I have seen on another website that Hungarian citizens and citizens of the European union over 65 years travel free of charges in the transportation network of Budapest? Is that truly so?
Thank you for the question. The answer to your question is yes. People aged 65 or more travel free of charge with the public transportation in Budapest as long as they have a passport confirming their age. But, it is not enough that the passport confirms their age, it also needs to show that the person traveling comes from an EU nation or an EEA nation. If your passport confirms your age above 65 and home country (within the EU or EEA), then you can use the public transportation system in Budapest for free.
This question was originally answered in 2012, but as of August 29th in 2017 the answer remains the same. Let us all hope the answer will not change in the near future.
If you have further comments or questions related to this, please use the comment field beneath.
Does the senior citizen free ride apply to foreigners with a Hungarian residency card?
If you have a passport or ID confirming that you are Hungarian or from a country within the EU, then you can enjoy this discount!
I come from a country outside EU and spent 2 weeks in Budapest this summer. My little children traveled for free, and the elder one enjoyed a generous discount as a student. Budapest is a very friendly city for visitors!
It is so nice to hear that you left Budapest with so nice memories and experiences! Thanks for sharing!
I’m from the USA and I’m 66 years old, will I receive a free pass for public transportation while visiting Budapest?
Hello, I am a 72 year old American citizen with a 2-year Hungarian residence permit. Do I qualify for free Public transportation?
I don’t think the residence permit is enough if they actually stop you. Normally they will not even ask people who “look” old for papers, but if they do, you might be in trouble. To be honest, I have no 100% answer here.
My wife and I are from
the USA, we are both 67 years old. Do we qualify for the public transportation or do we need to purchase a pass?
Hello,
according to the regulations, the free travel with public transportation is only for pensioners from Hungary or some other EU/ECT country. In other words, the discount doesn’t apply to Americans.
Does someone over 65 have to buy a seat ticket for a train in Hungary? If so, will they be sold on the train or at the train station?
You need to buy the seat reservation at the train station from the ticket counter.
October 2023 regarding free travel in Budapest.
At age 79 I have always travelled free as a pensioner upon production of my passport, however since BREXIT this ‘free’ travel iS NO LONGER AVAILABLE as I am NOT classed as an EU person any longer………can anyone confirm this as various (outdated) replies are confusing.
The free transportation is for Hungarians, EU members, and citizens from the EEA countries. Since the United Kingdom isn’t included among any of these requirements, they are not really entitled to free public transportation in Budapest anymore. Most controllers will not stop old people, but if you are checked, you are most likely to get a fine.