Hungary's property purchase agreement — must be counter-signed by a Hungarian attorney or executed as a notarial deed to be valid for land registry purposes. The attorney files the registration with the Földhivatal.
The adásvételi szerződés is Hungary's property purchase agreement under the Polgári Törvénykönyv (Civil Code). For a real estate adásvételi szerződés to be valid, it must be in written form and either counter-signed (ellenjegyzett) by a registered Hungarian attorney-at-law (ügyvéd) or executed in notarial deed form (közjegyzői okirat). The attorney's counter-signature certifies that the contract meets legal requirements and that the identities and capacities of the parties have been verified.
The attorney who counter-signs the adásvételi szerződés is also responsible for filing the registration application (bejegyzési kérelem) with the competent land registry office (Földhivatal). This filing must occur within 30 days of signing. Upon submission, the registry enters a pending note (széljegy) showing an application is in process. The full registration typically takes 15–60 days, during which the buyer's position is protected by the széljegy.
Standard provisions in a Hungarian adásvételi szerződés include: precise land registry identification of the property (helyrajzi szám — cadastral parcel number); the purchase price and payment schedule; the condition of the property at handover; warranties about legal status (freedom from encumbrances); penalty provisions for delay; and a clause confirming the seller's obligation to cooperate with the land registry registration. For non-EU buyers, the contract must include a reference to the government permit requirement.
The purchase price in Hungarian property transactions is typically paid in stages: a holding deposit (foglaló) of 10% at the preliminary agreement stage, with the balance at or just before signing the final deed. The foglaló operates as a forfeit deposit — if the buyer withdraws, the foglaló is forfeited; if the seller withdraws, they must return double the foglaló. Using notarial escrow (közjegyzői letét) for the balance provides additional security during the land registry registration period.
Hungarian real estate acquisition duty (vagyonátruházási illeték — now called ingatlanszerzési illeték or ingatlanátruházás vagyonszerzési illetéke) is assessed by NAV after the registration. The standard rate is 4% of the property's fair market value. First-time buyers purchasing a home below certain value thresholds may benefit from payment by instalments or reduced rates. Properties purchased in exchange for sale of another Hungarian property may also benefit from calculation only on the difference in values.
Foglaló is a forfeit deposit: if the buyer withdraws after paying foglaló, they lose it; if the seller withdraws, they must return double. Előleg (advance payment) is simply returned in full if the deal falls through, without penalty. For buyers seeking security, foglaló provides stronger protection against a seller who might be tempted to sell to a higher bidder.
After the attorney files the registration application, the Földhivatal typically processes it in 15–60 days. During this period, a széljegy (pending note) protects the buyer's position. Urgent registration (soron kívüli eljárás) is possible for an additional fee, reducing processing time significantly.
EU citizens can purchase residential property in Hungary without a government permit. Non-EU nationals need prior authorisation from the Government Office (Kormányhivatal), which takes approximately 60 days. All buyers need a Hungarian adószám. Restrictions are more significant for agricultural land (heavily restricted for foreign buyers under Hungarian law).
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