New border crossing point with Hungary opened

On 8 April, the Velyka Palad – Nagyhódos passenger border crossing point with Hungary was opened in Zakarpattia region. The launch of this crossing point on temporary infrastructure is an initiative of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported by local authorities and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Minister Serhiy Derkach, Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – Parliamentary Secretary Levente Magyar, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Viktor Mykyta, and Head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Myroslav Biletskyi.

The crossing point is designed to process passenger cars weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. It will operate daily from 7:00 to 18:00.

“The opening of the ‘Velyka Palad’ crossing point fully aligns with the recently approved national Strategy for the Development of Crossing Points until 2030. This is a step forward in line with the agreed plan. Opening the crossing on temporary infrastructure on both sides of the border was a joint decision with the Hungarian side, ensuring the project’s swift implementation. In the future, we plan to build a fully-fledged crossing point here. Importantly, this is the first new crossing point on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border to be opened in decades. The launch of ‘Velyka Palad’ will primarily have a significant impact on regional development and ease the pressure on other crossing points used by passenger cars,” emphasised Oleksii Kuleba.

During the opening, Serhiy Derkach thanked the Hungarian side for their cooperation in developing the border. Notably, over the past year, empty lorry traffic was enabled at the “Luzhanka – Beregsurány” crossing point, and preparations were completed to open “Velyka Palad”. This fully implements the latest amendments to the bilateral agreement on crossing points.

It is planned that the new crossing point will be able to handle 200 passenger cars and 600 pedestrians per day. It is expected that, within a year, “Velyka Palad” will increase the capacity of the Ukrainian-Hungarian border section by 73,000 passenger cars and 220,000 pedestrians.

To launch the crossing point, the Service for Restoration and Infrastructure Development in Zakarpattia Region carried out a number of works, including:

• Fencing and lighting of the area.
• Provision of electricity and water supply.
• Installation of modular units to set up workspaces for control authorities and sanitary facilities.

The crossing point will feature two lanes in each direction for entry and exit from Ukraine.

As a reminder, in December last year, the “Luzhanka – Beregsurány” crossing point with Hungary became accessible to empty lorries weighing over 7.5 tonnes. Road infrastructure development at this crossing has already been completed, with the works funded by the European Union and carried out with the support of the International Organization for Migration.

In total, there are five vehicle crossing points with Hungary, the largest being “Chop – Záhony”, which is the only one designated for lorries over 7.5 tonnes transporting goods.