When should you start preparing for a school change before moving back?

It is advisable to start preparing at least 2–3 months before the planned move. This gives you time to notify the Swiss school, gather the required documents and coordinate in advance with the Hungarian institution.

What documents do you need from the Swiss school for enrolment in Hungary?

You will need the report card or school certificate, proof of school attendance, a description of the subjects and curriculum, documentation of any special educational needs if applicable, and the vaccination booklet or health record. These must be submitted in original form and with a certified Hungarian translation.

What is the first step for school enrolment in Hungary?

The first prerequisite is registering your address in Hungary. This must be done at the Kormányablak, with a valid Hungarian passport or identity card, a document proving the legal basis for residence, and the child’s birth certificate.

Who decides which class the child will be placed in in Hungary?

The headteacher of the receiving Hungarian school decides on class placement. In making the decision, they take into account the child’s age, the grade completed in Switzerland, the level of Hungarian language knowledge, and may also request a placement interview or assessment tasks if needed.

What happens if the child does not speak Hungarian or speaks only a little?

There is no uniform nationwide catch-up programme in Hungarian public education for children returning from abroad. Schools and school districts may offer different solutions, such as an individual development plan, a remedial teacher, a private tutor or a Hungarian as a foreign language course.

How long do Swiss family allowances and health insurance remain valid after moving out?

Swiss family allowances and compulsory health insurance remain valid until the end of the month of departure. After that, the child must be deregistered with the insurer, and Hungarian benefits can only be claimed after the relevant Hungarian registrations have been completed.

What Hungarian support is available after the move?

After registering your address in Hungary, you can apply for family allowance at the Magyar Államkincstár. In addition, the TAJ number must be activated or applied for at NEAK, and primary school pupils are entitled to free textbooks in state schools.

How can you help your children reintegrate into school when moving back to Hungary?

When should you start the administration?

It is advisable to start preparing the school transfer at least 2–3 months before the planned move. This leaves enough time to notify the Swiss school, gather the documents, and make initial contact with the institution in Hungary.

If the move takes place during the school year, timing is especially critical: the Hungarian school system’s semesters end at the end of January and in mid-June, and the documents needed for class placement are assessed by the principal of the receiving school.

How do you close out the Swiss school record?

Who needs to be notified, and when?

Public education in Switzerland is organized at cantonal level (Volksschule, and Kantonsschule at secondary level). The procedure varies from canton to canton, but the following steps generally apply:

Written notification to the school administration of the planned date of withdrawal — at least 4 weeks in advance, preferably earlier.
*The cantonal education office (Schulamt / Direction de l'instruction publique)* should be informed if the child attended a public school. In some cantons, the school handles this automatically.
*The residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle / Contrôle des habitants)* should be notified of the move abroad — this also automatically triggers deregistration from the school records.
If the child attended a private school, you need to follow the institution’s own withdrawal procedure; pay close attention to the contractual notice periods (typically 1–3 months).

What documents need to be collected?

The following documents are essential for enrolling in school in Hungary:

Document	Swiss designation	Note
Certificate / report card	Zeugnis / Bulletin scolaire	For every completed school year
School attendance certificate	Schulbestätigung	Proof of the current school year
Description of subjects and curriculum	Lehrplan (e.g. Lehrplan 21)	Required for class placement
Documentation of special educational needs	Förderplan / IEP	If relevant
Vaccination booklet / health record	Impfausweis	For the school health record

The documents must be submitted to the Hungarian school in original form and with a certified Hungarian translation. The translation can be prepared in Hungary by a nationally accredited translation office or through the Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda (OFFI).

How is the Hungarian school system structured — and what does this mean in comparison with Switzerland?

The basic structure

The structure of Hungarian public education:

Primary school: 1–8th grade (ages 6–14)
Secondary school: grammar school (4, 6, or 8 years), vocational grammar school, technical secondary school — grades 9–12/13
Maturity exam: maturity exam — the Swiss equivalent of Matura / Maturité

Swiss–Hungarian grading comparison

Swiss system	Hungarian equivalent
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)	Last year of kindergarten / school preparation
Grades 1–6 (Primarschule)	Grades 1–6 (primary school)
Grades 7–9 (Sekundarschule / Realschule / Gymnasium)	Grades 7–8 (primary school) + grade 9 (secondary school)
Gymnasium / Kantonsschule (grades 10–12/13)	Grammar school grades 9–12
Berufslehre (vocational training)	Technical secondary school / vocational school

Important difference: In Switzerland, school grading is on a 1–6 scale, where 6 is the best mark. In Hungary, on a scale of 1–5, 5 is the best. This can lead to misunderstandings when interpreting documents — it is worth flagging this in advance to the receiving school’s headteacher.

The placement process

The headteacher of the receiving Hungarian school decides on class placement, taking into account:

the child’s age,
the Swiss grade completed,
the level of Hungarian language proficiency,
and, if necessary, the result of a placement interview or assessment task.

The parent may appeal the decision to the district education centre for legal remedy.

How do you register and enroll a child in Hungary?

Address registration — the first step

Enrollment requires registering an address in Hungary. This must be done at the local document office (Kormányablak) with the following documents:

a valid Hungarian passport or ID card,
a document proving the right to use the residence (lease agreement, title deed),
the child’s birth certificate.

Catchment school or free school choice?

In Hungary, primary school enrollment follows the catchment-area principle: the child may first enroll in the school assigned to their registered address. It is also possible to apply to another school, but admission is approved by that school’s headteacher and is only possible if there are free places.

Secondary school admission (from grade 9) takes place through an admissions procedure (KIFIR system), with deadlines generally falling in January–February for the given school year.

Enrollment deadline

Primary school enrollment takes place nationwide at a uniform time, typically in the second half of April for the following school year. For enrolment during the school year, the headteacher should be contacted for an individual interview.

How can the transition into Hungarian-language education be handled?

What if the child does not speak Hungarian, or speaks it only a little?

This is one of the most common and most serious challenges for families returning to Hungary. A child who has been studying in German, French, or Italian at a Swiss school — especially if they have lived in Switzerland since early childhood — may know Hungarian only at a home, informal level, or not at all.

The Hungarian public education system does not have a unified, nationwide programme for supporting the language catch-up of children returning from abroad. The options vary from school to school and district to district:

Individual development plan (individual development plan, ÉFT): can be prepared on the basis of a recommendation from the educational support service.
Development teacher support: available in larger schools, less so in smaller settlements.
Private tutor / remedial lessons: the most common solution for catching up quickly.
Hungarian as a foreign language (MID): some schools and private tutors offer such courses, but it is not a mandatory part of the school offer.

Practical advice: before enrolment, ask for a meeting with the headteacher and the class teacher, and explain the child’s language situation. This helps set realistic expectations and prepare a possible catch-up plan.

Swiss weekend Hungarian schools — is it worth continuing?

If the child attended weekend Hungarian school in Switzerland (Saturday Hungarian School in Zürich, Bern, Genève and other cities), this is no longer relevant after moving back — but the knowledge gained there and any certificate can be a useful starting point for the receiving school.

What psychological and social support is available during the transition period?

What should parents expect?

Changing schools — especially when it also involves a change of language — places a significant adjustment burden on children. This is not abnormal; it is a natural part of the transition. Typical difficulties include:

loss of friends, rebuilding a social network,
temporary decline in academic performance,
identity uncertainty (especially in adolescents).

Where can professional help be found in Hungary?

Educational support service (Pedagógiai Szakszolgálat): available in every school district, free of charge. Provides psychological counseling, remedial educational support, and speech therapy.
Educational counselor (educational counselor): also available within the framework of the pedagogical support service, for both parents and children.
School psychologist: present in larger schools, not always available in smaller institutions.
Private psychologist: available in larger cities, and partly online as well.

The contact details of the pedagogical support service by school district can be found on the Oktatási Hivatal website (oktatas.hu).

What social benefits and funding issues affect the transition?

Swiss side: what remains available after moving out?

The Swiss *family allowance (Familienzulage) is paid until the end of the month in which you move out of Switzerland. After that, entitlement to Swiss benefits ends. If one parent remains in Switzerland for work, entitlement may continue — this must be clarified with the relevant canton's social insurance office (Ausgleichskasse*) .

Swiss mandatory health insurance (KVG / LAMal) is also valid until the end of the month of departure. The child must be deregistered with the insurer.

Hungarian side: what is a returning child entitled to?

Family allowance (Hungary): can be claimed after registering a Hungarian address, at the Hungarian State Treasury (Magyar Államkincstár, MÁK). The amount in 2025 varies by child and eligibility category (e.g. HUF 12,200/month for a family with one child, higher for a child with a chronic illness).
TAJ number: the child's TAJ number (social security identification number) must be activated or requested after address registration at the territorially competent health insurance fund (NEAK).
Free textbooks: primary school pupils are entitled to free textbooks in state schools.
School meal discount:depending on income and number of children, it can be claimed.

Avoiding double benefits

Swiss and Hungarian benefits cannot be claimed at the same timefor the same period. The exact date of departure from Switzerland must be documented on both sides, and the deregistration or application for benefits must follow this date.