Importing a car to Hungary from EU country

Aures99 wrote:

Hi  to all, I wish to get any feedback from anyone who has experienced the importation of a car to Hungary from another EU country. Is it worth to do it ? Is the Hungarian registration procedure very smooth and not too costly? I'm thinking of a car 1 - 3 years old because in prices comparison I do find cars in Hungary are so expensive or with high mileage. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

You can go here to calculate the registration cost; Tax Calculator Cars 2014

Unfortunately, not in English and not for 2015.

I think it's a struggle to register other EU country cars here.  The Hungarian government has been against this treaty right in the past.  Prices are indeed ridiculously high in HU and the cars very suspect on mileage and condition.

from another EU country import into H?? weird! if u did this, pls let me know....joking! NO import coz its EU...u can drive the car with plate from EU country with the insurance from any EU country...just drive...thats it

mikiBud wrote:

from another EU country import into H?? weird! if u did this, pls let me know....joking! NO import coz its EU...u can drive the car with plate from EU country with the insurance from any EU country...just drive...thats it

Unfortunately not.  There's a law here that a HU citizen (or a resident foreigner) cannot drive a foreign (any country) car more than 30 days a year in Hungary.  You can of course drive about in your German, Dutch, whatever EU car and yes, you will be insured but driving for years and years on foreign plates AND being a resident will bring issues if you get stopped by cops with any kind of regularity.

i am a german, driving a swiss plated car since 4 years in hungary...no problem, no trouble...nothing AND IMPORT isn't really happen coz EU..u want register the car in H is fine but u never import a car inside the EU!

mikiBud wrote:

i am a german, driving a swiss plated car since 4 years in hungary...no problem, no trouble...nothing AND IMPORT isn't really happen coz EU..u want register the car in H is fine but u never import a car inside the EU!

I don't want to import anything myself.  Importing cars into the EU from say, the USA or Canada is not difficult. Picking your import country is important.  There's nothing to stop anyone importing a car into the EU so long as you are moving your household and the car is over 6 months old and has been driven normal number of km before it comes into the EU.  That's the situation even before the technical issues.

But if you are resident you are supposed to register your car in HU.  You can also use two passports (i.e. use one for person registration and show the other one to the cops on a traffic stop).  They can and do check passport numbers for residence info and ID via their radios. It's happened to me. Mrs Fluffy gets stopped sometimes driving our non-HU car. I think it depends if the cops are having a campaign about it and can be bothered with the effort.   The average time between stops (for me) is about 5 years.

mikiBud wrote:

i am a german, driving a swiss plated car since 4 years in hungary...no problem, no trouble...nothing AND IMPORT isn't really happen coz EU..u want register the car in H is fine but u never import a car inside the EU!

What fluffy2560 said is correct. If you live here as a permanent resident, and it is your single and only address, your car is suppose to be registered here as well. I know because we actually asked the Hungarian government car and transportation authority about our Swiss car. And we did indeed have to "import" it to Hungary and register it here. It was also too expensive, so we just sold it in Switzerland.

Just because you have had no problems (gotten away with it) does not mean what you are doing is correct or lawful. And maybe not a good idea to promote incorrect or unlawful activities here to other expats, since they may not be as lucky as you have been.

Related to the above & another topic I have asked on. If I am a home-owner in Hungary, but not permanently resident, will I be given permanent residency due to the property?
Secondly,  I am planning to ship my car & motorbike, both from UAE, which will be on export plates, as dictated by the UAE, which will make them more conspicuous on Hungarian roads. If I am in & out of the country for short-ish periods I am guessing I will be OK to stay on export plates?

Thanks again for your help

desertbhoy wrote:

Related to the above & another topic I have asked on. If I am a home-owner in Hungary, but not permanently resident, will I be given permanent residency due to the property?
Secondly,  I am planning to ship my car & motorbike, both from UAE, which will be on export plates, as dictated by the UAE, which will make them more conspicuous on Hungarian roads. If I am in & out of the country for short-ish periods I am guessing I will be OK to stay on export plates?

Thanks again for your help

If you have a EU passport (profile says origin is Scotland), they'll probably jump on you for it if you get caught but perhaps if you can show UAE residence, then you'd be in better shape.  The HU cops will never understand anything about UAE export plates. Police in HU are traditionally the butt of stereotyping with "stupid jokes".  But they are still cops.

There's apparently some dumb EU law which says EU citizens cannot drive non-EU cars but I've never been able to track down this particular law.  I am not sure it really exists because it's perfectly possible to live outside the EU and be an EU passport holder as your case proves. And there's Switzerland, Norway, etc etc.

Thanks again Mr Fluffy, your input is invaluable.

We are planning to leave the UAE for good & will stop off in Hungary (1-6 months) before the next role, which is unlikely to be in Hungary. During in that time I was hoping to use my car/bikes  at my leisure without getting into any legal dramas. Dependent on where I end up, the car/bikes may come with me, making registration in Hungary pointless. I feel my wife may be busy getting me out of the sh*t, as I don't think 'nem kerek paradicsom' (my key Hungarian phrase!) will quite cut it.

desertbhoy wrote:

..... before the next role, which is unlikely to be in Hungary. During in that time I was hoping to use my car/bikes  at my leisure without getting into any legal dramas. Dependent on where I end up, the car/bikes may come with me, making registration in Hungary pointless. I feel my wife may be busy getting me out of the sh*t, as I don't think 'nem kerek paradicsom' (my key Hungarian phrase!) will quite cut it.

Well, the HU partner is always good in dodgy situation or where there is some bizarre "unspoken" understandings beyond straight talking native English speakers. However, they are not endowed with super powers.  If you are going out again, then I think so long as you act dumb, flash all sorts of confounding documents to befuddle and discombobulate the lower mortals, do not register with the authorities etc etc, you should, on balance, all things being equal, finger in the air, whichever way the wind is blowing, and the day of the week and how much change you have in your pocket, be ok.

Coming back to the original post, it is neither easy or cheap to re-register a car from a different EU country on Hungarian plates. It happens every day though, mostly done by secondhand car dealers. There are never enough new cars registered in Hungary to subsequently satisfy the demand for used cars so a lot are brought in from countries like Austria, Germany and even Spain. This will partly explain the apparent popularity of Opel, VW, Audi etc. There are also a lot of Suzukis here but those are mostly the models that are manufactured in Hungary.
When I moved to Hungary I had to wait until I was registered as a resident then I bought my little 800cc Chevrolet Spark, which was then just under 3 years old. It is very small and basic and is quite cheap to buy new. I bought it from the Chevrolet dealer who had sold it when new and taken it back as a part exchange. It was about 1 million Forints, which at the time was the going price in Hungary for a 6 year old Astra. The garage could not have charged a lot more for the car though as it was competing with brand new examples of the same model.
I do still face the challenge of getting a vehicle re-registered though. This is my LDV 3.5 tonne van which is currently still UK registered and right hand drive. As I understand it, I can have it registered in Hungary for my own use but I am not allowed to sell a right hand drive vehicle in Hungary. I am currently trying to find a repair garage or mechanic willing to handle the process on my behalf but no joy so far.

This thread begs the question: What is the point of registering anything in HU?
In unlikely case you being checked by police your foreign passport or residency card would get them off your back. What could be a possible benefit of Re-registering yourself or your car in a country where you do not receive any government benefits, such as healthcare or pension?

Hi:
Why don't you just drive it from the EU country to Hungary? It might be a few hours of driving, but mostly highway driving (unless you choose otherwise), but you will avoid all the hassles. The EU highway system is quite modern and made for driving between countries (for easier shipping of products between countries). Then you can register it with Hungarian Vehicle services...or better yet, inquire with Hungary Motor Vehicles beforehand, how you can register a vehicle that you drove in from another country to make sure it is OK to do so, prior to doing so.

MOHCTEP wrote:

This thread begs the question: What is the point of registering anything in HU?
In unlikely case you being checked by police your foreign passport or residency card would get them off your back. What could be a possible benefit of Re-registering yourself or your car in a country where you do not receive any government benefits, such as healthcare or pension?

Indeed. Why bother?  I would say (not that I encourage being flexible with the rules), that registering will increase your stress levels and cost you money.

The passport number isn't everything though. There's mother's name and date of birth etc often  used.    They screw it up all the time with the business about family names first.

If my name was John Alexander Taylor, then in their IT systems, it could be stored as Alexander John Taylor or Taylor John Alexander or Taylor Alexander John.  It's possible to have two names and passports of course at the same time if ethnic Hungarian - Szabo Janos Sandor - and so on.

I think it would increase my stress levels if I was driving a vehicle illegally! One thing that has not been mentioned is insurance. If I tried to use my van on UK insurance I would be limited to 3 months use outside UK. OK, in the event of a claim the insurance may not be to know whether it has been in UK but they can check the DVLA road tax records and see that it's not taxed. It can't be taxed because it has no MoT. A 2000 mile round trip to get an MoT makes the option of registering it in Hungary rather more attractive. I have no idea what loading they apply for right hand drive on Hungarian insurance but so far I've found Hungarian vehicle insurance to be much cheaper than UK. I only have the legal minimum cover on my 200cc motorcycle but this year the insurance cost me just over 3000 Ft.

fidobsa wrote:

I think it would increase my stress levels if I was driving a vehicle illegally! One thing that has not been mentioned is insurance. If I tried to use my van on UK insurance I would be limited to 3 months use outside UK. OK, in the event of a claim the insurance may not be to know whether it has been in UK but they can check the DVLA road tax records and see that it's not taxed. It can't be taxed because it has no MoT. A 2000 mile round trip to get an MoT makes the option of registering it in Hungary rather more attractive. I have no idea what loading they apply for right hand drive on Hungarian insurance but so far I've found Hungarian vehicle insurance to be much cheaper than UK. I only have the legal minimum cover on my 200cc motorcycle but this year the insurance cost me just over 3000 Ft.

I dunno, the stress level of being conned by the state on excessive registration charges and a terribly bureaucratic procedure will always put some people off.   

It's no problem insuring a car even if it does not have an MoT.   All cars with insurance are insured within the EU for 3rd party, regardless of anything else, including an MoT and the road tax.  It's a myth that cars without MoTs or tax are not insurable.  And it's perfectly possible to insure a car for 12 months use in the EU and a few other countries.  Whether it is worth it is another matter as there is a premium for it.   It's possible to travel back to the UK and do the MoT on a yearly trip OR one can buy a new car and not even take it back for 3 years!  The biggest problem in Hungary is that the insurance system is not transparent.  We're used to all risks (comprehensive) cover in the UK but that seems almost impossible to find in Hungary - everything is an add on and that pushes the price up ridiculously.  Really the EU should have a completely open market - being able to buy insurance anywhere for whatever registration.  It's been a pain for many years.

The EU cannot figure out how to get transparent mobile  phone system, let alone insurance. I still have to pay  international charges for calling from Belgium to Luxembourg despite being 10 km away and I have to dial 00 or + country code + city code + the number to get connected . If I decide to do the unthinkable: move to Holland over the border, I have to get new car registration, new personal resident card, new bank account and are you ready? f-n cell phone . Yeaa I have to change my cell phone provider else I pay international charges. EU is a f-n joke.

MOHCTEP wrote:

The EU cannot figure out how to get transparent mobile  phone system, let alone insurance. I still have to pay  international charges for calling from Belgium to Luxembourg despite being 10 km away and I have to dial 00 or + country code + city code + the number to get connected . If I decide to do the unthinkable: move to Holland over the border, I have to get new car registration, new personal resident card, new bank account and are you ready? f-n cell phone . Yeaa I have to change my cell phone provider else I pay international charges. EU is a f-n joke.

Yup, that's about the size of it.  What I normally do is get a local SIM card and use a multi-SIM mobile phone. You don't really need a new phone, just change the card.  All the rest of it is just the usual BS of the state interfering.  The EU has introduced legislation to flatten out the inter-EU call charging differences and your home rate will apply anywhere in the EU and there will no longer be any roaming charges.  It's taken them years to get to that point. See here: Roaming Charges 2017

But the US is no better really. If you change state, you need new plates and driving license and the original mobile phone system there was an utter mess with competing systems and charging mechanisms. And let's not talk about California emissions laws for free movement of vehicles.

fluffy2560 wrote:

But the US is no better really. If you change state, you need new plates and driving license

Due to increases in auto insurance rates in some states, you will be shocked (shocked I tell you) how often people delay, forget, put off or otherwise neglect to register their car in a new state. The police/highway patrol are pretty sharp and are on the lookout, but I saw, from time to time, the same out of state cars driving around beyond the obligatory time period to register (which can be as short as 10 days in Alaska).

fluffy2560 wrote:

And let's not talk about California emissions laws for free movement of vehicles.

The US Congress can regulate interstate trade, but states can pretty much do what they want on internal regulations even if that affects interstate trade unless the US Congress has actually acted to regulate and uniform that specific interstate trade. Thus, there really is no guarantee of "free trade movement" with equal regulations in many industries unless Congress specifically makes laws unifying the regulations or someone sues to block a state's regulations (a common reason is economic hardship by companies to comply with the regulation). Typically the largest, most populous states hold sway with their regulations which company's adopt as their "standard" mainly out of economic reasons -- i.e. companies adopt California standards simply because there are 39 million customers the business does not want to loose.

To highlight the concept of no common "free movement" of products, take my interest: wine. Every state has different rules and laws regulating the direct sale and shipment of wine to consumers. Nothing is uniform. In some areas (dry counties), it is even illegal.

klsallee wrote:

......delay, forget, put off or otherwise neglect to register their car in a new state. The police/highway patrol are pretty sharp and are on the lookout, but I saw, from time to time, the same out of state cars driving around beyond the obligatory time period to register (which can be as short as 10 days in Alaska).

10 days!  That's crazy.  I suppose people try and put that off until the last minute.  It's a bit the same in the EU. Many plates have location codes built into them. Some of them are obvious but others are difficult to decode unless you know the system.  The cops can tell out of country plates obviously but they can also determine the approximate location. All EU borders (including inter-EU country) have number plate recognition so they generally know the vehicles but do not necessarily know who is in the car.

fluffy2560 wrote:

..... -- i.e. companies adopt California standards simply because there are 39 million customers the business does not want to loose.

To highlight the concept of no common "free movement" of products, take my interest: wine. Every state has different rules and laws regulating the direct sale and shipment of wine to consumers. Nothing is uniform. In some areas (dry counties), it is even illegal.

So much for the free market.  My own US car is definitely California compliant. I specifically requested it when I bought it in Canada just in case i ever needed to drive it there. As it happened the car never made it back to North America and is in my garage with the front wheels off and will be there for many months probably as I'm probably too busy to fix it and it won't be long before it gets too cold to lay on the floor.  In fact, I'm slightly stuck with it as the worn out ball joints are rusted in.  They've been there for 18 years.  I've banged them, used a massive G-Clamp, heated them up and no joy.  I am considering using my 2 tonne hydraulic jack to try and force them out. Any tips from readers, I am willing to entertain any suggestions.

But I digress....

In the UK (particularly Wales and I think Scotland) we have dry counties as well.  They are not totally dry. I think only on Sundays.  All based on religious grounds (or what the Welsh call it "chapel").  Surely a dry county would be civil rights violations?  Bit like the elected woman official in Kentucky (?) enforcing her religious views on the recent Supreme Court gay marriage ruling.   She's going down for contempt on Thursday (probably). Civil Rights

.....now I'm really digressing so I'll stop there...

fluffy2560 wrote:

Surely a dry county would be civil rights violations?

The US was the nation that went dry with the 18th amendment.

And yet, I wished we had CA emissions in Europe so that Budapest facades would not look charred from all those "planet saving" diesel cars.

MOHCTEP wrote:

And yet, I wished we had CA emissions in Europe so that Budapest facades would not look charred from all those "planet saving" diesel cars.

That's not the main reason..  Euro V  (standard) cars and buses have DPFs (Diesel Particulate Filters) so there are limited emissions in that respect.  Many of the older buildings have not been cleaned since the fall of communism and in those days, any kind of vehicle (Euro I and II) could belch whatever it wanted with impunity.  The real pollutant is NOx although the particulates don't help anyone.. Euro VI comes into force in September I believe. 

But I do agree the trend to diesel seems to have been misplaced. That said I have a diesel car because it's so economical with superb performance.  The EU screwed it up the priorities pushing diesel with tax breaks.  Another EU half-assed policy I'm afraid.