Debt collection · Hungary

🇭🇺 Your customer in Hungary is not paying?

Goods delivered, invoice overdue, the customer in Hungary silent. This page explains how a B2B claim is collected in Hungary, how long it takes, and which interest and costs can be charged to the debtor. Incasso Mentor sets up and runs this process on your behalf: we choose the right route, bring in the local specialist, follow every step and report to you in Turkish. You only take the decisions. Information as at September 2026.

Hungary at a glance

The four figures that matter most to a Turkish exporter. Fees and rates change; before any legal step we confirm the current figures with our partner. Currency: forint (HUF).

HUF 30 million
Up to this amount the fizetési meghagyás: an order for payment issued by a notary (közjegyző) without a hearing; mandatory up to HUF 3 million. 15 days to object (ellentmondás). No objection: same effect as a final judgment.
14.00%
B2B commercial default interest (Ptk. 6:155): MNB base rate on the first day of the half-year (1 July 2026: 6.00%) + 8 points. Plus a fixed recovery cost of €40 per invoice.
3%
Fee for the order for payment: 3% of the claim, minimum HUF 12,000, maximum HUF 300,000. The litigation fee is banded: HUF 18,000 up to HUF 300,000, rising in brackets above that, no ceiling.
5 years
General limitation period (Ptk. 6:22). Note: a written demand does not interrupt it (Ptk. 6:25); only an acknowledgment, an order for payment or a court action.
Process

How collection in Hungary proceeds

Amicable phase

Hungarian-language written demand (fizetési felszólítás); interest and the €40 recovery cost are claimed. A debt that is still unpaid and undisputed 20 days after the due date, and remains unpaid after a written demand, can under Cstv. § 27 form the basis of a liquidation petition (felszámolás); debtors know this.

Fizetési meghagyás

Electronic order for payment through the notaries' system (MOKK); mandatory up to HUF 3 million, optional up to HUF 30 million. No lawyer required. If the debtor does not object within 15 days, the order becomes final and goes straight to enforcement.

Court action if objected

On objection the file passes to the court: járásbíróság up to HUF 30 million (no lawyer required), törvényszék above that (lawyer mandatory). The fee is banded by claim value; the fee already paid for the order for payment is credited.

Enforcement and insolvency

A final order or judgment is enforced by an independent court bailiff (önálló bírósági végrehajtó): bank accounts, receivables, movable and immovable assets. Enforcement costs and the collection commission (8% up to HUF 5 million, banded above) are recovered from the debtor. Liquidation (felszámolás) before the court; claims to be lodged within 40 days.

Our role

We organise your collection in Hungary

Collecting a debt in a foreign country on your own is exhausting: language, law, finding the right firm, negotiating fees, not missing deadlines. This is exactly where Incasso Mentor comes in. We review your file, obtain an independent credit report on the debtor and determine the most suitable route for Hungary.

Then we set up the process: we select the lawyer, notary or bailiff in Hungary, hand over a complete and well-prepared file, fix the fee on your behalf in advance and follow every step. You work with one contact, in your own language. Every decision is yours; no step is taken without your approval.

What you do, what we do
✓

You: send us the invoice, contract and delivery documents.

✓

We: assess the file, obtain the credit report and report the route and cost to you in writing.

✓

We: select and brief the local specialist in Hungary, fix the fee and watch the deadlines.

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We: report every development in Turkish and answer your questions.

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You: take the decision at every stage. Legal steps only with your approval.

Three points that matter for a Turkish exporter

A demand does not interrupt the limitation period

Since 2014 a written demand in Hungary does not stop the 5-year clock; only an acknowledgment, an application for an order for payment or a court action does. If the period is close, we do not lose time with demands: straight to the fizetési meghagyás.

The notary route is fast and needs no lawyer

The order for payment is issued by a notary, not a court; the application is electronic, the fee is 3% and capped at HUF 300,000. Files of €20,000 and more usually fall in the HUF 3–30 million band, where the choice between the order for payment and direct court action is yours.

EU procedures closed

The European order for payment and small claims procedure are closed to Turkish companies; the national fizetési meghagyás is fast and cheap anyway. A Hungarian judgment is enforced in the EU under Brussels I-bis without extra formalities.

Frequently asked questions

How long does collection in Hungary take?

Unopposed fizetési meghagyás: including service and the 15-day objection period, enforceable about 1–2 months after filing; a defended case longer.

Do I need a lawyer?

Not for the order for payment; if objected, not at the járásbíróság (up to HUF 30 million), yes at the törvényszék. Not for the enforcement application.

What is the judgment worth in Turkey?

A Hungarian judgment is enforced in the EU without extra formalities; in Turkey recognition (tenfiz) is needed, rarely relevant since the debtor's assets are usually in Hungary.

Incasso Mentor is not a law firm. We coordinate the amicable phase; where a legal step is needed, an authorised lawyer, notary (közjegyző) or court bailiff (végrehajtó) in Hungary acts with your approval. This page is general information, not legal advice. Source legislation: Civil Code (Ptk., Act V of 2013, §§ 6:22, 6:25, 6:155), Act IX of 2016 on the recovery cost flat rate, Act L of 2009 on the order for payment procedure (§§ 3, 28, 36, 45), Civil Procedure Code (Pp., Act CXXX of 2016, §§ 20, 72–73), Act XCIII of 1990 on duties, Act LIII of 1994 on judicial enforcement, Decree 8/2021 SZTFH on bailiff fees, Bankruptcy Act (Cstv., Act XLIX of 1991, § 27). Information as at September 2026.

Submit your Hungary claim today

Share your invoice and the basic documents. We review the file and report the route in Hungary and the expected cost to you in writing, in Turkish; the rest we plan together. B2B, from €20,000 per debtor.

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