Registering your Budapest address (lakcímkártya): a friendly step-by-step guide for renters

What registration and the address card are

Hungary keeps a register of where everyone lives. When you move in, you report the address, and that record is what offices, banks and schools rely on. The lakcímkártya (say it roughly LUCK-tseem-kar-tya) is the plastic card that shows your registered address.

Since 1 February 2025 the physical card is no longer issued automatically; you ask for it when you register, and a fee applies (biztosdontes.hu, lakcímkártya guide (updated 28 May 2026); Helpers, all about the Hungarian address card (28 February 2025)). Many people still request it, because it is the simplest proof of address to hand over at a bank counter. Your registration is valid either way.

One reassuring point for both sides: registering an address does not by itself create or end any right to use the property. The law says so directly (Nytv. section 26, subsection 5). It is an administrative record, nothing more.

Who registers where

The route depends on your citizenship and status. Find your row, then follow the steps below.

The last row is the one most worth confirming: which route applies depends on the exact card you hold. If you are unsure, ask OIF or the government hotline (1818) before you go. For the non-EU route, OIF lists the documents to attach: a copy of your passport and an accommodation report signed by both you and the accommodation provider, which EnterHungary can also generate from the data you enter (OIF, change of accommodation on EnterHungary).

The landlord's consent: szállásadói hozzájárulás

The person who provides your home, the szállásadó, is usually the owner (or a main tenant who is allowed to sublet). The law asks for their consent to your registration (Nytv. section 26, subsection 4). There are four friendly ways to cover it:

1. A signature on the form. The landlord signs the accommodation provider's section of the address registration form (lakcímbejelentő lap). This is the most common route.
2. Coming along. The landlord attends the Government Window with you and consents there.
3. Online, in advance. A landlord with electronic identification can give consent electronically before your visit. The law also lets an accommodation provider make a standing declaration (szállásadói nyilatkozat) at any district office about how they give consent (Nytv. section 27/A).
4. A lease with full evidential force. No separate consent is needed if you hold a document with full evidential force (teljes bizonyító erejű magánokirat) proving your right to use the flat, for example a lease signed before two witnesses, countersigned by a lawyer, or made before a notary. Bring it with the form (Nytv. section 27/A, subsection 3).

If the flat has several owners, all of them consent, or one is authorised in writing to act for the others (Helpers, all about the Hungarian address card (28 February 2025)). That is why the two-witness lease we recommend in the renting guide is so handy: it keeps the whole relationship clear and covers registration at the same time.

Step by step

1. Find your route in the table above.
2. Agree consent with your landlord, ideally at signing. Use the message below if you are asking afterwards.
3. Get the form. The address registration form is available at every Government Window, and staff can help you fill it in. Non-EU permit holders complete the accommodation report on EnterHungary instead.
4. Collect the signature, or arrange online consent, or bring your lease with full evidential force.
5. Visit or file online within the deadline: three working days from moving in for the address register, 3 days for an OIF accommodation change.
6. Ask for the card if you want the physical lakcímkártya, and pay the fee.
7. Keep your proof: the card, a certificate, or a photo of the stamped form, until the card arrives.

Where to go: the Government Window

The kormányablak (Government Window) is the government's one-stop office, with branches across every Budapest district. You can usually walk in without an appointment, book a time online if you have Ügyfélkapu+, or book by phone without it on the 1818 government line (from abroad: +36 1 550 1858) (kormanyhivatalok.hu, Budapest Government Window listing). Opening hours differ by branch, so check yours before you go.

Waits are shorter with an appointment and at quieter times of day. If you are not confident in Hungarian, a short written note of what you need ("Lakcímbejelentés, és lakcímkártyát is kérek.", meaning "Address registration, and I would also like an address card") helps the conversation along.

Doing it online

Online routes work well once you have Hungarian electronic identification:

• Non-EU permit holders report every accommodation change online on EnterHungary; this is the only route OIF lists (OIF, change of accommodation on EnterHungary).
• EU and EEA citizens usually file the first registration certificate application on EnterHungary (OIF, registration certificate for EEA nationals).
• Later moves can be reported online through the government's electronic administration with Ügyfélkapu+ (part of the central identification system, KAÜ), and an online-ordered card is posted to you (biztosdontes.hu, lakcímkártya guide (updated 28 May 2026)).
• Landlords with electronic identification can give their consent online in advance (Nytv. section 27/A).

The government's DÁP app can show a certified record of your address for some purposes, but offices and banks may still ask for the card, so check before relying on the app alone (Helpers, all about the Hungarian address card (28 February 2025)).

What to bring

• Your passport or national ID card.
• Your residence document if you have one: the EU registration certificate, or a residence card.
• The completed address registration form, with the accommodation provider's section signed, or your lease with full evidential force (the original).
• Your previous address card, if you already have one.
• A way to pay the card fee if you are requesting the physical card.

Offices can occasionally ask for something extra for an unusual situation, such as a flat with several owners. A quick call to 1818 before your visit saves a second trip.

Timeline and fees

Card fees are published by secondary sources and by OIF for its own procedure; we could not find a single official fee table for Government Window requests, so confirm the amount at the counter. Some cases, such as a card for a child under 14 or correcting an error on the card, are reported as free.

Asking your landlord, politely

Most landlords say yes straight away. When one hesitates, it is usually because they are not sure what registration means for them. Three things help:

• Explain what it is. An administrative record of where you live, required by law, which does not by itself give you any right to the property.
• Make it easy. Offer to bring the form to them, to go together, or to send instructions for online consent.
• Offer the lease route. If you signed a two-witness or lawyer-countersigned lease, you may not need a separate signature at all.

If you are still stuck after a friendly conversation, the Government Window or OIF can tell you what alternatives fit your situation, and our trusted help page lists people who can assist.

Copyable message for your landlord (HU/EN)

Copy the Hungarian version to send, and keep the English one so you know exactly what it says. Replace the parts in square brackets.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register my address in Budapest?

Yes, if you live here. Under the address register law, a move must be reported within three working days of moving in. EU and EEA citizens staying more than 90 days declare their first address in the registration certificate procedure with the immigration authority (OIF). Non-EU residence permit holders report their accommodation to OIF on EnterHungary within 3 days of a change. It is a routine step, and most people do it in their first week.

Is the lakcímkártya free?

Registering your address is the legal step; the plastic card itself has been issued on request, for a fee, since 1 February 2025. Published figures are 3,700 HUF for the card plus 2,000 HUF when it is posted to you, and OIF lists 5,700 HUF (2,000 HUF under age 14) for EU and EEA citizens receiving their first card through the registration certificate procedure. Confirm the current fee with the office before you pay.

Can I register without my landlord's signature?

Yes, in one common case. The law says the landlord's consent is not needed if you hold a document with full evidential force proving your right to use the flat, such as a lease signed before two witnesses, countersigned by a lawyer, or made before a notary. Bring the original with the registration form. The landlord can also give consent in advance online, or come with you to the office.

My landlord is hesitant. What should I say?

Most hesitation comes from not knowing what registration means. It helps to share that, by law, registering an address does not by itself create or end any right to use the property (Nytv. section 26, subsection 5). Offer the option that is least effort for them: a signature on the form, a short trip together, or online consent. Our copyable message below does this politely in Hungarian and English.

I am a non-EU national on a work or study permit. Do I get a lakcímkártya?

Usually not at first. Non-EU residence permit holders report their accommodation to the immigration authority (OIF) online on EnterHungary and receive an electronic certificate. The address card generally applies to Hungarian and EU or EEA citizens and to holders of permanent-type residence status. If your status has changed, ask OIF or the Government Window which route now applies to you.

Can I do it online?

Often, yes. Non-EU accommodation changes go online on EnterHungary. People with Hungarian electronic identification (Ügyfélkapu+ or the DÁP app) can start many address errands online, and a landlord with electronic identification can give consent in advance. Many newcomers find the first registration easiest in person at a Government Window, where staff can check the form with you.

How long does it take?

The visit itself is usually short once your documents are complete. If you request the card in person it can often be handed over on the spot; a posted card takes longer. For EU and EEA citizens, the first card is posted after the registration certificate is issued. Times vary by office, so build in a little slack before a bank or school appointment that needs the card.

What happens when I move again or leave Hungary?

Register your new address within three working days of moving in, with consent from your new landlord. If you leave Hungary for good, ask the Government Window or OIF about deregistering your address (kijelentkezés) and returning or cancelling documents, so your records stay tidy.

Next jobs on the list: utilities, a bank account and the TAJ, in the order that saves trips, in your first weeks. Unsure of a Hungarian word on the form? See the housing glossary.