All conditions of the deposit will be explained to both the buyer and the vendor. The vendor risks having to pay back double the deposit if the property is sold to a third party. Likewise, you have your obligation to pay within time.

The final contract with your signature and final payment, unless it was already paid, must be done here in Hungary in the lawyer's presence. And nothing gets signed without prior payment.
Furthermore, if you are a non-EU citizen, on the same day you will be accompanied to a notary's office in order to officially verify your passport/identity-card.
In the past, it has been necessary for EU citizens to produce a notarised copy of one's passport, which was lodged with the contract documentation; however from the first of May 2009 this is not longer necessary.
Make sure you have your documents with you! All outstanding payments must be received on this day - including your hard-working estate agency's commission!

We must stress how important it is for you to be at the lawyer's office in order to sign the purchase contract. If it is impossible for you to be present you must properly authorize us to sign on your behalf. Moreover, in extreme cases it is feasible to sign a contract at an embassy; however, they will only do this grudgingly, and they will charge you for it.


If everything goes smoothly you now get the house keys. Congratulations!

Please note that if the vendor has not satisfactorily vacated the house and removed his possessions as agreed, up to 500 Euro can be withheld until the vendor complies.
Non EU citizens will need permits from the local mayor and county authorities. These are formalities, and in our experience permits are always granted. The lawyer will make these arrangements. No such permits are necessary if you declare in the purchase contract your intention to make Hungary your permanent home.
The requirement for EU citizens to obtain permits from the local authorities to purchase land have been waived effective first of May 2009. The requirement for EU citizens to obtain a "buying licence" to purchase property has also been waived effective first of May 2009.

Pending revision by the EU, non-Hungarians will need permits from the local mayor and county authorities. These are just bureaucratic formalities - in practice permits are always granted. The lawyer will make these arrangements. No such permits are necessary if you declare in the purchase contract your intention to make Hungary your permanent home.

Be patient. Land registries can be slow in registering new owners (several months or more depending on the region). When it is ready, your registered ownership will come to us and be in our safe-keeping until you decide to pick it up.

All property sales attract taxation, which is based on the value of the property.
This is similar to ‘stamp duty’ in the United Kingdom, and this is specifically not included in our prices since you will pay it sometime after finalisation of the contract, directly to the Hungarian tax office.
You can work out below what your stamp duty/property tax is going to be:

2% for a house valued up to 4 million Hungarian Forint (HUF)
6% for a house valued over 4 million Hungarian Forint (HUF)
10% for an empty building ground/plot.
10% for a barn, secondary/side building, commercial property.
There is a 5000 HUF registration fee.

The bill for your property tax can take up to 12 months to arrive after you have signed the purchase contract.

We can now help put utilities (water and electricity) in your name, open a bank-account, and, if necessary, put you in touch with an insurance broker.