Drivers will have the opportunity to subsequently certify the legal title of use of vehicles with foreign registration plates in Hungary by paying a small fine.

The amendment of the relevant government decree coming into effect in the near future will provide a solution for the raised objections in a month, without significantly relieving the requirements while remaining dissuasive.

In its ruling at the beginning of November the European Court of Justice established that there should be an opportunity to subsequently present the documents certifying the legal title of use of vehicles with foreign registration plates. The ECJ also debated the reasonableness of the imposed fine. Through a minor amendment of the regulation drivers will have the opportunity to present to the competent authority the documents they failed to provide on the spot within eight days. Instead of the otherwise minimum HUF 200,000 worth fine they will have to pay significantly less, only HUF 30,000 for this minor infringement. The new regulation will become effective on the day following its publication which is expected to take place in the first half of December, and will only be applicable to procedures initiated thereafter. The strict regulations introduced in order to stop the use of foreign registration plates which had become a common practice in former years for tax evasion purposes will otherwise remain unchanged.

As a result of a related amendment the chief police officer of Szabocs-Szatmár-Bereg county will also be appointed to decide on traffic offences liable for administrative fine. As part of the national traffic safety programme of the New Széchenyi Plan 365 fixed complex traffic control points are planned to be installed by the police. The new instruments replacing the currently operating speed monitoring devices may increase the number of public administration procedures. In order to manage the growing number of cases a new public administration organisational unit of first instance will be established in Eastern Hungary with Vásárosnamény as its centre. With regard to offences committed in Transdanubia the Vas county organisation whose centre is in Szombathely will remain the competent authority.

(Ministry of National Development, Communications Department)