reliable in Hungary. Budapest is served by three cellular phone providers, T-Mobile, Pannon GSM, and Vodafone. Calling card services, such as AT&T, MCI, and Sprint, can also be accessed from Hungary. Hungary has several Internet service providers, including: GTS Datanet, T-Online, and Invitel. Euro ISDN service is available, but more expensive than dial-up. Budapest also has an increasing number of Internet cafes. Transportation Return to top Delta Airlines offers direct service between New York and Budapest. In addition, United, American, and Continental have code-share agreements with European airlines to offer joint services to Budapest. Hungary’s well-developed transportation infrastructure simplifies and speeds domestic travel. Railway lines crisscross the country to connect most cities. The "Inter-City" line provides firstclass, express service to several cities. A hydrofoil ferries passengers to Vienna and Bratislava. Hungary’s highways, which are generally good, are undergoing a major improvement to meet EU standards. Express toll highways connect Budapest west to Vienna, south to the Serbian border, and east almost to the Ukrainian border. The M6 highway between Budapest and Pecs (south west to Croatia) is under construction. Budapest is served by an efficient public transportation system, based on three subway lines, supplemented by a comprehensive bus, tram, and trolley system. Taxis are also readily available. Phoning for a taxi from one of Budapest’s major companies, rather than hailing off the street, helps ensure the appropriate fare. Taxis from Budapest’s airport to downtown cost roughly US$35. An airport shuttle offers reliable service and costs around US$20. Language Return to top English is regularly used for business in Hungary, especially among multinational firms. However, Hungary’s smaller and state-owned firms may have principals who do not speak English. In this case, an interpreter may be used for meetings, though it is prudent to agree on this in advance. German is the second most common foreign language. Health Return to top Hungary enjoys good standards of health and a low incidence of disease. Hungarian law requires no vaccinations for Americans to travel or live there. Because many U.S. medical 88
insurance policies do not cover expenses incurred overseas, it is advisable to purchase overseas coverage before travel to Hungary. Please note that Medicare benefits are not payable for services rendered outside the United States. Hungarian doctors and hospitals generally require cash payment upon completion of services rendered. In modern units of the private hospitals use of bank cards is accepted. Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays Return to top Local time: GMT + 01:00 or 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Normal business hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Businesses and government offices often close in the early afternoon on Fridays. Hungary celebrates the following holidays: New Year’s Day January 1, 20010 Revolution Day March 15, 2010 Easter Monday April 5, 2010 Labor Day May 1, 2010 Whit Monday May 24, 2010 National Day August 20, 2010 Republic Day October 23, 2010 All Saints’ Day November 1, 2010 Christmas Day December 25, 2010 Boxing Day December 26, 2010 The European institutions generally follow the holidays of the EU Member State in which they are located. During the month of August European institutions are staffed with minimum personnel. For information on local holidays in the EU Member States, please see their Country Commercial Guides. Temporary Entry of Materials and Personal Belongings Return to top Duty-free status applies to personal belongings that visitors with permanent residence outside Hungary carry or send into Hungary and intend for use during their stay. It also applies to personal belongings, except consumer durables, that permanent residents of Hungary take abroad for more than 24 hours and return with. Duty-free status can only be claimed once a day. Hungarian law requires materials that enter Hungary temporarily and return to the United States, such as exhibition goods, are delivered with ATA Carnet documentation and preregistered with the Hungarian Customs Authorities. Information and contact are available at the website of the Hungarian Customs Headquarters Central Hungary Regional Directorate: http://www.vam.hu/welcomeEn.do Web Resources Return to top http://hungarystartshere.com/ http://hungary.com http://www.traveltohungary.com http://www.gotohungary.com/information http://www.erceurope.com/contact.htm http://www.vam.hu/welcomeEn.do http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1137.html http://www.atacarnet.com 89
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Companies Doing Business in Hungary
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efforts in order to further reduce
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Although the rate varies by industr
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Harbor is that failure to fulfill t
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According to industry experts and P
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law. Vendors of electronically supp
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For more information, please visit
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companies. Books, office supplies,
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their economic behavior or which fo
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and on billboards or merchandising
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Hungary is required to transpose th
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concrete steps to implement its IPR
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The U.S. Commercial Service at the
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Agreements of Minor importance whic
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Franchising (FRA) Overview Return t
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www.kti.hu Institute of Transport S
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