Most of the rules in Hungary are like in other European countries. Some of the main rules:

• The Hungarian speed limits for cars are almost the same – only that in Hungary in many residential neighborhoods have posted 30 km/h zones.
• All passengers are required to wear seatbelts, children must have child restraint systems if they are below 150 cm in height.
• An emergency toolkit, a hazard warning triangle and visibility vest(s) must be available in the vehicle.
• The minimum age for having a driver license is 17, but for renting cars, many times the companies define a minimum age of 21.
• There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding driving under influence.
• Dipped headlights must be always used even on motorways, and it is prohibited to have full-beam lights on in built-up areas at night.
• At an intersection you must give way to vehicles approaching from the right, but on a motorway give way to cars on the left.

In respect of those who are under temporary protection: according to the newly adopted EU rules, valid driving licenses issued by Ukraine shall be recognized in the territory of the EU when their holders enjoy temporary protection until the moment when that temporary protection ceases to apply.

One may request issuing a Hungarian driving license instead of a foreign driving license only if she/he has a usual place of residence in Hungary.

In general, if a car has been cleared by the customs authority without formalities under a temporary import customs procedure (i.e. by a verbal statement or a deemed verbal statement), may be driven in Hungary for a maximum period of 6 months from the date of entry (unless otherwise decided by the customs authority). After such period, a Hungarian registration permit and registration plate must be obtained for the car.

In general, it is not prohibited to drive another person's car. However, in case of police control, you should be able to justify the legal title of use of the car.

Therefore, in addition to the generally obligatory documents (like the driver’s license) the driver should have a written “use agreement” concluded between the driver and the registered person, including at least the registration number of the car and the timeframe when the use of the vehicle has been taken over by the driver from the registered person. (From a practical point of view, such a document is suggested to have a Hungarian transaction.)

Ukrainian insurance will not be enough. In the case of vehicles normally based in a third country, the owner or driver of the vehicle on entering Hungary must have either a green card valid for the territory of the EEA (issued in Ukraine) or conclude a border insurance contracting Hungary. The validity of the documents must cover for the entire duration of the stay in the territory of the EEA.

The fee for the border insurance for a passenger car is HUF 90,000/month. Based on the news information, with respect to the extraordinary circumstances, it is now possible to conclude a border insurance for a decreased fee of HUF 1,000 / month and insurance companies undertake to bear the remaining amount of the fee. The border insurance for a discounted fee may be purchased at the designated branches of Allianz HungáriaZrt. at the branch offices listed at List of Allianz offices .

Under Hungarian law, certain roads are subject to toll payment, as follows:

• (a) a distance based (electronic) toll system is available for cargo vehicles (> 3,5 t) and trailers, and
• (b) an (electronic) vignette is available for motorcycles, passenger cars, buses, trailers, vans (≤ 3,5 t).

One must buy a vignette before entering the road subject to toll payment (an indicative map in Hungarian ). Vignettes may be bought for a week (that is actually a 10-day period), a month or a calendar year (from 1 January to 31 January of next year), for all roads subject to toll payment or only for a respective county. Vignettes may be bought personally at National Toll Payment Service Ltd. (Hungarian toll payment company) or at official resellers National Toll Payment Service Ltd. (in practice it covers the petrol stations), or electronically .

Further information is available in English here .

Etolls is an application for purchasing electronic vignettes to pay for travel in 7 European countries, including Hungary, developed by Ukrainians. The application is simple and intuitive. More detailed information is available on the website .

Parking rules are, amongst others, the following:

● Unless otherwise indicated by a road sign or the Hungarian Code of Traffic Rules, vehicles may park only on the right-hand edge of the carriageway, parallel to it, in a single file. Parking must be indicated by a direction sign.

● It is prohibited to wait, for example,

• outside a built-up area on the carriageway of a main road;
• where the vehicle obstructs access to or egress from the roadside property without the consent of the owner of the property;
• where the vehicle may obstruct the approach or departure of another vehicle lawfully waiting;
• where the vehicle is obstructed by a light-signaling device or signaling device;
• where there is not a space of at least 3 meters between the vehicle and the closing line on the carriageway or between the vehicle and a vehicle on the other side of the carriageway;
• on a roundabout, at a road junction and within 5 meters of the intersection of the edges of the road, unless otherwise indicated by the road sign;
• at a designated pedestrian crossing and in front of a pedestrian crossing, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and handcarts within 5 meters and other vehicles within 15 meters;
• on bridges, underpasses, tunnels and at their entrances and exits;
• with another vehicle within 15 meters before and 5 meters after a sign indicating a tram, bus, trolleybus or taxi stop, unless otherwise indicated by a road sign; etc.

● A vehicle may be left unattended if the driver has ensured that the vehicle cannot start on its own and cannot be started by an unauthorized person.

As an example, rules applicable in Budapest are summarized here .

Below you find the list of the most common fines:

● Driving on motorways without a vignette (even if the drive on the motorways does not take longer than 1 day)

• If the vehicle is not in possession of a valid (e-)vignette at the time of the check, the owner or the operator will have to pay a surcharge corresponding to the category of the vehicle for unauthorized use. (This can range from ca. 40 EUR to even 160 EUR, if the base surcharge is not paid.)
• The National Toll Payment Service Ltd. (in Hungarian: NemzetiÚtdíjfizetésiSzolgáltatóZrt.) collects the amount of surcharges imposed on vehicles with foreign registration plates through its partner offices abroad. The surcharge can be paid via bank transfer.
• For the administration of surcharges for vehicles with foreign registration plates, the owner or operator of the vehicle can contact the National Toll Payment Service Ltd. or its customer service offices at Nemzetiutdij.hu/enor at +3636-587-500.

● Exceeding the speed limit (under Government Decree no. 410/2007 (XII. 29.))

• The penalty can range from ca. 74 EUR to 740 EUR, based on the extent of exceeding.
• The administrative penalty can be paid by cheque posted with the decision (within the territory of Hungary) or by card at Payment - inNOVAPortál (police.hu) .

● Parking fines: for example,in Budapest, where parking fees may differ according to parking zones:

• Parking fine must be paid if you park without paying the tariff in a pay-zone, or if you exceed the paid parking time by 5 minutes in case of having paid for less than one hour, and by 15 minutes in case of having paid for one hour or longer time.
• You will find the amount of the parking fine in the notification in a red penalty bag placed on the windscreen of your vehicle.
• The parking fine can be paid by using the designated yellow cheque included in the penalty bag.

The following documents are needed for initiating the registration of a Ukraine-registered trailer vehicle in Hungary:

• The foreign vehicle registration certificate if it has been issued and the foreign registration plates of the car
• A document with result of the origin check, i.e., that the vehicle is not wanted in the country of origin (in Hungarian: származás-ellenőrzés)
• Justification of completion of the customs procedure
• A document issued by the traffic authority stating the technical details and condition of the vehicle after the official technical review
• Justification of completion of the tax registration procedure and payment of the registration tax (if necessary)
• A document with the results of the vehicle authenticity check (in Hungarian: eredetiségvizsgálat)
• The contract relating to the transfer of ownership (or its certified copy) and, if it is not in Hungarian, together with an official and certified translation thereof
• Proof of insurance on concluding the mandatory liability insurance

The National Tax and Customs Administration released a document for 2022 which includes all the requirements regarding customs declaration obligations: Information for Travellers

Since EU member states ensure the free movement of goods, no customs procedures are required for exporting goods from Hungary to another Member State and for importing goods (non-commercial ones purchased for personal use or as gifts) from a Member State to Hungary.

However, when traveling from a non-EU country (third country), like Ukraine, there are some specific rules.

In the case of alcohol and tobacco products, for example, the duty-free amount is limited. In addition to these specific goods, passengers are exempt from customs duty and taxes for goods imported up to the value of EUR 300, while up to the value of EUR 430 if travelling by air.

Further conditions necessary for the customs duty and tax exemption: (i) the import must be occasional (must not be part of a series of imports within a reasonable period of time), and (ii) the import may only include goods acquired for the passenger’s own use or their family, or intended as gifts, and (iv) the nature and quantity of goods imported may not imply an import for commercial purposes.