Hungary
Importing a car into Hungary
A used car reaches Hungary from an EU state with no customs declaration. What follows is a process with three appointments at three places, one of which no neighbouring country requires: an identity check on the car before its first Hungarian registration.
- Registration authority
- Kormányhivatal okmányiroda
- Customs
- Nemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatal (NAV)
- Technical inspection
- Műszaki vizsga
- Last reviewed
Where the car comes from decides the effort
From an EU state
From an EU member state there is neither a customs declaration nor import VAT, as long as the car is used. If it stays under the threshold for first registration or mileage it counts as new for tax — then VAT is declared in Hungary. The registration tax, the acquisition duty and the identity check apply either way.
From a third country
From Switzerland or Liechtenstein it is a genuine import: declared to NAV, duty on the customs value, import VAT on customs value plus duty. Only then does the Hungarian part begin — and a car without European type approval also needs an individual approval, which comes before the műszaki vizsga.
The process, in order
The order is not arbitrary. Pull a step forward and you usually end up repeating it.
01Before buying: kW, engine capacity and environmental class
The registration tax is assessed on engine capacity, drivetrain and environmental classification, reduced by age. The acquisition duty is assessed on power in kW and likewise on age. Both figures are in the seller's papers — and together they set most of the bill.
02Have the vehicle's identity checked
Before the first Hungarian registration the car is examined for its identity at an accredited station: chassis number, engine number, type plates, signs of interference. The result is recorded in the register and is valid for a limited time; it is not a roadworthiness test and does not replace one.
Handled by: An accredited originality-check station
03Declare and pay the registration tax
The registration tax must be declared to NAV before the car is placed in service. It is assessed on engine capacity, drivetrain and environmental classification, reduced by the car's age; the table is in the statute. NAV issues a decision, and without that decision the documents office will not accept the application.
Handled by: Nemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatal (NAV)
04Have the certified translation made
The foreign registration document and the purchase contract are required in certified translation. In Hungary certified translations are produced by the state translation office; an ordinary professional translation does not meet the form.
Handled by: Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda (OFFI)
05Roadworthiness test
The car is presented at a Hungarian testing station. A still-valid test from the country of sale does not replace it for first registration; without European type approval, a separate individual approval procedure comes first.
Handled by: Műszaki vizsgaállomás (testing station)
06Register
With the identity check, the tax decision, the translation, the inspection report and proof of third-party cover, the car is placed in service at the documents office. The registration document and the plates are issued; the vehicle title is sent out.
Handled by: Kormányhivatal okmányiroda
What gets added
Without amounts, and deliberately so: official rates change, and a stale figure is worse than none. What is here is the basis of assessment — enough to calculate with, once the current rate is known.
- Registration tax (regisztrációs adó)
- Assessed on: Engine capacity, drivetrain and environmental classification, reduced by the car's age; the table is in the statute and NAV applies it.
- Does not apply: For purely electric vehicles the statute provides its own, considerably cheaper classification.
- Acquisition duty (vagyonszerzési illeték)
- Assessed on: Engine power in kW and the car's age — not the purchase price. It falls on the transfer of ownership and is independent of the registration tax; the two are levied side by side.
- Originality check
- Assessed on: A fixed tariff per vehicle category, paid at the accredited station; the result is only usable for a limited time.
- Roadworthiness test and placing in service
- Assessed on: The testing station's tariff plus the documents office's fees for the registration document, the vehicle title and the plates.
- Certified translation
- Assessed on: By length for each document, at the state translation office's tariff; express surcharges are usual and noticeable.
- Customs duty, import VAT and VAT
- Assessed on: From a third country, duty on the customs value and import VAT on customs value plus duty; within the EU, VAT only, and only for a car that counts as new for tax.
- Does not apply: Does not arise at all for a used car from an EU state.
The papers
Miss one of these and the appointment is wasted.
- The original foreign registration document, complete with all its parts.
- Purchase contract or invoice with a certified translation.
- The originality-check report, within its period of validity.
- NAV's decision on the registration tax.
- Certificate of conformity (COC), or the individual approval.
- Proof of third-party insurance, plus the future keeper's ID and address.
Where the sum tips
- The identity check nobody expects. The eredetiségvizsgálat is not a roadworthiness test, happens at a different place, and is mandatory all the same. Plan only for the műszaki vizsga and you stand at the documents office with a complete stack missing exactly one sheet.
- The second charge. The registration tax and the acquisition duty are different charges on different bases — one on capacity and environmental class, the other on kW and age. Budget for the better-known one alone and you budget short.
- The expired identity check. Its result is valid only for a limited time. Have it done straight after the purchase and then wait for the tax decision, and you will do it again — the order tax, then checks, then registration is the shorter one.
- The plain professional translation. What is required is a certified translation from the state translation office. A translation made in the country of sale, however technically correct, does not meet the form.
How long it takes
As an order of magnitude: two to four weeks from transfer with complete papers, because the identity check, the tax decision and the inspection come one after the other. Without European type approval, with an individual approval, rather two to three months.
The technical inspection
Műszaki vizsga
The recurring roadworthiness test at a Hungarian station. Before the first Hungarian registration it is due however recent the foreign test may be; it is separate from the eredetiségvizsgálat and does not replace it.
Common questions
What exactly is the eredetiségvizsgálat?
An examination of the car's identity: chassis number, engine number, type plates and signs of interference are compared with the papers and the register. It says nothing about technical condition and does not replace the műszaki vizsga — and it is mandatory before every first Hungarian registration.
How much is the registration tax?
There is no single figure. What stays constant is the basis: engine capacity, drivetrain and environmental classification, reduced by age, under a table in the statute. So before buying you need the capacity, the environmental class and the date of first registration — three figures from the papers, not from the advert.
Do the charges apply to a private purchase too?
Yes. The registration tax attaches to first placing in service in Hungary, the acquisition duty to the transfer of ownership. Who sold the car changes neither.
Can I register the car without living in Hungary?
Placing the car in service attaches to a domestic residence or registered seat; foreign keepers prove it with an address registration certificate or the company's register extract. Without that connection there is no registration.
This overview is not a substitute for information from the competent authority. Rates, fees and deadlines change; the office that registers the car is always the binding source.