Unauthorized road use and motorway vignette penalties – what to do if you receive a fine?
What should you do if you have been fined for unauthorized road use? Many people set off on domestic or international trips, sometimes on routes they rarely use during the rest of the year. When leaving the usual daily routine behind, mistakes can happen, and a few errors during motorway vignette purchase may later lead to fines or otherwise avoidable administration.
In this article, we have collected the most common user mistakes to help you avoid them more easily, and we also explain what to do if the problem has already occurred and you have received a fine. In certain cases, the error may even be corrected without paying an administration fee.
It is important to know that in Hungary, toll road sections may only be used with a valid road-use entitlement, meaning that the e-vignette must be purchased before entering the toll road network. If you enter the toll road network by mistake, a newer rule allows drivers acting in good faith to purchase the road-use entitlement within a maximum of 60 minutes from entering the toll road.
The most common mistakes that can cause problems for inattentive drivers are summarized below.
I bought a vignette, but I was still fined!
Before submitting a complaint, it is worth comparing the surcharge details with the confirmation, receipt or email received at the time of motorway vignette purchase. Based on our experience, in most cases the reason for the fine can be identified easily.
Changing an incorrect toll category
If a vignette was purchased for the wrong toll category, it is possible to modify the toll category within the validity period of the entitlement to the correct category defined by the fee regulation, by paying or reclaiming the relevant fee difference.
Correcting a license plate typo, up to 3 characters
If the license plate was entered incorrectly, the correct license plate may be registered within 60 days of receiving the surcharge payment notice, provided that the difference is no more than 3 characters. No administration fee is payable if the characters 0, zero, and O were mixed up.
Correction of an incorrect country code
The correct country code may be registered within 60 days of receiving the surcharge payment notice.
Penalty related to county vignettes
A fine may be imposed if you have an annual entitlement for a given county, but use the toll road network outside the junctions defined in the regulation, meaning that you are already driving on the toll road network of another county.
For inattentive but good-faith drivers, it may be helpful that in the case of motorway vignettes purchased on the e-Autópályamatrica portal, the operator Biorobotok Informatikai és Adatfeldolgozási Kft. assumes the administration fee payable for correcting mistakes, such as an incorrect toll category, license plate typo or incorrect country code, for vehicles registered in Hungary. The administration fee for corrections available as a customer service procedure of the National Toll Payment Services Plc. is uniformly HUF 1,470.
The customer therefore uses the customer service of the National Toll Payment Services Plc. directly, pays the fee, and Biorobotok Informatikai és Adatfeldolgozási Kft. subsequently reimburses the amount based on the document proving payment of the fee.
Have you been fined?
In matters related to motorway vignette surcharges and penalties, only the National Toll Payment Services Plc. is competent. Their customer service phone number is: +36-36-587-500, a landline number in the Heves county area.
I used the motorway several times – how many fines will I receive?
For unauthorized road use, a vehicle may be fined no more than once per calendar day per license plate. If the unauthorized use of the road by a vehicle without a valid vignette extends over midnight, meaning that the journey started before midnight and ended after midnight, but no more than 60 minutes elapsed between the first and last detection of unauthorized road use, only one surcharge will be imposed.
Buying an annual vignette afterwards instead of paying the surcharge
This has been a popular measure since its introduction in 2021: surcharges imposed for unauthorized road use can be replaced after receiving the payment notice by purchasing an annual national vignette. Road users may decide to buy the annual national motorway vignette afterwards at the standard price instead of paying the surcharge. Surcharge maximization offers drivers who have made multiple mistakes but are willing to settle voluntarily an alternative that may be cheaper than paying numerous individual surcharges.
Amount of the surcharge
In the case of unauthorized road use, the owner or operator must pay the surcharge corresponding to the vehicle category. Under the ITM regulation, automatic inflation adjustment is also introduced for both the surcharge and the surcharge difference. A surcharge difference is payable if the vehicle has a vignette for a category different from the required one, for example if a D1 vignette was purchased instead of a D2 vignette. The current amount of the surcharge and surcharge difference payable after unauthorized road use can be viewed here.
Payment of the surcharge and deadline
The surcharge is collected by the National Toll Payment Services Plc., and the cooperating organization used by it is also entitled to enforce its verified costs arising in connection with the collection of the surcharge.
A surcharge may be imposed during electronic or on-site inspection. The surcharge can be paid after receiving the delivered payment notice at any customer service office, by postal cash transfer order, which is the yellow cheque payment method, or by bank transfer. The payment deadline, which is normally 60 days, is calculated from receipt of the surcharge payment notice.
Surcharge maximization must be requested
If several surcharge payment notices are received, the owner or operator of the vehicle may request the maximization of the debt within 75 days of receiving the first payment notice, at a customer service office of the National Toll Payment Services Plc. or its cooperating partner, or in another way provided by the National Toll Payment Services Plc. The debt may be maximized at no more than the amount of two basic surcharges or surcharge differences. The surcharge case forming the basis of the request and the surcharges arising afterwards may be included in the surcharge maximization. Therefore, if you have received several notices, it is advisable to act within 75 days of receiving the first notice so that all surcharges can be included in the surcharge maximization benefit. If the person acting is not the owner or operator, a power of attorney is required for private individuals, and a company-style authorization is required for legal entities. If a person authorized to sign acts on behalf of the company, the specimen signature must also be presented. The request must be submitted in writing, either on paper or by email, to the postal or email address of the National Toll Payment Services Plc., or presented in person at any customer service office. The owner or operator may use the surcharge maximization option several times per calendar year. The National Toll Payment Services Plc. assesses the request within 30 days and sends notification of the decision. The maximized amount, meaning the full payment of two basic surcharges or surcharge differences, must be paid within 30 days of delivery of the decision.
Surcharges for foreign-registered vehicles
Keep in mind, for example, if you live abroad and have a foreign-registered vehicle, that the National Toll Payment Services Plc. collects surcharges imposed on foreign-registered vehicles with the help of its foreign partner offices. Therefore, in addition to the penalty amount, significant extra costs may arise during the administration process, such as data retrieval, postal, communication, administrative, collection and, in some cases, litigation costs. In connection with the administration of surcharges for foreign-registered vehicles, the owner or operator may also contact the National Toll Payment Services Plc. or its customer service offices. However, it should be noted that even in the case of directly paid surcharges, the costs incurred during cooperation are not waived. These costs may be claimed by the companies contracted for collection.