Hunting in Hungary

Visas

Hungary is in the Schengen zone, where travel on a single visa is allowed between the European countries inside the zone. American, Canadian, and EU passport holders, as well as those from certain other countries, can stay in Hungary for up to 90 days without a visa, as long as the passport is valid for at least three months beyond the visit.

Permission to hunt

Foreign hunters will need a permit to hunt, which is issued by the Hungarian authorities. Permits can be issued for 30 days, 6 months, or 1 year. Your outfitter should be able to secure this for you for a fee. You’ll need to provide your name, passport number, and firearm information. Check with your outfitter for exact details on what is required.

Hunting seasons (off-season in white)

Gun export/import for non-EU citizens

When arriving in the country, hunters must declare their guns and show their letter of invitation to hunt, which will be provided by the outfitter.

The letter should include the hunter’s name, passport number, and details of the gun(s), including caliber and serial number. The hunter may also be required to show gun registration or other paperwork.

In addition, there is a fee of 3000 HUF (~10 EUR), which must be paid in cash to the customs office in order to receive a gun import document.

Important: Don’t lose the gun import document. You will be required to produce it upon your departure from the country.

Constraints

• silencers
• automatic or semi-automatic rifles
• any electronic optical equipment on the gun such as night vision sights or thermal imaging equipment

Climate

The climate of the country is continental, so winters are mild.

Trophy evaluation

Each big game trophy, including any wild boar tusks over 16 cm, must be presented to the official trophy jury. The trophy fee will be based on the weight/length as officially determined by the trophy jury. Citizens of the EU may then take their trophies home with them as long as they have documentation from the trophy jury. If you leave the hunting territory without having the trophy inspected, it is possible to make the final payment later, but you will likely incur significant additional costs, such as customs agent fees, trophy transport within the country, and packing and shipping.

Trophy fee structure

Red deer stag

The fee is based on the weight of the antlers and skull with upper jaw measured at the official trophy evaluation, 24 hours after boiling and cleaning. Grandels (ivories) are considered part of the trophy and incur no additional charge.

Roe deer buck

Trophy fee is based on the weight of antlers and skullplate measured at the official trophy evaluation, 24 hours after boiling and cleaning. Upon request, the trophy can be weighed with full skull. In this case, the hunting guest is expected to pay the fee for the corrected weight.

Mouflon ram

Fee is based on the average length of the horn measured at the outer curve.

Fallow deer stag

Trophy fee is based on the weight of the antlers with skull and upper jaw measured at the official trophy evaluation, 24 hours after boiling and cleaning.

Wild boar

The fee will be based on the average length of the bigger tusks measured at the outer curve.

Important: If the trophy taken is 10 to 15 percent larger than the hunter requested (the exact percentage depends on the territory where it was taken) the hunter must pay the full price of the trophy fee. If the difference is greater than this, the client is not required to pay the difference.

VET documentation

Upon request, the outfitter should be able to arrange an official VET certificate for the trophies. If additional local documents are required, the outfitter should also be able to arrange for their completion. However, don’t expect the outfitter to be responsible for any other documentation that may be required for import to another country, especially if the hunter is from a non-EU country.