Dear Student,
Welcome to BME! We are the International Mentor Team (IMT). Our organisation was founded to help BME international students settle in Budapest. We will help you through some of your mandatory administration steps and organise fun events for you.
The following letter contains important information related to your stay in Hungary:
- Arrival to Hungary,
- Accommodation options in Budapest,
- Cost of living in Budapest,
- All necessary official steps as a fee-paying student,
- The International Mentor Team (IMT) and other useful contacts.
- Arrival to Hungary
We have prepared a Good to know information booklet about the most important information about your arrival to Hungary. You can find this booklet here.
The following steps are needed to enter Hungary.
- Apply for a D-type visa if you need it.
- Buy a traveller’s health insurance to cover any medical costs (very important).
- Fill out the “Arrival to Hungary” questionnaire.
As the semester begins on the 4th of September 2023, we would advise you to arrive not later than the 28th of August 2023, to ensure a smooth administrative process and to have time to settle down.
More information about registration, requests and education: https://kth.bme.hu/en/
- Accommodation
Fee-paying students are not eligible for dormitory accommodation in BME. We recommend visiting our website, where under accommodation, you will be able to see numerous articles that help you find housing in Budapest.
Here you will find various links for Facebook groups and websites where you can search for long-term accommodation. The most affordable options are private dormitories if you can secure a free spot in any of them. If you prefer a calmer living environment, you should consider renting an apartment or a room with friends. Our site also has tips about the suggested areas of Budapest, and a video on the topic of how to look for apartments.
Additionally, you can also find guides and a sample contract here to make your accommodation search easier and faster. Moreover, the mentor team regularly organizes flat-searching events for new students at the start of the semester to help them. These events aim to overcome language barriers, so it is expected that you come prepared with options that you would like us to contact on your behalf. Keep an eye out for those events at the BME International Students Facebook group.
- Cost of living in Budapest
To make your planning easier, we have collected standard costs of living, which may vary depending on your lifestyle:
- Accommodation: from 200 EUR/month for a bed in a shared room, or from 350 EUR/month for a 1-bedroom flat,
- Utilities (water, gas, electricity, common costs): 80 – 120 EUR/person/month,
- Public transportation: 10 EUR/month with a student ID, 25 EUR without it,
- Food: 250 EUR/month if you cook for yourself, 500 EUR/month if you live on takeaways and eat out most of the time.
- Compulsory official steps
- Residence permit:
- If you are traveling with a D-type visa, you are obliged to start the residence permit application process within 30 days of crossing the borders of the Schengen Area. You need to visit the Immigration office in person and submit your documents here. There is a detailed guide about the process on those pages[link1].
- If you are travelling without a D-type visa, you are obliged to start the residence permit application process within 90 days of crossing the borders of the Schengen Area. In this case, please register on the website of the Immigration Office and upload all the required documents there. There is a detailed guide about the process on these pages [link1, link2].
- Please be aware that you can only stay in Hungary on legal terms if you have your residence permit, so it is an inevitable bureaucratic step! The residence permit is also necessary for many other official steps. Hence it is crucial to start the application process as soon as you have your accommodation.
- Should you have any questions about the residence permit application, do not hesitate to contact us at imt.documents@bme.hu!
- Private insurance
- Please keep an eye on your Neptun messages, and apply for the private insurance as soon as possible, as it can truly save lives and money!
- International Mentor Team
The International Mentor Team (IMT) is a student organisation at BME. We offer you a helping hand with your official duties at the beginning of your stay. Furthermore, IMT organises community activities such as game nights, movie nights, hiking trips and so on, to make the best of your stay. If you have any questions or problems, do not hesitate to contact us!
You probably noticed that the links above mostly lead to the same website, which is our official website. It covers practically all aspects of your official duties and many more! We strongly recommend reading through its pages before your arrival and before contacting us. You will probably find suitable answers to your questions, sometimes hidden in the FAQ. You can find useful contact details both for us and for other university officials on this page.
You can also follow us on social media. We have a YouTube channel, an Instagram page and please make sure you join our community on Facebook group to connect with your mates, find relevant up-to-date information and get updated about current events.
Best regards,
BME IMT Mentors