Retire in Hungary 2026: The Wind Has Changed
Retire in Hungary 2026 is suddenly back in my inbox in a way it has not been for a while. I am writing this from a hotel room in Rome, here for work, and since last Sunday’s election result came through, the messages have picked up quickly. People who had quietly...
Hungary Election 2026: From My Side of Budapest
Election day in Hungary starts early. We voted in the morning, the three of us, my mother, my sister and I, each at our local polling station in Budapest before the city had fully woken up. Afterwards we went for brunch with the family, found a table in the sun, and...
Emergency Numbers in Hungary (English): Save These Now
April in Hungary always feels like a bit of a reset. We’re heading into the long Easter weekend, and I’m writing this from the countryside, watching grey skies that are apparently about to turn into 20 degrees and sunshine by Sunday. Andrew and I already have plans...
Long-Term Financial Planning in Hungary: What the Experts Said
March in Budapest arrived with that particular brand of optimism only a survived Hungarian winter produces. The heating is still on. But you start to believe it might not be for much longer. It was in that spirit - cautious hope, practical focus - that we gathered at...
Evergreen Health at Zala Springs
Sound Bowls, Lake Views, and a Very Good Massage Early March in Western Hungary always feels like a quiet turning point. Just a few days earlier, Andrew and I had reopened our countryside house near Sümeg after the winter. The garden still looked half asleep, yet the...
UK Residence Card Renewal Hungary 2026 Guide
Andrew’s five-year Withdrawal Agreement residence card expires this summer. His right to live in Hungary does not. The plastic does. And because thousands of UK citizens received those first post-Brexit cards in 2021, 2026 has become the year of renewal. Andrew is...
How to Get an Address Card in Hungary (2026)
The storks are back in Hungary. The hills still look muted, yet the grass is pushing through. Next week, Andrew and I will reopen our wine house for the season. It feels like stepping into a second life. But that house on the wine hill is not where we legally exist....
Is Hungarian Impossible? What Happened at KLUSTER
Last Wednesday evening at KLUSTER, every chair was taken. By 17:30 the room was full. Coats piled on chairs. Latecomers hovering near the back wall. That particular February light outside that makes Budapest feel grey and theatrical at the same time. The event was...
Tax ID Hungary 2026: A Guide to the ‘T34 Form
Chasing Winter and Tax Cards I can’t quite believe I’m typing this, but this is my 98th post on the HOW TO HUNGARY INSIDER blog. Writing about the inner workings of Budapest for nearly a hundred articles has taught me one thing: for every beautiful sunset over the...
Farsang in Hungary 2026: Dates & Traditions
Masks, Doughnuts, and Making Noise Farsang is one of those seasons Andrew and I have slipped into over time rather than consciously adopted. Over the years, we’ve attended everything from elaborate masked balls to much simpler gatherings where the only real rule was...
Winter’s Noisy Farewell
As I write this, Hungary is wrapped in fog. Thick, lingering fog that refuses to lift. It has been an unusually heavy winter here. The kind that makes you understand why some cultures don’t simply wait for spring to arrive. At the same time, the eastern seaboard of...
Feeling Safer on Budapest Transport
Budapest is in a proper deep freeze right now. The kind where the temperature doesn’t flirt with zero all week and everyone looks slightly annoyed before they even get on the tram. It’s giving me very Canadian vibes, and not in a charming, snow-globe way. I have a...
I’m Anikó Woods, a Canadian-Hungarian who’s been knee-deep in life here since 2017 - bureaucracy, culture, and everything in between.
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