As much as we tried to be fully prepared for the requirements of an extended stay in Hungary before departure, there were so many subjective aspects to it that it was impossible to feel concretely ready. Ultimately we were told by the Hungarian consulate in New York that we should have no problem with getting a residence permit and that it would be too early to apply for one while we were still in the US.With the deadline approaching we spent much of last week dodging a variety of opening hours to round up all of the required documents from the health insurance company, our banks in the US and an official office called the Korzeti Foldhivatal(???). No small part of the maelstrom was the fact that several calls to the Office of Immigration and Nationality (OIN) for guidance were providing inconsistent advice from the Hungarian consulates in the US and regulations available on the government's website.
The key here is that until the end of 2007 our 90-day visa-free stay in the country would have been renewed every time we entered. In other words, simply cross the border and come back. This advice is still being given by the OIN. According to posted regulations and the Hungarian Consulate, the Schengen Agreement regulations have since taken effect meaning the 90 days is only valid within any 6-month period. To avoid a risky gamble should we try to return from a trip, we found ourselves urging the officials at the OIN to please confirm their advice, to which they finally huddled around their computer scouring the regulations and discussing among themselves in Hungarian, when finally... "Itt van!" (Here it is!)
Our second trip to the OIN on Friday (after previously being sent away to get more documentation), was mostly sitting silently while the official sorted through our application packets shuffling, stamping and stapling. Only ABBA faintly singing "Sup-p-per Troop-p-per" broke the silence. Finally, he showed us where to sign, enclosed our paperwork in folders and stood up to indicate he was finished.
He said "no problem" when I asked about any -but did he mean there's nothing missing this time or that we should expect no problem getting approval? Our limited ability to communicate didn't allow for such distinction. That'll become evident soon enough...
