Hungary

Illegal drugs carry severe penalties in Hungary — expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling them, including when transiting through the airport.

Long jail sentence and heavy fines; applies to transit passengers.

Verified Jul 29, 2026

Cannabis is illegal in Hungary and the law was tightened in June 2025. Using it, or holding a small amount to use, is a criminal offence carrying up to two years in prison, and ordinary possession now carries two to eight years, up from one to five. The 2025 amendment also made it an offence to order cannabis from abroad for delivery into Hungary.

Using, or holding a small amount to use: up to two years in prison. Ordinary possession, cultivation or importation: two to eight years. Substantial quantities: five to fifteen years; particularly substantial: five to twenty years. A convicted foreigner may be expelled for one to ten years.

Verified Aug 21, 2026

Carry prescription medication in its original packaging with your doctor's prescription, and check with the government of Hungary that your medication is legal there before you travel.

Verified Jul 29, 2026

Declare funds over EUR 10,000 (or equivalent) on entry and exit between Hungary and a non-EU country; no declaration needed to/from other EU countries.

Fines for non-declaration.

Verified Jul 26, 2026

Do not count on buying vape liquid in Hungary: by Hungarian law an e-cigarette or refill container may be placed on the market only with no flavour at all, and a nicotine-free refill or smoking-imitation device must be both nicotine-free and flavourless. That is a national rule, stricter than the EU baseline - Hungary's own public-health authority tells manufacturers not even to file a notification for a flavoured product. Selling an e-cigarette packaged together with refill bottles or cartridges (a "kit-pack") is prohibited outright, and these products may be sold only in compliance with Hungary's tobacco retail Act, not in ordinary shops. Bring the liquid you need, and expect the shelves to carry unflavoured stock or none.

Government Decree 39/2013 (II. 14) Section 19/B (1): electronic cigarettes and refill containers may be placed on the market only without any flavour. Section 19/C (1): electronic devices imitating smoking and nicotine-free refill containers may be placed on the market and distributed only if the liquid inside contains no nicotine and no flavouring. Act CXXXIV of 2012 on the Reduction of Underage Smoking and the Retail Sale of Tobacco Products, Section 15/D (10): sale of kit-packs - an electronic cigarette packaged together with refill bottles or cartridges - is prohibited in Hungary, as is selling any of the listed products together with another listed product or by lottery or similar consumption-encouraging means. Section 1 (1) of the same Act lists electronic cigarettes, refill bottles, cartridges, nicotine-free refill containers and smoking-imitation devices among the products that may be dealt in only in compliance with that Act. The source states no fine or prison figure for a traveller, and none is invented here; where you may vape is set by separate Hungarian legislation that LawLert has not yet read, so this row does not state it.

Verified Sep 30, 2026

Smoking is banned on all public transport and at stops in Budapest, within 5 m of school entrances, and in restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Large fines apply.

Verified Jul 26, 2026

Hungary has a no-alcohol driving policy — it is illegal to drink any alcohol at all and then drive.

Severe penalties including significant jail time for driving under the influence.

Verified Jul 29, 2026

You may drive on a valid US license for up to one year only if a certified Hungarian translation is attached; an AAA-issued International Driving Permit used with your state license is also accepted.

If you contest a fine, police will confiscate your passport and issue an invitation letter to the police station; the passport is returned after the dispute is resolved or paid.

Verified Jul 29, 2026

Drones are legal in Hungary but heavily zoned: No Drone Zones cover the controlled airspace of Budapest (LHBP), Kecskemet (LHKE), Szolnok (LHSN) and Papa (LHPA) airports, and you may not fly within 300 m of protected state facilities, prominent national heritage sites or designated critical infrastructure.

Verified Jul 28, 2026

Same-sex sexual activity is legal, but Hungary has passed legislation allowing the banning of rallies and marches that depict or promote LGBT+ identities to minors — the government classified Budapest Pride 2025 as illegal under it.

Fines up to 200,000 Hungarian forints for participating in a banned rally.

Verified Jul 29, 2026