Driving licence and car

Steps

1. Keep your European licence. On renewal, Hungarian rules apply. Exchange is compulsory only in case of loss, theft, damage, an offence in Hungary, or for a licence valid for life if the authorities require it after 2 years of residence (Your Europe).
2. Book the honosítás on khkia.kh.gov.hu at an inspection station of a government office, or, for a car (M1) or a van (N1), at a station of the national network (Magyar Autóklub). No new technical inspection: the validity of the inspection from the country of origin is accepted. You leave with a technical sheet. These details (booking, stations, inspection from the country of origin) come from a 2024 sheet of a government office, which the official site, suspended on 23/10/2026, did not allow us to re-read: to be confirmed on 1818 or at your kormányablak.
3. Declare and pay the registration tax to the NAV (form with technical sheet, title of ownership and foreign registration certificate). Payment is the condition for putting the vehicle into service.
4. Pay the transfer duty on the vehicle (vagyonszerzési illeték), calculated according to power in kW and the age of the vehicle, counted from its year of manufacture. It does not apply to an "eco-friendly" car within the meaning of the vehicle tax law (környezetkímélő gépkocsi): ask the NAV whether yours qualifies.
5. Insure the car with compulsory third-party liability insurance (KGFB), then have it registered at the administration counter (kormányablak) with the technical sheet: Hungarian plates and certificate.
6. Buy the vignette on the official site before taking a paid motorway or expressway.

Documents

• Foreign registration certificate (parts I and II if harmonised, or copy certified by the issuing authority).
• Proof of valid technical inspection from the country of origin (and the inspection certificate for inspections carried out after 20/05/2018): to be confirmed, according to the 2024 sheet cited in step 2.
• Certificate of conformity (COC) or manufacturer's plate for a car registered after 1999: to be confirmed, same 2024 sheet.
• Title of ownership (contract or invoice), identity document, address in Hungary.

Costs and timelines

• Honosítás: HUF 11,100 (Decree 46/2024 ÉKM, version in force at 01/01/2026; a government office's 2024 sheet still gave HUF 8,000, the former rate).
• Registration tax: flat amount depending on power (kW), environmental class and date of first entry into service (the tax decreases with age); separate category for hybrids and gas since 01/03/2025; no tax for a 100% electric car (class 5E) or zero-emission (5Z); amounts indexed every year since 2026. The NAV offers an indicative simulator. No exemption for a move appears in the NAV booklet.
• Vehicle transfer duty, 2026 rates published by the NAV (per kW of power, by age counted from the year of manufacture: 0-3 years / 4-8 years / over 8 years):
  • up to 40 kW: HUF 550 / 450 / 300;
  • 41 to 80 kW: HUF 750 / 550 / 450;
  • 81 to 120 kW: HUF 850 / 750 / 550;
  • over 120 kW: HUF 950 / 850 / 750. Example: a 5-year-old 85 kW car costs 85 × 750 = HUF 63,750. These rates are indexed every year according to July inflation; the NAV publishes those for the following year before 31 October (Act on duties, art. 24/A): those for 2027 are therefore expected before 31/10/2026 and will replace the amounts above.
• 2026 vignette, car (D1): HUF 5,550 per day, HUF 6,900 for 10 days, HUF 11,170 per month, HUF 61,760 per year (valid until 31 January of the following year); one county's annual vignette: HUF 7,190; M1 regional vignette (Pest, Fejér, Komárom-Esztergom, Győr-Moson-Sopron): HUF 15,000.

Common pitfalls

• Forgetting the registration tax in your budget: for a recent, powerful combustion car, it can be high; do the calculation with the NAV simulator before importing.
• A "new" car for VAT purposes (6,000 km or less, or 6 months or less since first registration): the NAV also calculates VAT if you are not VAT-liable.
• Buying the vignette after entering the motorway: it must be bought before entering the paid section (a good-faith driver who entered by mistake has 60 minutes from entry to buy it). Enter the plate without spaces or accents, keep the receipt for 3 years after the end of validity, and preferably use the official sales portal (ematrica.nemzetiutdij.hu).

What changes by country of origin

• EEA licences: valid until expiry, simplified exchange afterwards.
• Non-European family members: their foreign licence does not allow them to drive in Hungary; they must exchange it (EURES).
• British citizens (Scots included): the United Kingdom has acceded to the Geneva (1949) and Vienna (1968) conventions: your British licence lets you drive in Hungary for one year from the start of your stay. After that, you must have it converted (honosítás) into a Hungarian licence, without an exam if you declare that you were resident in the United Kingdom when it was issued to you (Decree 326/2011, art. 17 and 18). Fee: HUF 9,000 (2026). The application can be filed at a kormányablak, with the British licence attached; it is withdrawn when the Hungarian licence is handed over.
• Car coming from a non-EU country (United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway included): customs obligation in addition (customs duties), procedure to be opened with the NAV, on top of the registration tax.