Croatia Hungary
Croatia 
HungaryLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
Croatia and Hungary share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Hungary
- Zero-tolerance alcohol limit (0.0%).
- Motorway e-vignette required.
- Headlights on outside built-up areas.
- Reflective vest required when leaving a broken-down car.
What to see when you arrive in Hungary
- the Hungarian Parliament and Buda Castle in Budapest
- the thermal baths of Budapest
- Lake Balaton
- the Danube Bend
- the historic spa town of Eger
Once you're driving in Hungary
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
EU/EEA licences are valid for the visit; other foreign visitors may drive on a home licence for up to one year, and an International Driving Permit is required if the licence is not in the Latin alphabet.
Tolls & road charges
Motorways use an electronic e-vignette (e-matrica) bought online or at petrol stations for 10-day, monthly or annual periods; with no physical sticker, your plate is registered, and a mispurchase grace of 60 minutes applies before fines.
Parking in the cities
Budapest charges by zone, payable at machines or by SMS (often needing a Hungarian number); wheel clamps are used and illegally parked cars are towed, so garages in districts VII/VIII are recommended.
Fines & camera enforcement
On-the-spot fines run up to about 300,000 HUF; drink-driving is zero-tolerance (0.00%), and driving without a valid e-matrica brings automatic penalties of roughly 75,000-150,000 HUF passed on by rental firms.
If you have an accident
Call 112; police must be called for injuries or notable damage, all occupants leaving the car must wear a hi-vis vest, and a European accident statement should be completed.
Driving in the capital
Central Budapest has bus/tram lanes and restricted-traffic zones, plus the bridges over the Danube funnel traffic into congested, camera-monitored junctions.
Sources: rac.co.uk · tollguru.com · tolls.eu