Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Changes regarding Erasmus+ student mobility

Updated: 15 July 2021

Dear Student,

The following instructions have been issued by the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes in accordance with the measures of the ELTE Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body and the Tempus Public Foundation.

According to the ELTE Epidemiological Operational Coordinating Board (JOKT) briefing student mobilities are supported. According to the Erasmus + programme rules, mobility can start provided that they are long-term physical mobilities of at least 3 months in the case of studies, and at least 2 months in the case of traineeships. Physical mobility: a period of mobility physically spent in the host country with online or physical participation. In the event of any change in the institutional regulation, we will fully inform the students concerned.

Please stay informed when you begin organising your trip and also immediately before your departure about:
- the measures taken by ELTE Epidemiological Operational Coordinating Board (JOKT)
- the epidemiological situation in the country of destination at https://reopen.europa.eu and the consulates' websites
- the measures taken by the host insitution at https://covid.uni-foundation.eu and directly at the host institution.

If entry to the host country is not advised or prohibited by the Hungarian authorities or the host country’s authorities, do not begin your departure. Please notify your faculty coordinator and the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes at erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu about this fact.

If you are unable to travel home after completing your mobility (e.g. there is no flight connection), please notify your faculty coordinator and the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes at erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu immediately. If you are forced to stay in the host country due to the coronavirus situation, you can apply for an extension even if the host institution is unable or unwilling to certify the extended period. Please send your extension request by e-mail to erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu, briefly describing the circumstances for which you are requesting an extension of your mobility.

Attention! You can only receive a scholarship for the physical part of your mobility. Physical mobility: a period of mobility physically spent in the host country with online or physical participation. The planned physical period of the mobility has to be at least 2 months in the case of traineeships, and at least 3 months in the case of mobilities with study purposes. If you are unable to complete the required minimum period of your mobility through no fault of your own (e.g. due to the coronavirus pandemic), your case will be considered as a vis major. In this case, the settlement of the scholarship depends on the outcome of the vis major procedure initiated by you by submitting an individual equity claim.

Due to the current situation, the duration of the planned physical mobility and the corresponding amount of grant may vary, a refund obligation is more likely to arise. In order to avoid the resulting conversion costs (as the grant is always paid in euros), we recommend that you open a euro bank account for your Erasmus+ grant. In addition, please make sure to keep any travel-related documents (e.g. boarding passes, train tickets, invoices, etc.) as they may be necessary to certify the period of physical mobility or vis major.

The suspension of planned or ongoing mobilities (returning home before the intended ending date) will be handled as vis major - this means that you may apply for reimbursement on an equitable basis for all your extra expenses regarding the vis major situation so that you would not have any financial loss over non-refundable expenses already payed for. In the case of the vis major suspension of the mobility, the participant is entitled to receive the amount of their scholarship that is proportionate to the length of the completed mobility. If the participant has non-refundable expenses for the whole original mobility that exceed the pro rata grant, in order to avoid financial loss (eg. you has mandatory prepayment of your housing in advance, you had to buy plane ticket or had to finance your getting home in other ways with extra cost), the participant can apply for an equity claim to reimburse their extra costs. The sum of approved vis major costs and the grant calculated on your realised mobility duration may exceed the original grant stated in your grant agreement.

For detailed information regarding the vis major procedure, please visit the following menus:
For students being on their mobility
For students preparing for their mobility

If there are any changes to your mobility (suspension, cancellation or postponement), please make sure to notify your faculty coordinator (by e-mail)  and the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes at erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu.

Postponement (without changing the type of your mobility): Mobilities that have been cancelled due to a pandemic can be realised at a later date and will be treated as a postponement, which means that there is no need to submit a new application. However, concerning documentation, the whole process will be considered a new mobility – the full travel documentation package must be submitted before travel in order to receive the grant. For more information about the possibility of postponement, contact your faculty coordinator and notify the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes at erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu.

Postponement (with changing the type of your mobility): If you wish to change your cancelled study mobility to a traineeship, you will have to re-apply, but under a simplified procedure. In this case, you must submit one new letter of motivation and a letter of acceptance issued by the host institution to the international faculty coordinator. In addition, the faculty may require other documents. In terms of travel documentation, this will also be a new mobility – the full package of travel documents will have to be submitted before departure in order to receive the grant. For more information about the possibility of postponement, contact your faculty coordinator and notify the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes at erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu.

Please be aware that there is currently no possibility for personal administration for students at Eötvös Loránd University, digital operation is maintained! See more about this and the scheduling of hibrid education here.

Kind regards,

Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes

Coronavirus guide for Erasmus+ students (29 July 2020 - 24 January 2021)

Updated: 29 July 2020

Dear Student,

The following instructions have been issued by the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes in accordance with the measures of the ELTE Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body and the Tempus Public Foundation. For more information on the academic and administrative measures of Eötvös Loránd University, please visit the following website: https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus. Furthermore, please pay attention to the information issued on the website of WHO and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 
http://abouthungary.hu/news-in-brief/coronavirus-heres-the-latest/

According to the BRIEFING of the Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body (29th July 2020) student mobilities for the 2020 Autumn Semester are supported as of 24 August, 2020 in case of long-term mobilities. The minimum period of physical mobility must be at least 3 months for studies and 2 months for traineeships. In justified cases, in particular regarding the possible mandatory quarantine, the mobility may start before 24 August.

Please stay informed about the epidemiological situation in the country of destination when you begin organising your trip and also immediately before your departure, using the following website: reopen.europa.eu/en
If entry to the destination country is advised against or prohibited by the local authorities or the destination country’s authorities, do not begin your departure. Please notify your faculty coordinator about this fact.

Attention! Scholarships can only be paid for the physical part of the mobility. The planned physical period of the mobility should be at least 2 months in the case of internships, and 3 months in the case of mobilities with study purposes. If the minimum period is not met through no fault of the student (eg. due to a coronavirus outbreak), will be considered as vis major. In this case, the settlement of the scholarship depends on the outcome of the vis major procedure initiated by the student by submitting an individual equity claim. 

The suspension of planned or current ongoing mobilities (returning home before the intended closing date) will be handled as vis major - this means that you may apply for reimbursement on an equitable basis for all your extra expenses regarding the vis major situation so that you would not have any financial loss over non-refundable expenses already payed for. In the case of the vis major suspension of the mobility, the participant is entitled to receive the amount of their scholarship that is proportionate to the length of the completed mobility. If the participant has non-refundable expenses for the whole original mobility that exceed the pro rata grant, in order to avoid financial loss (eg. you has mandatory prepayment of your housing in advance, you had to buy plane ticket or had to finance your getting home in other ways with extra cost), the participant can apply for an equity claim to reimburse their extra costs. The sum of approved vis major costs and the grant calculated on your realised mobility duration may exceed the original grant stated in your grant agreement.

For detailed information regarding the vis major procedure, please visit the following menus:
For students being on their mobility
For students preparing for their mobility

If there are any changes to your mobility (suspension, cancellation or postponement), please make sure to notify your faculty coordinator(by e-mail)  and the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes at erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu.

If you wish to, you may postpone your planned mobility, as a new mobility. Due to the current emergency situation, students with a successful application do not need to submit new applications for mobilities realized at a later date, as they are handled as postponed mobilities. However, concerning documentation, the whole process will be considered a new mobility – the full travel documentation package must be submitted before travel in order to receive the grant. Based on the type of the mobility, the postponement process is the following:

  • Traineeship mobilities can be postponed until the end of the current call (the latest closing date should be May 31, 2021).
  • Mobilities with study purposes: Those who have applied successfully for Spring 2020 may postpone their mobilities to the 2020/21 Fall term. Make sure to submit your request in an e-mail sent to erasmus@elte.hu. All requests for postponing mobilities to the fall term will be examined individually, if need be, together with the partner university.

Please be aware that there are no office hours currently at ELTE, personal customer service for students is not available. See more about this and the scheduling of hibrid education here: https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus.

Kind regards,

Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes


Coronavirus guide for Erasmus+ students (5 June 2020 - 28 July 2020)

08.06.2020. Following the guidelines issued by Tempus Public Foundation on 05.06.2020

The following instructions have been issued by the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes in accordance with the measures of the ELTE Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body and Tempus Public Foundation. For more information on the academic and administrative measures of Eötvös Loránd University, please visit the following website: https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus. Furthermore, please pay attention to the information issued on the website of WHO and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (in Hungarian):
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
https://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/utazasi-tanacs
https://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/koronavirus

According to the measures taken by the ELTE Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body, mobilities cannot be undertaken from March 13, 2020 and the extension of mobilities ending after March 13 is not supported, until otherwise instructed. Successful application and the signing of the agreement with the host university and the transfer of the grant does not entitle students to travel.

Although the mobility ban is still in operation, we are preparing for the mobilities for the 2020/2021 autumn semester as scheduled, however, the Erasmus+ scholarship statuses are conditionally supported by the Students and Staff Mobility Committee during the mobility ban. Until the mobility ban is in operation the submission of documents and the administration takes place online as it is detailed on our website. The transfer of the Erasmus+ grant only can occur from the end of July (because of administrative reasons), but during the mobility ban, no grant can be transferred for new mobilities. As soon as the outgoing mobilities are allowed again the Grant Agreement of students whose documents have been handed without any mistake or missing information will be signed and expected to be transferred in 3 weeks. We advise our students that until the mobility ban is in operation to not incur into non-refundable mobility costs as the scholarship will not be awarded for as long as the travel ban is in force.

The suspension of planned or current ongoing mobilities (returning home before the intended closing date) will be handled as vis major - this means that you may apply for reimbursement on an equitable basis for all your extra expenses regarding the vis major situation so that you would not have any financial loss over non-refundable expenses already payed for. In case of the vis major suspension of the mobility, the participant is entitled to receive the amount of their scholarship that is proportionate to the length of the completed mobility. If the participant has non-refundable expenses covered by their individual grant during the completed mobility that exceed the pro rata grant, the participant can apply for an equity claim.

For detailed information regarding the vis major procedure, please visit the following menus:
For students being on their mobility
For students preparing for their mobility

If you wish to, you may postpone your planned mobility, as a new mobility. Due to the current emergency situation, students with a successful application do not need to submit new applications for mobilities realized at a later date, as they are handled as postponed mobilities. However, concerning documentation, the whole process will be considered a new mobility – the full travel documentation package must be submitted before travel in order to receive the grant. Based on the type of the mobility, the postponement process is the following:

  • Traineeship mobilities can be postponed until the end of the current call (the latest closing date should be May 31, 2021).
  • Mobilities with study purposes: Those who have applied successfully for Spring 2020 may postpone their mobilities to the 2020/21 Fall term. Make sure to submit your request in an e-mail sent to erasmus@elte.hu. All requests for postponing mobilities to the fall term will be examined individually, if need be, together with the partner university.

If you are postponing your mobility, no documents have to be submitted as of yet, apart from the e-mail notification.

Please be aware that there are no office hours currently at ELTE, personal customer service for students is not available. See more about this and the scheduling of distance education here: https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus.

All students are advised to inform themselves thoroughly about current situations, travel possibilities and circumstances (some airports and borders are closed) before leaving for home. Be prepared that your return home might be challenging. You can learn more about the situation in Hungary at https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus (in Hungarian), if you are experiencing difficulties or troubles, contact the Hungarian consulate in your host country.

Considering the uncertainty of the current situation, we advise students against casual travel, no matter if the purpose is a casual visit home or touristic.

If you had an Erasmus+ traineeship mobility planned for the summer of 2020, you are advised not to begin preparations for your mobility as of yet.


Coronavirus guide for Erasmus+ students (March 2020 - 4 June 2020)

24.03.2020. Following the guidelines issued by Tempus Public Foundation on 20.03.2020

The following instructions have been issued by the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes in accordance with the measures of the ELTE Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body and Tempus Public Foundation. For more information on the academic and administrative measures of Eötvös Loránd University, please visit the following website: https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus. Furthermore, please pay attention to the information issued on the website of WHO and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (in Hungarian):
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
https://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/utazasi-tanacs
https://konzuliszolgalat.kormany.hu/koronavirus

According to the measures taken by the ELTE Epidemiological Operative Coordinating Body, mobilities cannot be undertaken from March 13, 2020 and the extension of mobilities ending after March 13 is not supported, until otherwise instructed. Successful application and the signing of the agreement with the host university and the transfer of the grant does not entitle students to travel.

The processing of Erasmus+ documentation is suspended at the Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes. We are not accepting documents for mobilities that begin after March 13, 2020 for an indefinite period of time.

The suspension of planned or current ongoing mobilities (returning home before the intended closing date) will be handled as vis major - this means that you may apply for reimbursement on an equitable basis for all your extra expenses regarding the vis major situation so that you would not have any financial loss over non-refundable expenses already payed for. In case of the vis major suspension of the mobility, the participant is entitled to receive the amount of their scholarship that is proportionate to the length of the completed mobility. If the participant has non-refundable expenses covered by their individual grant during the completed mobility that exceed the pro rata grant, the participant can apply for an equity claim.

For detailed information regarding the vis major procedure, please visit the following menus:
For students being on their mobility
For students preparing for their mobility

If you wish to, you may postpone your planned mobility, as a new mobility. Due to the current emergency situation, students with a successful application do not need to submit new applications for mobilities realized at a later date, as they are handled as postponed mobilities. However, concerning documentation, the whole process will be considered a new mobility – the full travel documentation package must be submitted before travel in order to receive the grant. Based on the type of the mobility, the postponement process is the following:

  • Traineeship mobilities can be postponed until the end of the current call (the latest closing date should be May 31, 2021).
  • Mobilities with study purposes: Those who have applied successfully for Spring 2020 may postpone their mobilities to the 2020/21 Fall term. Make sure to submit your request in an e-mail sent to erasmus@elte.hu. All requests for postponing mobilities to the fall term will be examined individually, if need be, together with the partner university.

If you are postponing your mobility, no documents have to be submitted as of yet, apart from the e-mail notification.

Please be aware that there are no office hours currently at ELTE, personal customer service for students is not available. See more about this and the scheduling of distance education here: https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus.

All students are advised to inform themselves thoroughly about current situations, travel possibilities and circumstances (some airports and borders are closed) before leaving for home. Be prepared that your return home might be challenging. You can learn more about the situation in Hungary at https://www.elte.hu/en/coronavirus (in Hungarian), if you are experiencing difficulties or troubles, contact the Hungarian consulate in your host country.

Considering the uncertainty of the current situation, we advise students against casual travel, no matter if the purpose is a casual visit home or touristic.

If you had an Erasmus+ traineeship mobility planned for the summer of 2020, you are advised not to begin preparations for your mobility as of yet.