registering a british car in Hungary

gwiwer2011 wrote:

Hi was wondering if anyone knows how I go about registering a british car in Hungary. The car has been permenantly exported from uk and if I don't get Hungarian plates on my car I will have the problem of trying to get a tax disc (not very easy) next time I'm in uk

Thanks

Unless it's a really new car, and assuming it's RHD, I would not even try and register it in Hungary. It's just too difficult. Many expats continue to drive their cars on their foreign plates of all types for lots of different reasons, mainly to avoid the extremely oppressive tax on vehicles. You can easily get a tax disc for your car online. The real problem is the MoT.

But for the purposes of discussion, how old is it? Fuel type? Make and model? Which Euro standard is it? Engine size?

You need to fit different headlamps and a Km/hr speedo then take the car for the equivalent of an MoT. As in UK, the MoT document is one of the items you need for your registration application. There will  be costs involved in registering the car, in addition to import duty. The import duty depends on make, model and engine size etc. I intend to do the same with my small Vauxhall van as an equivalent van would be a lot more expensive in Hungary. You will also need a Hungarian residence card before you can own a Hungarian registered vehicle.

fidobsa wrote:

.... There will  be costs involved in registering the car, in addition to import duty. The import duty depends on make, model and engine size etc......

Just to clarify, there's no "import duty" as that would be against the free movement of goods in the EU. However, there is the registration fee (which might as well be import duty). Small but pickily significant difference.

Some cars are just not worth re-registering. Anything below EURO III standard will be prohibitively expensive to register. Driving on foreign plates is a popular sport in HU judging by the number of cars I see. So long as you drive it back to the UK once a year for the MoT, keep it well maintained and maintain a low profile and hold a foreign (non-Hungarian) passport, there's unlikely to be any come back in practice. There's nothing to stop you owning a UK registered LHD car whereas some countries prohibit import of RHD vehicles.

Moreover, the concept of "comprehensive" insurance does not seem to exist in much of Eastern Europe, whereas you can take out UK insurance which is fully valid in all the EU and some other countries. Insurance is also much cheaper in the UK than HU.

I am pretty au fait with the UK registration procedure for LHD cars and it's not that difficult if it's done correctly. In general, there's no requirement for a speedometer to be in miles per hour or the headlights to be changed for an MoT. If the vehicle needs to be inspected in the UK, it's possibly true, but a once only requirement for the purposes of registration (MoT is something else).

Anyway, just a thought.

fluffy2560 wrote:

In general, there's no requirement for a speedometer to be in miles per hour or the headlights to be changed for an MoT. If the vehicle needs to be inspected in the UK, it's possibly true, but a once only requirement for the purposes of registration (MoT is something else).

Anyway, just a thought.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/other/importi … stions.asp
See item 7.

fluffy2560 wrote:

fidobsa wrote:

Moreover, the concept of "comprehensive" insurance does not seem to exist in much of Eastern Europe, whereas you can take out UK insurance which is fully valid in all the EU and some other countries. Insurance is also much cheaper in the UK than HU.

Whilst I agree about the concept of the comprehensivity of insurance (the structure seems entirely different here in Hungary the cost point you make is certainly not my experience. 

Our car insurance before we got rid of our car and joined the bike pushers and bus user of the Hungarian countryside was less than 60,000huf (less than 200gbp) for a large 4X4.  We looked at the possibility of getting a british car as the purchase costs are significantly lower however insurance for both of us on a british 1.2l small engined hatch back was in excess of 1,000gbp.

We found car ownership in Hungary to be a complete headache for a host of reasons and decided not to bother.  Public transport is both affordable (outside of the city) and very efficient unless you want to go out in the evening in the countryside

bjonesphotography wrote:

...  We looked at the possibility of getting a british car as the purchase costs are significantly lower however insurance for both of us on a british 1.2l small engined hatch back was in excess of 1,000gbp.....

That's a very high price for that kind of car. I've never paid anything like that for UK insurance on British cars used permanently overseas (within the EU, Croatia, Switzerland etc). I think you might have been looking in the wrong place.

If you get a new car (comparatively cheap in the UK), you don't even need to take it back for an MoT for 3 years.

fidobsa wrote:

..
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/other/importi … stions.asp
See item 7.

Yes, all true, but if you buy a car from a garage with a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), the majority of them do not actually change anything on the car as it's self-certified by the garage when registering a car imported from the EU. VCA doesn't have the resources to check on this.

If you have a car without a CoC (that's bad), then you need to take it for an IVA, which costs a bundle in time and hassle. For that you need to change the headlights (not with stickers/deflectors) and speedo (the rules say the changes must be permanent) and make other alterations, like indicators in the wings. American cars have particular issues as the beam pattern is different. However, often these do not need to be changed as they are within the mutal recognition standard.

But there's nothing in the MoT that says the headlights and the speedo need to be RHD or in mph at all. The speedo is not even checked in the MoT and the headlamps can be adjusted for throw with stick on deflectors and adjusters built into the car.

Once you pass the IVA, all you need do is swap it all back for LHD after the MoT.

I've done this procedure several times, the last time was in 2010.

I have a similar case. I am bringing a car from UK with UK plates to Hungary. Will be only renting a apartment for about a year and will be traveling with this car across the border at least once a month. Am i a temp.-passing-through driver then with no obligation to re-register onto hungarian plates?
Cheers

the_highlander wrote:

I have a similar case. I am bringing a car from UK with UK plates to Hungary. Will be only renting a apartment for about a year and will be traveling with this car across the border at least once a month. Am i a temp.-passing-through driver then with no obligation to re-register onto hungarian plates?
Cheers

90 days is the rule. Once you are here 90 days, you are supposed to be a resident and do the legal stuff. You are even supposed to register yourself when staying a few days with a friend.

But in practice, 99.99% of people probably do not bother especially if they are only here short term. After all, what's the point of the hassle of registering when you are leaving a few days later?  It's different at hotels as hotels do it for you. 

Most British people aren't used to or even comfortable registering with anyone about where they live. It's none of their business right?

Anyways, your car question is covered in other postings.

Sorry for chatting to you all over different posts, but i think it will be still useful for upcoming members.
Dont like spamming though
Where do we register, in police? Is there a fine if you dont?
cheers

the_highlander wrote:

Sorry for chatting to you all over different posts, but i think it will be still useful for upcoming members.
Dont like spamming though
Where do we register, in police? Is there a fine if you dont?
cheers

Contact the local government where you will be living to find out. They will give you an address card.

Yes, there's a fine (but I think it's quite low). I've never heard of anyone being fined (ever).

Do you have any useful websites for local goverement in HU? thanks

the_highlander wrote:

Do you have any useful websites for local goverement in HU? thanks

Not really. You have to check the LG where you live.

OK, will do. Do you know any useful hungarian webistes for car selling adverts?
Try to see the option of buying a car in HU.
cheers

the_highlander wrote:

OK, will do. Do you know any useful hungarian webistes for car selling adverts?
Try to see the option of buying a car in HU.
cheers

Actually I misspoke. Try this one: http://www.budaors.hu/en/ (notice the picture of the mayor who doubles for Pierce Brosnan).

You can check the cars at expressz.hu

You'll find nothing much in English.