INFORMATION ON THE EXCHANGE (NATURALIZATION) OF UK DRIVING LICENSES

Given that the United Kingdom is no longer an EEA member state as of 1 January 2021, it is necessary to naturalize British driving licenses in Hungary as a result of Brexit.
Original UK driving licenses are valid for one year from the commencement of establishing residence in Hungary. After this period licenses have to be naturalized in order to keep them valid for the time ahead.

The process

The process fee is 6.200 HUF, which can be paid by bank card on the spot or by postal money order.
You have to apply personally (no legal or other representative can be authorized) at the Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala Központi Okmányiroda (Central Document Office of KEKH).
Due to the pandemic personal administration is provided for only those who have booked an appointment, which can be done by phone or via e-mail:

Address of the Personal Customer Service: 1133 Budapest, Visegrádi utca 110.

Webpage:
https://www.kormanyhivatal.hu/hu/budapest/szervezeti-egyseg/kozponti-okmanyirodai-foosztly

Telephone:

• 1818 (free to call from Hungarian phone numbers)
• +36-1-550-1858 (when calling from abroad or from non-Hungarian phone numbers)

E-mail: 1818@1818.hu

For the administration you will need the following documents:

• your original UK driving license
• valid ID document or passport
• Hungarian address card or accommodation reporting form
• valid ID card or passport
• valid residence permit (if you have one)
• address card or accommodation reporting form
• medical fitness certificate (if needed)
• certified translation (if needed)
• international driving license complying with the Geneva Convention (if needed)

Depending on the date of issue and the type of your driving license the requirements can vary as follows:

Medical fitness certificate will be needed if:

• you did not hold a Hungarian driving license previously
• your previous Hungarian driving license did not contain the same categories as your current British driving license
• your previous Hungarian driving license is no longer valid

Certified translation

• if your UK driving license was issued after 28 March, 2018 [2]
  certified translation will NOT be needed
• if your UK driving license was issued before 28 March, 2018
  AND you have an international driving license,
  certified translation will NOT be needed
• if you already had a Hungarian driving license and the UK driving license contains the same categories (i.e., no new category has been indicated on the British driving license) regardless of whether your UK driving license was issued before or after accession to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic certified translation will NOT be needed. It is also irrelevant whether the previous Hungarian driving license is still valid or not.
• if your UK driving license was issued before 28 March, 2018
  AND you do NOT have an international driving license
  certified translation will be needed

You can submit your license for certified translation to the Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation (https://www.offi.hu/en). Only translations made by OFFI will be accepted by the Hungarian authorities.

Theoretical and practical exams

Due to current Hungarian regulations you may be obliged to pass a theoretical and/or practical exam (without previous training / course to attend to), depending on the acceptance of your UK license’s driving categories.

• driving licenses issued after 28 March, 2018 are consistent with the Hungarian categories, therefore no exam (nor practical, neither theoretical) is required in this case
• if your license was issued before the mentioned date but you have an international driving license you do NOT have to take any kind of exam
• if your license was issued before 28 March, 2018 AND you do NOT have
  an international driving license, you may be obliged to pass a
  practical AND/OR a theoretical exam as well (+ a certified translation will be required too, as described above)
  • only a theoretical exam is required if – based on the certified translation – the UK driving license’s categories are consistent with the relevant Hungarian categories
  • theoretical AND practical exam is required if – based on the certified translation –  the UK driving license’s categories are NOT consistent with the relevant Hungarian categories

In case you already held a Hungarian driving license in the past AND its categories are equivalent to your UK driving license’s categories: nor a certified translation,
neither an international driving license will be required and you do NOT have to take any kind of exam either.

During the process the Central Document Office will take the final decision whether you need to take an exam or not.  If so, the process will be suspended until you pass the exam(s) successfully.
If the application is complete (all required documents were handed in and the process fee was paid) the naturalized driving license will be ready in 8 calendar days (+ delivery time).
According to the current regulations one person can possess only one driving license at a time, therefore once you received the naturalized driving license is ready you will need to hand in your previous one. Thus, your UK license will be sent back to the UK authorities – if there is a reciprocity policy between the UK and Hungary at the time – or will be kept safe by the Hungarian authorities.

Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I provide legal advice and services in matters related to Brexit and Hungarian regulations affecting the citizens of the United Kingdom, including but not limited to national permanent residence permit application or driving license naturalization procedures.