How to Find Real Estate and Land Register Information in Hungary

In Hungary, government offices established in each county and the capital are responsible for the land register through their dedicated department.

Land register information may be accessed personally or online. Inquiries can be made on the basis of the address of the real estate or its lot number.

A person may visit the competent customer service of a government office and quickly receive the needed information by filling out and submitting the relevant form and paying the applicable fee.

Land register information can be accessed online by utilizing an e-government registration which may not only be requested by Hungarian citizens but also foreigners at certain customer services of government offices, the tax authority or Hungarian consulates abroad.

In addition, there is an online land register system ("Takarnet") used by professionals (e.g. banks, municipalities, law firms) based on a subscription.

The online systems are only available in Hungarian.

Title deeds and maps on file in the real estate register are publicly available: anyone can access and take notes of them or request their certified copies.

Documents underlying entries in the land register may only be accessed upon the permission of the obligor and the obligee or if accessing the document is necessary for enforcing a right or fulfillment of an obligation arising from legal regulations or the resolution of an authority.

The land register authority sends out notifications about the changes of the title deed of a real estate to those who ordered such a service via Takarnet. Individuals may apply for it personally. It costs HUF 1900 (+ VAT) per year.

Title deeds contain:

1. the data of the real estate: name of the settlement, location of the property (central or peripheral land use zone), address data, lot number, the size of the property, type of usage, quality classification and cadastral net profitability, as well as other information deemed necessary for registration purposes;
2. the rights that can be recorded in the land register and the obligees thereof: ownership (and other similar rights, e.g. management right over a state asset), certain rights to use, preemptive right, right to repurchase, option to sell or buy, right to care or life annuity, mortgage, writ of execution and building right;
3. certain legally significant facts, e.g. the obligee’s pending liquidation or dissolution, commencement of expropriation proceedings, actions brought against a resolution of the land register authority or other actions relating to the real estate, construction or demolition of a building, suspension of real estate registration proceedings, restrictions relating to the right of disposition; as well as
4. pending applications affecting the entries of the title deed.

The land register is not binding per se, but various legal principles and presumptions empower it.

The land register shall be construed as authentic proof of recorded rights and facts. If a right or a fact is recorded in the land register, no one may allege their lack of knowledge thereof.

Until proven otherwise, the rights and facts recorded in the land register shall be construed as existing and entitling the obligees indicated in it. Until proven otherwise, the rights and facts deleted from the land register shall be construed as non-existent. Furthermore, various presumptions protect those who are recorded in the land register or proceed based on the land register bona fide.

Among certain other transactions, the sale and purchase of a real estate shall be recorded in the land register.

A building is either registered as a separate real estate or shown on the map of the land lot.

Actions brought against resolutions of the land register authority or other actions relating to the real estate qualify as legally significant facts, and consequently they may be recorded on the title deed.

However, not all of these are recorded ex officio.

The interested party shall file a motion with the court of the lawsuit for recording the following actions in the land register:

• actions for the deletion or correction of an entry in the land register,
• actions for ownership,
• actions for termination of joint ownership,
• contested divorce relating to the real estate,
• actions for a claim secured by mortgage,
• actions relating to the border or the territory of the real estate.

Similarly, administrative litigations relating to rights, facts or data in the land register shall be recorded on the claimant’s motion.

If criminal proceedings are pending because of a crime committed in relation to an entry in the land register or the underlying document, the court of the criminal proceedings shall notify the land register authority, so that this fact is recorded.

The court notifies the land register authority for deletion of the entry on its proceedings when it repeals its order serving as the basis of the entry.

If a change is to be recorded as a consequence of litigation, the entry on the proceedings and the conditional entries shall be deleted.

For deletion of an entry on pending proceedings, an interested party may prove that the court has already terminated its proceedings by a final decision or rejected the statement of claim or adopted a judgment on acquittal.

Typically, the title deed and the map showing the real estate have relevance to a transaction.

The first section of the title deed showing the data of the real estate can be accessed free of charge with an e-government registration. A full title deed with all recorded facts, rights and obligations may be requested for HUF 3000 (~EUR 8). A full title deed can be made out about the current entries or also the entries deleted, depending on the will of the applicant.

The map depicting the real estate and its vicinity also costs HUF 3000.

The land registry authority issues only certified copies of title deeds and maps.

A. Land use register

Land register authorities are also responsible for the land use register where the usage and users of agricultural and forest lands are recorded. The land use register can be accessed by anyone for gaining information about the title and term of the usage.

The land use register has particular significance to agricultural state subsidies.

Land use excerpts cost HUF 800 (~EUR 2) per page.

It must be noted that the title deed of agricultural and forest lands shall also indicate the land user based on the content of the land use register.

B. Zoning regulations

Zoning takes place on three levels in Hungary: national, county and local. While acts of the parliament and government decrees constitute national zoning regulations, municipal decrees published on the website of municipalities provide for county and local zoning regulations.

C. Energy performance certificates

In line with Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings (recast), landlords and sellers shall present the energy performance certificate of the real property to tenants and buyers.

The rating is public and can be accessed via the following link: https://entan.e-epites.hu/?tanusitvany_lekerdezese.