How do you get a Post office Box in Budapest?

A P.O Box currently costs 2,275 HUF per month or 6,820 HUF per quarter.

We gave up trying to get one too much hassle. Went to a big post office and they gave us a 3 pg form got our landlord to help us fill it out, went back to the post office and they said that form was old. I told them we just got it like 2wks before they said no that is the form from 5yrs ago. Ok we got 2nd set of forms, once again had our landlord help us fill it out. Went back to that post office they said they had none for rent. Went to 4 other post offices and had varies other dumb things said from only Hungarians can rent them, only people that paid bills at the post office, or the simple we are totally rented out, no wait make that 5 other post offices.

So we just let it go.

We do not get any mail from the usa anyway the few things we do they send here anyway. And for as local mail things come at the 4 post offices around here so we just deal with it.  Most mail gets here ok. The only serious problems have been the few things i have ordered from USA, that has been awful but not due to locals but in customs opening things up and damaging things or opening up and repackaging for no reason. Then since they do not have a reason to due so i end up not having to pay the VAT.

But postal in USA was much much worse so i do not complain! In USA the postal people would just out and out steal things, lie to companies that sent things or send things to other states just out of spite so in this regard Hungary is not that bad.

I asked the post office:

Hello,

Could you please tell me how much it currently costs to open a POST OFFICE Mailbox? And how much its monthly charge/rental price is? Also, what are the requirements, if any, for opening a POST OFFICE Mailbox? (i.e. Would I need a Hungarian residence permit and/or address card or can I open one with a passport only)?

Kind Regards

Peter


Dear Peter,

Thank you for contacting our customer service.

The minimum charge of the Po. Box is 6820 HUF/ quarter year or 2275 HUF/month but this fee can be different per post offices. Nearly all the post offices has Po. Box services.

You need an identification card or passport to hire a Po. Box.


Thank you for the information. So are you saying that you can be a foreigner only and get a po box with a passport only or do you need a Hungarian address?

Regards

Peter


Dear Peter,

Thank you for contacting our customer service.

A passport is enough to hire a Po. Box, you do not need a hungarian address.


___________________________________________

FeliciaOni - If you used a Hungarian landlord to help with the forms, and assuming they can get to the post office, did you not ask them to accompany you to the post office(s)? Or try and get a Hungarian in general to help?

When I was last at a bus terminal a Hungarian, with me asking him, overheard my converstion with the help desk trying to find out about a bus-times brochure whereby the kind Hungarian said "maybe I can be of help". I have experienced these kind Hungarians in the post office too. In other words, I'm sure if you asked someone in the post office if they speak English, they would probably help you with translation and the help-desk. etc. I totally understand your frustration, but it is worth another try. Don't give up hope.

Peter

Thanks for the clarification for me and others! Yes at the post offices there really does seem to be many kind customers that jump in and help and translate, one of the best places i have found to find such people! The staff never seem to speak english other than to try to sale me Lotto tickets which i am not sure why that is, but yes many times someone waiting in line will help which is a very nice thing.

Yes we are on our 2nd residence permit so we have a legit address and all that, i just let it go as i just did not feel like dealing with it. But that said since our mail gets sent to 3 different post offices maybe i should look into it?

The main problem i have been having is not get the notification. I always tell everyone to get tracking when they send me something. Which most times they never put a notice that i have something i have to print our from hungarian post website in hungarian and go into the post office and ask where is something.

It seems to be the biggest problem with mail coming from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania for some reason, i am not sure why. Or maybe since i know more people there and get more things from that area i notice it more.

Uk, Italy, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, China, India never any issues at all.

petercori wrote:

I asked the post office

Asking officially is one thing. That is easy, and you get a nice reply how it is "suppose" to work.

Trying to get actual action on site is another. That is where local reality comes into play.

Out local post office was renovated. They installed new PO boxes. My father in law, who is Hungarian, went to his and noticed his key no longer worked. He was bounced around the post office from one person to another because nobody knew how to give him a new key. Now if something like that happens to a Hungarian, image what "fun" it is for a foreigner. 

I just emailed the post office, as I found it strange there would be no notice of any kind, prior to or thereafter, about getting a new key, etc. Their response is that they would leave a notice in the post boxes prior to renovation etc.


Thank You once again.

I have one other question: If I get a PO BOX whereby you later change the po boxes in my po box post office, due to you renovating that post office for example and therefore changes all of the po boxes, would you inform me of getting a new key? Would you write to me? Would you put a sign in the post office that all po boxes have been changed and therefore owners (renters) need to get their new key from somewhere? Would you send the new p o box key to my address? What would you do?

Thanks

Peter


Dear Peter,

In case of changes a notice is left in the post boxes. A new key shall be picked up at the post office by the owners. We do not send key to the address of the renters.

petercori wrote:

Dear Peter,

In case of changes a notice is left in the post boxes. A new key shall be picked up at the post office by the owners. We do not send key to the address of the renters.

Signs....

Again..... You can write anyone here and get a nice "official" reply. And that misses my point, which was that local reality may differ from that "official" response. After all, nobody is going to admit mistakes or incompetence in an official response. And remember, the events I mentioned happened to a Hungarian. I doubt an expat, who was not there at the time, can give a better solution by writing different people at the post office, in English.

Now of course a note should have be left about how to secure a new key. And of course they are *suppose* to do that. But do they actually do that correctly? Not always. Nor are there always people there that day who know how to do something (it turned out, literally, the reason was almost exactly like the title of Ian Clarke's book "The Man With The Key (to the keys) Has Gone").

Should I tell you about the times our power was shut off by the electric company for routine maintenance and we were not informed, even though they are suppose to inform all affected home owners? And that happened more than once? Should I tell you about the letter I once got from my bank when I asked them for some information and they sent a very nice one page letter saying the documents were enclosed... and that one page letter was the only thing in the envelope? And, exactly like FeliciaOni I have been handed paperwork to fill out, then upon submission being informed that is an "old" version no longer used. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Side note: Have you ever tried to open a PO (really P.F.) box here? Because I have. And unlike the "official" response you posted earlier, they certainly asked for my address card, not just my passport. Now, I could point out they do not need my address card, and they may just say the "official" response was wrong (yes, I have had that happen). What do you do then? Argue? Create a local enemy at the post office (especially if they are proven wrong, which they will resent)? Or just "go with the flow", shrug and hand over the address card?

Just the way things sometimes "work" here. And one reason why other people are so "helpful" here. It is a survival tactic, because the institutions that are suppose to be helpful (in the day to day, real world beyond email correspondences) are not uncommonly less than ideal. Welcome to Hungary. 

You get what you pay for sometimes... In the US we had a mail service hold our mail for 6 months in a private PO Box.
The cost 12 years back was $40. a month.
For under 3,000 a month your lucky in HU that they don't accidentally place your mail in the wrong PO Box.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

You get what you pay for sometimes....

Actually I think one gets what one pays for all the time.

klsallee wrote:

.....Just the way things sometimes "work" here. And one reason why other people are so "helpful" here. It is a survival tactic, ... Welcome to Hungary. 

20+ years ago, I'd go to the PO to pay some bill and I'd stand there, thinking what the hell are they talking about as every transaction takes like 5 minutes.  Lunch hour isn't hours long.

But it's just as you say, you have to stand there, trying to confirm exactly what the procedure is, what happens in this event and that event, alternatives, where to go if it doesn't work, who is in charge, who to call, blah-blah.    And of course, every person in the queue wants the same answer, confirmation, repeated descriptions etc all intended to make sure the situation is clear. Surprisingly really anything gets done.

Been trying to get the phone line in at our house so we can get the Internet. 

Us: This is our address.
Telekom: That house and number doesn't exist.
Us: We're standing outside it.
Telekom: Nope, nothing
Us: Really, I can see the cable sticking out of the ground and I can see it goes to the pole.
Telekom:  Sorry, not possible, ask another provider, they can help probably.

Later...at rented apartment nearby...

Telekom engineer (fixing fault in current service): Really, no service in XYZ utca?  I'm the local guy and I've got quite a few people in that street I visit
Us: It's what we've been told
Telekom Engineer: Nah, something wrong

And....the neighbour....

Neighbour:  We've don't have Telekom, we've got ABC Internet service, it's crap, don't do it
Us: So who do recommend?
Neighbour: Telekom

Then....

Me: I can see our address in the Telekom network availability website by street, number and postcode
Mrs Fluffy: Really? Let me see
Me: Yes, look
Mrs Fluffy:  Oh yes, I'll call them.....(calls them....)....no, they say it's not correct....

And.....few days later....

Mrs Fluffy to Neighbour2: Which telco do you use?
Neighbour2: Telekom

At this point......the story runs dry.....as that's of a few weeks ago.  We're having a break before we try again....