Converting a foreign driving licence

When a foreign licence is valid

• The holder declares that they had normal or permanent residence in the issuing country when the licence was issued.
• The holder meets the conditions for issue at the time of the Hungarian application.
• A licence may only be issued to an applicant whose normal residence is in Hungary.

The 1968 Vienna Convention

Where the licence was issued by a country party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, conversion can proceed on the categories recorded on it.

Where a non-signatory third country issued it and the entitlement maps onto a Hungarian category, conversion follows a course-exempt theory examination.

Where the entitlement cannot be established, or does not map onto a Hungarian category, conversion requires course-exempt practical and theory examinations.

Where to apply

Since 1 January 2013, conversion of a third-country licence can only be applied for at the Central Kormányablak.

Exchanging a licence issued by another EEA state can be done at any Kormányablak as well as the central office. An EEA licence entitles you to drive in Hungary throughout its validity.

Worth knowing

• During conversion the foreign licence is withdrawn and, where reciprocity applies, returned to the issuing authority.
• With a certified translation, a foreign licence entitles you to drive for one year from the start of your stay in Hungary.
• Only a translation by the Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation (OFFI) is accepted as certified.