Force majeure is an umbrella term which refers to unforeseeable exceptional situations caused by unavoidable external events,

• which are beyond the student’s control and not attributable to error or negligence of the student, the sending or host institution or any other organisation involved in the preparation of the mobility, and
• that prevent the student from fulfilling the obligations connected to the Erasmus+ grant as specified in the grant agreement (e.g. cancelling a planned mobility or suspending an ongoing mobility).

Such causes may include, but are not limited to, natural disasters (earthquake, fire, epidemic, etc.), certain political-social events (war, revolution, etc.), specific governmental measures (embargo, boycott, etc.), serious illness of the participant.

The following four force majeure procedures may develop, depending on whether the minimum duration of the mobility period* has been completed and whether the student has extraordinary, non-refundable expenses incurred in connection with a force majeure situation (e.g. prepaid accommodation, unplanned costs for the return journey):

1. If the minimum duration of the mobility period* has been completed and the student does not have extraordinary expenses, the student is entitled to
   • receive the amount of the grant corresponding to the duration of the physical mobility period spent abroad, as specified in the grant agreement.
2. If the minimum duration of the mobility period* has been completed and the student has extraordinary expenses,
   • the student is entitled to receive the amount of the grant corresponding to the duration of the physical mobility period spent abroad, as specified in the grant agreement, and
   • might be entitled to the reimbursement of extraordinary, non-refundable expenses incurred in connection with a force majeure situation, if they request it so in an equity claim.
3. If the minimum duration of the mobility period* has not been completed and the student does not have extraordinary expenses, the student might be entitled to
   • receive the amount of the grant corresponding to the duration of the physical mobility period spent abroad, as specified in the grant agreement, if they request it in an equity claim.
4. If the minimum duration of the mobility period* has not been completed and the student has extraordinary expenses, the student might be entitled to
   • the amount of the grant corresponding to the duration of the physical mobility period spent abroad, as specified in the grant agreement, and
   • the reimbursement of extraordinary, non-refundable expenses incurred in connection with a force majeure situation, if they request it so in an equity claim.

*The minimum duration is 60 days (2 months) for long-term mobility and 5 days for short-term mobility.

The participant must notify the organisation of the force majeure event within the shortest time allowed by the circumstances, but preferably not later than 15 days of the occurrence of the event to the ELTE faculty and central contact person.

Contact for the faculty international offices.

The central contact person depending on the type of the mobility:

• Long-term student mobility within Europe: erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu
• Short-term student mobility within Europe: erasmus.short@dep.elte.hu
• Long-term and short-term student mobility student mobility, traineeship outside Europe: erasmus.icm@dep.elte.hu

The force majeure procedure depends on whether the minimum duration of the mobility period has been completed. The minimum duration is 60 days (2 months) for long-term student mobility and 5 days for short-term student mobility. If the minimum duration is not met, the mobility is considered invalid and an individual equity claim must be submitted even if no extraordinary costs have incurred.

An individual equity claim is therefore required in the situations described in section I./2-4. (see section III for details).

If the student submits a force majeure request (section I./2-4.) and is supported by the Tempus Public Foundation, they will automatically be exempted from the repayment of the grant due to not meeting the minimum credit requirement. If there is no need for force majeure request (section I/1.), the student may request to be exempted from the repayment of the grant due to uncompleted credits on the grounds of force majeure. For more details see: Mobility within Europe, Mobility outside Europe.

Further steps to be taken if the minimum duration of the mobility period* has been completed and no extraordinary costs incurred (procedure I./1.)

The student is entitled to receive the amount of the grant corresponding to the duration of the physical mobility period spent abroad and must repay the remaining grant by transfer to the ELTE bank account provided within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the notice. The settlement and the reimbursement in all cases shall be calculated in Euro according to current daily rate (i.e. at the exchange rate of the bank which holds the ELTE bank account provided).

The duration of the physical mobility period spent abroad must be confirmed by a Certificate of Attendance issued by the host institution. If the host institution is unable to issue this document to you or certifies a shorter period than the one you actually spent abroad, travel documentation (e.g. date on a flight ticket, train ticket) is also acceptable to prove the time spent abroad in the case of force majeure.

However, if in the case of Erasmus study abroad mobility – with the exception of PhD students – the student only partially meets or does not meet the minimum credit requirement, they are entitled only to the credit-proportionate part of the scholarship amount. The credit rate of the scholarship is calculated by dividing the total amount of the scholarship by the minimum of 20 credits to be completed. The final amount of the scholarship will be reduced by the number of credits not completed multiplied by the number of credits. The determination of the completed credits is based on the Learning Agreement – After the Mobility document (or on a Transcript of Records issued by the receiving institution). The student may request to be exempted from the repayment of the grant due to uncompleted credits based on the decision and support of the faculty.

If the student wishes to submit a force majeure request for extraordinary expenses incurred in connection with a force majeure situation, they must do so no later than 15 calendar days after

• the force majeure event, in the case of a mobility not yet started,
• the return home, in the case of a suspended ongoing mobility.

Requests submitted after the deadline can only be accepted, if the student is not at fault. The request should be submitted as follows:

1. Force majeure form

Excel sheet template for download.

• Fill out the relevant details, indicate the start and end dates of your mobility as they are in your Grant Agreement and – in the case of a suspended ongoing mobility – the start and end date of the physical mobility period spent abroad.
• If you do not have the details included in the Grant Agreement, please contact the central contact person (see section II.).
• In the "Justification" section of the application, please provide a brief and comprehensible description of:
  • the circumstances leading to the cancellation/suspension of your mobility i.e. the force majeure situation,
  • if you fail to submit your application within the 15-day deadline through no fault of your own, the external circumstances that led to the failure to meet the deadline (e.g. you were unable to do so because of hospitalisation),
  • if you have extraordinary, non-refundable expenses incurred in connection with a force majeure situation and outside the period covered by the proportionate amount of the Erasmus+ grant, the justification for each of expenses. Please provide a detailed explanation, if applicable, and your calculations in a separate document or by e-mail for clarity.
• In the excel sheet, please list all your expenses incurred and requested – these should always be indicated in euros. If you have paid the amount in other currencies (HUF, GBP, etc.), please indicate these in a separate excel template. The template can be downloaded here. If there are no extraordinary expenses, leave this section blank.
• Indicate the type of proving documents (attachments) that you are enclosing, regarding the expenses listed above. More information: section III/2. (Expenses that can be reimbursed) and section III/3. (Compulsory attachments).
• Please name the finished Excel sheet according to the following: “lastname_firstname_force_majeure_request”

2. Expenses that can be reimbursed

• Costs in connection with the cancellation of a planned mobility or the suspension of an ongoing mobility. In the case of a suspended ongoing mobility, expenses for the certified mobility period spent abroad (including the cost of the outward journey) cannot be reimbursed as they are covered by the proportionate amount of the Erasmus+ grant.
• If the mobility has not yet started: non-refundable costs already paid, e.g. for travel, accommodation, insurance.
• In the case of a suspended ongoing mobility: unplanned and non-refundable costs (e.g. costs for a sudden return journey), costs for the period after returning home (e.g. proportionate part of the costs for accommodation and insurance regarding the period not spent abroad).
• Please note that only non-refundable expenses connected closely to your mobility can be reimbursed! The price of unused services must first be claimed back from the service provider (landlord, airline, etc.) in writing, and this correspondence must be attached to the claim as proof. If the costs of the service were not refundable in the first place (e.g. it is indicated on the paid train ticket, flight ticket, any contract), it is enough to submit a document stating this.
• In principle, non-refundable costs related to accommodation (rent, deposit, etc.) and travel (flight ticket, train ticket, bus ticket, car rental, taxi, etc.) can be reimbursed, but in individual cases, other costs (e.g. public transport passes, insurance, student card, costs of opening an account) may also incur.

3. Compulsory attachments

• If you have extraordinary expenses incurred, certificates that the expenses which you have listed are non-refundable (e.g. e-mail from the service provider).
• Documents that prove your force majeure expenses: e.g. invoices, proof of payment (bank statement), rental contract, other documents. Scanned copies of the documents, receipts, certificates will suffice (or a legible photo captured by the camera of your phone), but they must be clearly related to the mobility that you wish to receive a reimbursement for and confirm the payment for the expense. Please name and indicate the documents used as proof in your claim clearly!
  • Certificate of travel expenses (flight ticket, train ticket, bus ticket): if you travelled to the host country, you can prove your expenses by presenting your ticket and receipt, or with the confirmation (usually electronic) of your reservation. Make sure that your name, the location (to and from), the actual dates of your travel, and the price of the ticket are visible.
  • Certificate of payment for accommodation: the certificate should preferably include the location, duration, price and identification (name or e-mail address).
  • Certificate of payment for insurance: a pdf or scanned copy of the insurance contract clearly indicating name, period of validity, destination, price; and a bank receipt for proof of payment.
• In the case of a suspended ongoing mobility: Certificate of Attendance issued by the host institution. If the host institution is unable to issue this document to you or certifies a shorter period than the one you actually spent abroad, travel documentation (e.g. date on a flight ticket, train ticket) is also acceptable to prove the time spent abroad in the case of force majeure.
• In the case of a suspended ongoing study abroad mobility, the Transcript of Records document including the courses completed in the host institution, if applicable.

4. Submitting the request

Please submit the filled-out force majeure form in excel format with all the compulsory attachments by e-mail (subject: “force majeure”) to the central contact person:

• Long-term student mobility within Europe: erasmus.out@dep.elte.hu
• Short-term student mobility within Europe: erasmus.short@dep.elte.hu
• Long-term and short-term student mobility student mobility, traineeship outside Europe: erasmus.icm@dep.elte.hu

The submitted documents will be checked by ELTE staff, corrected if necessary and they will notify you if any data or document is missing. You have 20 calendar days from the receipt of the notice to collect the missing documents and complete your force majeure request. (If you cannot meet the deadline, e.g. due to your service provider, please inform the central contact person). The force majeure form will then be returned to the student for authentication and the final documents will be forwarded to the Tempus Public Foundation for assessment without delay, no later than 30 calendar days after submission, with an institutional proposal.

5. Evaluation

Based on the University’s position and proposal, the Tempus Public Foundation will decide on each request individually, on a case-by-case basis.

The University will forward the request to the Tempus Public Foundation for assessment by means of an itemised proposal. If the Tempus Public Foundation requests a deficiency report during the evaluation, the student shall have 30 calendar days from the receipt of the notice of the University’s central contact person to submit it. If no reply is received by the deadline, the Tempus Public Foundation will take a decision on the basis of the documentation at its disposal. The student may withdraw its request for force majeure until a decision is taken.

The student is notified by the central contact person via e-mail of the decision on the force majeure request, and within 8 days of receipt of the notification, they may submit an objection to the central contact person in case of dispute.