Debt Collection Hungary: A Creditor's Procedural Guide

To collect a B2B commercial debt in Hungary, begin with a written registered demand interrupting the 5-year limitation under Ptk §6:22, citing MNB (Magyar Nemzeti Bank) base rate plus 8 percentage points interest under Act IX of 2016 plus EUR 40 fixed recovery compensation per invoice. For claims up to HUF 3 million (approximately EUR 7,500), Hungary’s fizetési meghagyas procedure is mandatory before any civil court action — it is processed not by a judge but by a notary through the MOKK electronic portal. Uncontested, it produces a final and enforceable title in approximately 4 to 6 weeks. The key distinction from every other EU member state: Hungary routes commercial payment orders through notaries, not courts, making the first escalation step faster and less costly than the judicial equivalent in France, Germany, or Italy.

Your Budapest distributor has been delaying a EUR 55,000 invoice for four months. Emails have gone unanswered since the second reminder. You have been advised to go to Hungarian courts and told this takes years. What you haven’t been told is that for your claim size, the Hungarian process doesn’t start in court at all — it starts at a notary’s office via an online portal. The debtor has 15 days to object. If they don’t, you have an enforceable title. Here is how it works in practice.

5 yearsPtk §6:22 limitation

Fizetési meghagyasNotary-led — MOKK portal

MNB+8ppAct IX 2016 + EUR 40

How does debt collection work in Hungary?

Hungarian B2B commercial debt collection follows a three-phase sequence structurally different from most European jurisdictions. First, a written registered demand in Hungarian language, citing the Ptk §6:22 5-year limitation period, MNB+8pp interest under Act IX of 2016, and EUR 40 fixed recovery compensation. This demand interrupts the limitation clock — it restarts from zero on the date of the registered demand. 60 to 65% of commercially viable files in Hungary resolve at this amicable phase if the demand is well-structured.

Second, for unresolved files, the fizetési meghagyas procedure via the MOKK (Magyar Országos Közjegyzői Kamara — Hungarian National Chamber of Notaries) portal. This is the mandatory route for claims at or below HUF 3 million and the strongly preferred route for claims up to HUF 30 million. Third, if the debtor files an ellentmondás (opposition) or the claim exceeds HUF 30 million, the file proceeds to the appropriate civil court under Act CXXX of 2016.

5 yearsPtk §6:22From due date — interruptible

15 daysDebtor responseEllentmondás (opposition) window

MNB+8ppAct IX 2016Magyar Nemzeti Bank base rate + 8pp

EUR 40Per invoiceDirective 2011/7/EU — no proof needed

HUF 3MMOKK mandatory threshold∼EUR 7.5K — notary required below

What is the fizetési meghagyas and how does the MOKK portal work?

The fizetési meghagyas (FMH) is Hungary’s fast-track payment order procedure, governed by Act L of 2009. Its defining feature — unique among EU member states — is that it is processed by notaries through the MOKK electronic portal rather than by judges through a court. This makes the system structurally faster and cheaper than equivalent court-based payment orders in France (injonction de payer), Germany (Mahnverfahren), and Italy (decreto ingiuntivo), because it bypasses court scheduling and judicial review time. The notary’s role is administrative: verify completeness of the application and issue the order.

The creditor (or their representative) files electronically through the MOKK portal, attaching documentary support. The notary issues the payment order and sends it to the debtor by registered post. The debtor then has 15 days to file an ellentmondás (opposition) — no justification required, no grounds needed; the debtor can simply tick a box to oppose. If no ellentmondás is filed within 15 days, the FMH becomes jogerős és végrehajtható (final and enforceable) — an enforceable title that can be handed directly to an önálló bírósági végrehajtó (independent judicial enforcement officer) for execution without any further court involvement.

Collection process

1

Written demand + Ptk limitation check

5yr clock (Ptk §6:22) from invoice due date. Interrupt immediately with written registered demand — restarts clock. Include MNB+8pp + EUR 40 per invoice (Act IX 2016).

2

Fizetési meghagyas via MOKK notary portal

Mandatory for claims ≤HUF 3M. Optional HUF 3M–30M. Above HUF 30M: civil court only. Notary issues order via MOKK. Debtor: 15 days to file ellentmondás. No justification needed — 4–6 weeks to enforceable title.

3

Independent bailiff (önálló bírósági végrehajtó)

Act LIII 1994 bailiff corps. Bank account attachment (hatósági átutalási megbízás) — fastest. Salary attachment (munkabér letiltása). Seizure of movables. Real property via land registry.

What is the statute of limitations for commercial debt in Hungary?

Hungary’s general limitation period for contractual claims is 5 years under §6:22 of the Polgári Törvénykönyv (Ptk — Hungarian Civil Code), running from the invoice due date. The limitation is interrupted by formal written demand, by filing a fizetési meghagyas application, or by the debtor’s written acknowledgment of the debt. Each interruption restarts the 5-year period from zero.

A note on the interest rate: Hungary applies the MNB base rate (Magyar Nemzeti Bank — the Hungarian central bank) plus 8 percentage points under Act IX of 2016, which transposed EU Directive 2011/7/EU. This is distinct from the ECB base rate used in most EU member states. Because the MNB and ECB base rates differ — the MNB has historically set its rate above the ECB — the applicable Hungarian late payment interest rate is typically higher than the equivalent EU rate. Foreign creditors who calculate expected interest using the ECB rate will under-estimate the statutory entitlement in Hungary.

RouteSpeedNotes

Fizetési meghagyas (MOKK notary)

4–6 weeks

Mandatory ≤HUF 3M, optional ≤HUF 30M. 15-day opposition. Direct to bailiff if uncontested.

4–6 wkMandatory≤HUF3M

European Order for Payment

6–12 weeks

Reg.1896/2006 EU cross-border — bypasses MOKK requirement, enforceable across 27 states.

6–12 wk

Ordinary civil action (polgári per)

12–24 months

Claims >HUF 30M — járás/törvényszék depending on value.

12–24 mo

Önálló bírósági végrehajtó (bailiff)

Days once title held

Bank account attachment fastest track. All assets accessible post-enforceable title.

ImmediatePost-title

How is a Hungarian judgment enforced?

Once the fizetési meghagyas becomes jogerős és végrehajtható — or once a civil court judgment is issued — enforcement is handled by an önálló bírósági végrehajtó (independent judicial enforcement officer) under Act LIII of 1994. The fastest enforcement instrument is the hatósági átutalási megbízás: a bank account seizure order directed through the Magyar Nemzeti Bank’s clearing system to all Hungarian banks simultaneously, freezing and transferring funds from any account held by the debtor in Hungary. The enforcement officer also has authority to levy on receivables, seize movable assets, attach wages (munkabér letiltása), and register an enforcement charge against real property through the ingatlan-nyilvántartás (land registry).

For foreign creditors with judgments from other EU member states, Hungary is bound by Brussels I Recast (Regulation 1215/2012): any EU court judgment is directly enforceable in Hungary without any recognition procedure. One practical requirement: Hungarian court and enforcement proceedings require documents in Hungarian or accompanied by a certified translation by an OFFI-registered translator (Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda).

You know the debt is real. What you need now is someone on the ground in the right jurisdiction who can make it cost the debtor more to ignore it than to pay it. Contact Cosmopolite for a free case assessment. No win, no fee.