stevenotlob

I have been going through this forum and there is loads of info, mostly contradicting each other, on whether I can register or buy a car in Hungary and keep for when I spend holidays in Hungary.
Any info that points to official posts please, not hearsay (and preferably with English translation).
We are close to buying a property in Hungary but if we cannot register one of our cars there or buy a local one and have it in our name then the process stops and we drop out, simple. :-(

stargate1234

Hi Stevenotlob. Most of the info on the forum is quite good and , indeed reflects on peoples experiences, however if you find too much contradiction and confusion regarding your enquiry then it might not help you. I would suggest visiting an Okmány iroda and asking at the desk that deals with car enquiries in general. They should point you in the right direction to obtain further information, Or (like I did once). just go into a police station and ask for the autó Közlekedési osztály, Once again there should be someone there to help you. If your lucky someone will speak english.
Regarding your problem it would be better to go to an official source as it could be problematic if mistakes are made. Once you find the correct information source you will know how to proceed.

My personal opinion would be to keep your foreign car and just use it over here. I think you can use a foreign car here for 30 days in 6 monthes so it depends on how long and often you will be here. I can't see any reason why you cannot buy a hungarian car in your name and leave it in the garage of your holiday home. I imagine if its all legal.i.e. insured, MOT'd etc there shouldn't be any problem, but the best way to deal with this is ask the hungarian authorities.

Web page regarding registering a car:
https://www.google.hu/webhp?sourceid...20in%20hungary

Hope this has helped a little..

wolfi

Here is the official EU site - maybe that info helps:

Car registration and taxes - Your Europe

stevenotlob

Thanks Wolfi but that site is not relevant. I want a holiday home in Hungary and not taking my car there every 2 months (would be a 2500 mile round trip). I want to be able to buy a car in Hungary and be the legitimate owner, keeping it on my property unused until I go over for a holiday.

I cannot find any official hungarian government site that deals with this scenario which is crazy as i expect thousands of people are in the same boat as me.

Pulaski

Maybe an easier question to find an answer for is "how do I register a car in Hungary?" From there you can work out if you have all the required paperwork, information, and anything else, and work back to determine if you are able to meet the requirements to register a vehicle?

Peter_in_Hungary

If you are close to buying a property then I presume you have contact with an English speaking solicitor. Send him/her an email asking the question about registering a car if you own a holiday home.

As far as I know to register a car you need to be resident in Hungary. (you can have 2 residences). Once you have the residence then you will get an address card which is proves your address which then enables you to register a car.

Is the property you are considering a house registered for permanent living, i.e. not registered as a holiday home. If it is for permanent living then you should have no problems getting a resident card, I'm afraid I don't know is whether you can get a residency with a holiday home.

Registering an imported car is expensive. The cost depends on the type of car. Second-hand cars are also relatively expensive here. How long do you expect to be in Hungary each year. By the time you factor in the cost of the car, then its standing costs plus servicing and the pain of flat batteries / not starting flat tyres etc.when you arrive, theft is a risk and the only way to get theft insurance is to have comprehensive insurance (TPF&T insurance does not exist here), plus public transport to your house at what ever time your plane arrives - have you calculated against this lot the cost of hiring a car for your stays. It could be less hassle!

stevenotlob

It will be for holidays (4 - 6 weeks per year) for my use and around 3 - 4 months of the year for my parents to live there (they are retired), The property is near the centre of a large village, not far to Lake Balaton (15 minutes by car). I have looked at the price of hiring and all companies are extortionate. Looks OK at 1st glance but then when you check out the excess, etc and pay extra for the excess to be brought down to a reasonable level then the best quote for a medium sized car is around €170 - €180 for 4 days !!
Seems a bit crazy not being able to register a car if you have a holiday home and are not resident, as it brings in more money for the Tax Man! Driving there in my own car is not an option - I live in Malta at the moment and return ferry trip to Sicily with just driver is around €200 then there is fuel, one night stop-over, etc before I even get to Hungary!

BTW, comparing Rental Car charges, When I go to Bulgaria then I pay around €85 for an entire week for mid-range, mid-sized car (2 people & 2 suitcases in boot) and €100 (200Lv) excess !!

Shotgun

I am not resident in Hungary, but have had a house, not far from Sármellék airport, for a number of years.

We make trips six or seven times a year, and although I originally intended to keep a car of my own there, I soon realised that it would be cheaper, and more convenient, to rent one at the airport (particularly now that Sármellék airport is not used for flights to and from UK) each time we came. We now use Bratislava or Budapest airports.

For us, owning a car in Hungary would be much more expensive than renting.

Shotgun

I usually pay between £75 and £95 for a week's car hire - and sometimes less when there's an offer on.

stevenotlob

Yes, I can imagine it probably is cheaper to rent if only visiting a few times of the year but if my parents stay over then a car would be better for them, as well as being handy for me!

stevenotlob

What is the excess on that, who is it with and where do you collect / drop off?
Is there unlimited mileage with that price?
what about additional drivers?

Thanks

Shotgun

No excess, collect and drop off at airport, unlimited mileage, 1 additional driver.

I have annual insurance that covers anything that the included insurance doesn't cover (£40)

Car hire through Auto Europe. This is always cheaper than booking direct.

scrubbedexpat0105

If your parents are staying there for that length of time, won't they then want to have dual residency? If so, they can register a car in their name as residents.

Peter_in_Hungary

If the house is near the centre of a large village then its almost certainly registered as a house for permanent residence in which case it is not a 'holiday home' which is a different category.

In the event that it is a residence then you should have no problems getting both you and your parents registered as living there - after which you or they will be able to buy or import a car with that address.

Importing cars can be fraught and expensive so unless you are particularly attached to the car it is probably easier to buy locally. (import costs depend upon the age and euro type of the engine. You can get an idea of the import duty at http://regisztraciosado.hu/ and onto of that there will be MOT fees plus other expenses.

wolfi

Of course!

If the parents stay here for a longer time, then they can/should get registered and the car should be in their name too.

Btw:
It's probably a good idea to buy a car of one of the popular makers (lke Suzuki or Opel) who also have manufacturing facilities here - I found that garages specialising in them are everywhere and also spare parts are cheap and easy to find.