Paperwork for driving

Hi,

The laws in Hungary about EU citizens staying longer than 30, 60, 183, or 360 days are numerous, conflicting, and totally unenforceable. Nobody minds, becouse it's a totally fringe case: We are not the target country for emigrants of other poor EU states :-)

Just say you are on holiday here often if you get pulled over.
Not that the poilce officer would understand anything you say, they'll just check your papers, and have no way to verify when you crossed the non-existant borders the last time.

Logger,you do not have to do all this.

I have a very good friend who is english living in the city and he has english numbers,car registration and of course english driving license and he is very well driving his car around.
You can drive legally in Hungary without doing the nerve wraking paperworks!
Have you idea how many hungarians driving without having a driving licence,or a car insurance ?
Do not worry,really.

Girlie wrote:

Logger,you do not have to do all this.

I agree. Don't bother about registering your car. The registration tax is just so enormously high, it's just not worth it unless you have some kind of bureaucratic "death wish".

Just drive it on the UK plates and maintain the insurance and documents at a UK address. I am sure you will drive to the UK once a year and you can just do the yearly test there when you go.

Many people are driving around on foreign registered plates in order to avoid the registration tax and hassle with the police/authorities. A popular option is to register your car in Slovakia where registration taxes are more reasonable and by setting up a "car company" all maintenance and costs are deductible for VAT etc. This explains why one sees so many Slovakian cars in Hungary with number plates beginning with KN ("Slovak" Hungarian speaking town opposite the Danube from Komarom).

Thanks for all your individual advice, surprisingly unanimous.
I'm going to take it, and go with the flow !

Hey, it may be like the Wild West out there on the roads of Budapest, but what the heck - like de man say: " Don't worry, be happy"

Girlie wrote:

Have you idea how many hungarians driving without having a driving licence,or a car insurance ?

While agreeing with your general message, I'd argue with this specific point: It's an offence, and while people who drive normally hardly ever get pulled over, someone who has lost his licence probably doesnt drive normally and does get pulled over again :-)

But with completely legitimate UK paperwork you'll be fine.

szocske wrote:

But with completely legitimate UK paperwork you'll be fine.

The thing is to be consistent - from whichever country you are from. UK passport, UK driving licence, UK registration, UK insurance (at least the latter three with the same address and hopefully name). Then there's nothing much for the police to say.

All these comments are fine but the point you're all missing is that if you have an accident and need to make a claim then your insurance company may not like the fact that you've been out of England for so long and not be in a hurry to pay out. Most insurance companies like to know when you're taking your vehicle abroad and if you don't tell them or you've been out for a lengthy period of time then the trouble starts.

PDIinHungary wrote:

Most insurance companies like to know when you're taking your vehicle abroad and if you don't tell them or you've been out for a lengthy period of time then the trouble starts.

Just get an all year round green card (yes, they are available for sure).

Problem solved!!!

For a period of time yes, but if you "live" abroad then you need to sort yourself out legally otherwise you're asking for trouble. All these comments are relatig to a very bgrey area of insurance. I have said previously...I would not like to "bump" into anyone over here on foreign plates as I'm sure the insurance comapnies would make a meal out of it.