Got a Hungarian motorway vignette fine (pótdíj)? What it means and what you can do
Last checked 14 November 2026. General information, not legal advice.
What the letter is
Hungarian motorways use an electronic vignette (e-matrica) linked to your number plate. Cameras check plates. If no valid vignette is found for your plate and country, the operator issues a surcharge (pótdíj) to the registered keeper.
Until the end of 2025 the operator was Nemzeti Útdíjfizetési Szolgáltató Zrt. (NÚSZ). Since 1 January 2026 the same service runs as Magyar Közút Nonprofit Zrt. – Útdíj Üzletág. Websites, phone and postal address stayed the same, so letters may carry either name.
For foreign plates the letter often comes from a collection agency acting for the operator, for example Euro Parking Collection (EPC).
How much it costs (2026)
- Basic surcharge: 27,790 HUF if paid within 60 days.
- Increased surcharge: 95,730 HUF after 60 days.
- Wrong category (for example a car vignette on a van): 15,530 / 49,190 HUF.
Amounts are the same for every vehicle category and are updated every 1 January. At most one surcharge per plate per day. Collection agencies may add their own costs. Figures as researched on 14 November 2026; the letter is what counts.
The most common fixable case: a typo in the plate
About 15,000 drivers a year type their plate wrongly, and about 1,600 choose the wrong country. If you bought a vignette but made a typo of up to 3 characters, or picked the wrong country code, you can ask for a correction within 60 days of receiving the notice. The fee is 1,470 HUF; mixing up 0/O and 1/I is free.
Missing this window is expensive: Hungarian media reported a case where a 1,470 HUF correction turned into a debt of about 450,000 HUF.
Other options
- Pay the basic amount early if you agree you owe it.
- Complain if you had a valid vignette, never received the letter, or the vehicle or plate was stolen (police report needed).
- Several surcharges? You can ask, within 75 days of the first notice, for them to be capped at two basic amounts.
- Instalments can be requested.
What happens if you ignore it
The amount rises sharply after 60 days and the case goes to collection agencies. The EU cross-border traffic-offence directive does not list toll or vignette non-payment, so it is not enforced like a speeding fine. But EU countries may share keeper data for unpaid road fees, the claim may be pursued as a civil debt, and your plate stays on file for your next trip to Hungary. We do not recommend ignoring a genuine notice.
Is it a scam?
The operator says it never contacts customers by SMS. Fake texts threatening to take your car "off the road within 24 hours" circulated in 2026. See how to spot fake toll messages, or check your letter free.
Sources
- ITM Decree 45/2020 (consolidated, njt.jog.gov.hu):
https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/2020-45-20-7Q - HU-GO: 2026 operator change:
https://hu-go.hu/articles/article/starting-from-january-we-will-continue-as-the-magyar-kozut-nonprofit-zrt-utdij-uzletag-toll-division-of-the-hungarian-public-road-nonprofit-plc - telex.hu, 3 Apr 2025 (plate typo case):
https://telex.hu/gazdasag/2025/04/03/nusz-rendszam-autopalya-utdijszolgaltato-birsag - 444.hu, 12 Sep 2025 (2024 statistics):
https://444.hu/2025/09/12/jo-sokat-blicceltek-tobb-mint-ketmillio-alkalommal-hajtott-matrica-nelkuli-auto-az-autopalyan