Ügyfélkapu+ and DÁP: online administration for foreigners

What changed, and when

For nearly two decades, Hungarians and foreign residents alike accessed government services through Ügyfélkapu — a username-and-password portal. In January 2025 that original system was withdrawn. A password alone is no longer accepted.

Two successors took its place, and understanding the difference matters:

Ügyfélkapu+ is the original portal with two-factor authentication added. You log in with your username and password, then supply a one-time code generated by an authenticator application on your phone. The underlying account is the same; the security layer is new.

DÁP — the Digital Citizenship Programme (Digitális Állampolgárság Program) — is a mobile application that replaces passwords with biometric identification on your phone. It is the direction the state is moving in, and for Hungarian citizens it is the more convenient option.

Why DÁP is closed to most foreigners

Creating a DÁP profile requires two things that most foreign nationals do not have: a Hungarian mobile telephone number and a Hungarian electronic identity card (the chip-enabled eSzemélyi) with its activated certificates.

The eID card is the harder barrier. It is issued to Hungarian citizens and, in defined cases, to certain categories of resident — but a typical third-country national holding a residence permit, or an EU citizen holding a registration certificate, does not receive one. Without the card, the DÁP registration cannot be completed.

This is why the frequently repeated claim that "Ügyfélkapu has been replaced by DÁP" is misleading for the expatriate reader. It has been replaced for those who can use DÁP. Legislation requires the state to maintain both identification services, and Ügyfélkapu+ therefore continues to operate — which is fortunate, because for many foreign residents it is the only door.

One consequence is worth noting: if you do qualify for DÁP and register for it, the expectation is that you use it going forward. The two systems are not intended to be run in parallel by the same person indefinitely.

Registering for Ügyfélkapu+

Registration cannot be completed entirely online by a first-time applicant. You must appear in person, with identification, at one of:

• a government window (kormányablak);
• a NAV customer service office;
• certain post offices;
• a Hungarian embassy or consulate abroad.

Bring a valid passport or identity card and, if you have one, your address card. You will provide an email address; the account is created and linked to it. You then activate the second factor by scanning a QR code with an authenticator application — any standard TOTP application works — which thereafter generates the rotating six-digit codes.

Practical advice from people who have done this badly: save the recovery codes offered during activation, and do not tie the authenticator to a phone number you are about to give up. Losing the second factor means returning in person to reset it, which is precisely the inconvenience the trip was meant to buy you out of.

What you actually use it for

Electronic identification is not an optional convenience. It is the gateway to obligations you cannot discharge any other way.

Filing your annual tax return. Hungary operates a draft return system (eSZJA): NAV prepares a proposal from employer and payer data, and you review, amend and accept it. Without identification you cannot see the draft. If it contains errors — foreign income missing, a deduction misapplied — and you never look, the draft becomes your return by default.

Claiming deductions. Family allowance declarations, the first-married-couples allowance, personal allowances: these flow through the same channel.

Business administration. Registering as a sole trader, filing VAT returns, applying for an A1 certificate, registering for the health service contribution — all electronic.

Official mail. Authorities deliver documents to your storage space electronically. A document is deemed delivered after a set period even if you never open it. An unmonitored account does not mean unreceived correspondence; it means missed deadlines.

The accountant route

You are not obliged to do this yourself. A Hungarian accountant or tax adviser can act on your behalf, and for most foreign residents with anything beyond a simple employment income this is the sensible arrangement.

Authorisation is granted through a form filed with NAV (commonly the EGYKE registration), specifying which matters the representative may handle. The representative then acts under their own electronic identity. You still need your own access for anything personal — checking your draft return, viewing your official mail — but the filing burden shifts.

Note the asymmetry that follows. Delegating the work does not delegate the responsibility. The return remains yours, the liability remains yours, and if the accountant files something incorrect, it is you the authority pursues. Read what is filed in your name.

A realistic sequence for a newcomer

Ordering the steps correctly saves months, because several of them depend on each other.

First, secure your residence status — permit or registration certificate. Nothing else proceeds without it. Second, obtain your address card if you are entitled to one, and your tax identification number (adóazonosító jel), which NAV issues on request and which your employer will need.

Third, register for Ügyfélkapu+ in person. Do this early, not in the week before a filing deadline; the appointment system is not always accommodating, and the activation involves steps that are easier without time pressure.

Fourth, sort out health coverage and your TAJ number. Fifth, if you are self-employed or your affairs cross borders, engage an accountant before your first filing rather than after your first mistake.

Finally, when you leave Hungary, remember that accounts and obligations do not close themselves. Deregister from anything you registered for. The electronic storage space keeps delivering documents to a person who has stopped reading them.

Frequently asked questions