Insolvency law · Hungary
Work with insolvency lawyers in Hungary who know the rules that govern your file
Hungarian insolvency and debt work is carried out by attorneys admitted to a regional bar association and regulated under Act LXXVIII of 2017. Tell us about your situation once, and we will match you with a practice that fits it. The matching is free and carries no obligation.
- Attorneys admitted to a Hungarian regional bar association
- Proceedings and documents in Hungarian, with cross-border coordination
- A first match typically within 24–48 hours
Free matching · No obligation · You choose whether to instruct
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Why this page exists
A financial problem in Hungary is also a procedural problem
Financial difficulty rarely arrives with a warning, and the legal questions it raises in Hungary are specific: which court hears the matter, whether you must be represented, how the court fee is calculated and which time limits apply. Hungarian private law is codified rather than built on judicial precedent, so much depends on how carefully the applicable rules and deadlines are handled from the very beginning. Our service removes the guesswork. You describe your situation once, and we match you with insolvency lawyers in Hungary whose practice covers your type of file — whether you are a creditor, a director, a shareholder or a private individual. The matching is free, there is no obligation to instruct anyone, and you decide what happens next.
Hungary in practice
How the legal framework in Hungary works for a distressed file
Hungary is a continental, civil-law jurisdiction: courts apply written codes, and judicial power rests with the courts under the Fundamental Law. The practical consequences for an insolvency-related file are concrete — who may represent you, where the matter is heard and which deadlines run.
Who is entitled to act for you
Practising as an attorney-at-law in Hungary requires membership of a regional bar association, and those associations are themselves members of the Hungarian Bar Association (Magyar Ügyvédi Kamara), seated in Budapest. An admitted attorney may practise throughout the entire territory of Hungary under Act LXXVIII of 2017, and roughly 15,000 attorneys currently do so.
When an attorney is compulsory
Legal representation is mandatory in Hungarian litigation unless an Act provides otherwise, but it is not required in actions falling within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the district courts (járásbíróság). Only attorneys-at-law, law offices and registered in-house legal counsels may act as agents, so an attorney is essential before the regional court and the higher courts.
The courts that decide your case
Hungary’s judiciary comprises 158 courts in a four-tier hierarchy: district courts, administrative and labour courts, regional courts and regional courts of appeal, headed by the Curia (Kúria) in Budapest. There is no subordination between the levels, judges are independent, and the Curia issues decisions binding on all courts to ensure the consistent dispensation of justice. Proceedings are conducted in Hungarian.
Court fees and how they are calculated
Court fees in civil proceedings are calculated on the value of the claim under Act XCIII of 1990. Following the reform of 28 January 2025, first-instance contentious proceedings follow a tiered scale instead of the former flat 6%: claims up to HUF 300,000 attract HUF 18,000, and higher bands add a percentage of the excess. Appeal and review proceedings carry separate fees.
Legal fees and the possibility of legal aid
Lawyers’ fees in Hungary are freely agreed between attorney and client by mandate; there is no binding statutory tariff, and fee agreements are governed by Act LXXVIII of 2017. Legal aid under Act LXXX of 2003 supports advice, document drafting and representation for people who lack sufficient means, with eligibility tied to the social reference base.
Codified law and the deadlines that shape tactics
Hungarian private law is codified rather than precedent-based. The Civil Code (Act V of 2013) entered into force on 15 March 2014 and unified the rules on persons, family law, property, obligations and succession in eight Books. General limitation periods and shorter windows, such as the 30-day company-resolution challenge with its one-year preclusion, determine how quickly a file must move.
The country information on this page is taken from official Hungarian sources — the National Office for the Judiciary and the national legislation portal — as consulted in 2025.
- Hungarian judicial system – National Office for the Judiciary
- Act LXXVIII of 2017 on the professional activities of attorneys-at-law
- Act CXXX of 2016 on the Code of Civil Procedure
- Act XCIII of 1990 on Duties (court fees)
- Act LXXX of 2003 on Legal Aid
- Act V of 2013 – the Civil Code
- Act I of 2012 – the Labour Code
- Act CL of 2016 on general administrative procedure
The usual sticking points
What makes a distressed file harder than it needs to be
Three recurring problems we hear from clients dealing with debt, insolvency and restructuring questions in Hungary.
Time limits are unforgiving
Hungarian law sets clear limitation periods, and a company resolution can only be challenged within 30 days, with a one-year preclusion. Once a window closes, the available options narrow, so early legal input matters far more than a late remedy.
Uncertainty about whether you need an attorney
Representation is mandatory in Hungarian litigation as a general rule, but not before district courts, where parties may appear in person. Only attorneys-at-law, law offices and registered in-house legal counsels may act as agents, so the choice is narrower than it first appears.
Costs that are hard to predict
Court fees follow the tiered scale introduced by the reform of 28 January 2025, while lawyers’ fees are freely agreed because there is no binding statutory tariff. Understanding both before you commit is the difference between a controlled budget and an open-ended one.
How we help
Matched with a practice that actually handles your kind of file
We are not a law firm and we do not give advice. We do the comparison work so that you can speak to the right specialist in Hungary.
Bar-regulated specialists only
Every lawyer we match you with is admitted to a Hungarian regional bar association and bound by Act LXXVIII of 2017, including mandatory continuing professional training and a professional guarantee and indemnity scheme.
One request, several suitable practices
You describe the file once. We compare it with practices that regularly handle insolvency, debt recovery and restructuring work in Hungary, so you are not working through long directories of general practitioners.
A clearer picture of court costs
We help you see how the tiered court fee scale under Act XCIII of 1990 applies to a claim of your size, and how non-contentious proceedings attract a lower 3% fee within statutory minimum and maximum amounts.
Free, and without obligation
Matching costs you nothing and does not commit you to instructing anyone. You keep control of the decision, the budget and the pace, and you can ask for a different match if the first is not the right fit.
Cross-border context
Hungary sits in the middle of a busy cross-border region
Distressed companies and creditors in Hungary frequently have assets, contracts or group entities elsewhere in Europe. If your file reaches beyond one jurisdiction, we can look for practices used to coordinating across these countries.
Questions we are asked
Insolvency matters in Hungary: common questions
Do I need a lawyer to handle an insolvency-related matter in Hungary?
Not always before a district court (járásbíróság), where parties may appear in person. Representation is mandatory in Hungarian litigation as a general rule, and only attorneys-at-law, law offices and registered in-house legal counsels may act as agents. Before the regional court and the higher courts, an admitted attorney is required.
How are court fees calculated in Hungary?
Civil court fees are calculated on the value of the claim under Act XCIII of 1990. Following the reform of 28 January 2025, first-instance contentious proceedings use a tiered scale rather than a flat percentage: claims up to HUF 300,000 attract HUF 18,000, with higher bands adding a percentage of the excess. Appeal and review attract separate fees.
Can I obtain legal aid for a case in Hungary?
Legal aid under Act LXXX of 2003 covers legal advice, the drafting of documents and representation in civil, labour and administrative matters for persons without sufficient means. Eligibility is tied to the social reference base and an assessment of assets, and the forint value of that base is set annually in the central budget act, so thresholds move each year.
How much do insolvency lawyers in Hungary charge?
Fees are freely agreed between the attorney and the client by mandate; there is no binding statutory tariff for attorneys-at-law in Hungary. Fee agreements, the attorney’s remuneration, and the professional guarantee and indemnity insurance attorneys must maintain are governed by Act LXXVIII of 2017. You should agree the basis of charging in writing before work begins.
Which time limits matter most in a Hungarian commercial file?
The general limitation period for money claims is five years, and a compulsory share claim lapses after five years. Shorter windows exist too: a company resolution may be challenged within 30 days, with a one-year preclusion, and an administrative appeal must be brought within 15 days.
How do I choose the right insolvency practice in Hungary?
Look first at bar admission: an attorney must belong to a regional bar association and may then practise throughout the whole country. Beyond that, match the practice to your role — creditor, director, shareholder or private individual — and to the court level involved. Our free matching service shortlists practices on exactly those criteria.
Next step
Describe your Hungarian file once, and we will take it from there
Tell us what stage you are at — a demand, a negotiation, a court file or a restructuring question — and we will match you with insolvency lawyers in Hungary whose practice fits. There is no charge for matching and no obligation to instruct anyone.