Your Hungarian Government Inbox
Inbox for government communication
If you want to take care of administration electronically, it is essential that you have a secure way to receive messages from government agencies. Email messages are unfortunately easy to fake, so developers have come up with a solution: messages are not sent directly to your email address, but to a special inbox maintained by the government where you can only receive (but not send) messages. At the email address you provided when you first opened your Ügyfélkapu account, you will only get a notification that you should check your government inbox, which you can access with your Ügyfélkapu+ or DÁP login at https://tarhely.gov.hu/. After you log in, you can download messages in PDF format. If you do not check your government inbox within a week, you will get a reminder about the same message.
Once logged in, you will see a list of recent messages. It is best to download everything and save messages on your computer (and preferably in a safe backup storage) for future reference. The messages will be PDF files to download, mostly in Hungarian.
Measures against scams
By receiving messages on a dedicated platform, you can always be sure that the message is not an attempt at scamming or phishing, but genuine communication from the government. If you log in and find a PDF that says you have taxes to pay and it includes a link for online payment with a credit or debit card, you may follow the instructions without worrying about getting scammed – unlike when receiving such a message in your regular inbox.
Data security
Additionally, government agencies operate in silos, meaning that they only have information about you relevant to their operation, so e.g. the National Health Insurance Fund (NEAK) will not have information about when your driver’s license expires, and the Tax Authority (NAV) will not know the results of your latest blood draw. However, you can still get messages from every agency in one place thanks to your government inbox.
Although most of your data will remain compartmentalized between government agencies, in some cases it will be necessary for them to share your information, e.g. if you are a freelancer and your local municipality forwards information on your local business tax to the central Tax Authority. When one agency shares your information with another one, you will get notified of this too; such messages are often labelled as “Meghatalmazás” (meaning “Authorization”), since one organization authorizes another one to manage some of your data.
Common types of messages in your government inbox
Most messages will be notifications about how your data is being managed, requests for information, or payment notices for various taxes. Some common examples include the following:
- Notification that you have certain taxes to pay, e.g. vehicle tax
- Notification of successful payment when you are paying taxes
- Notification that your yearly tax returns draft is available
- Confirmation that you have successfully submitted your tax returns, income reports, 1% tax donation, or HIPA report
- Confirmation that your 1% tax donation has been transferred (indicating the sum)
- Documentation when you are awarded an allowance, e.g. sick leave allowance
- Notification that a document of yours is about to expire (e.g. ID card, passport, driver’s license)
- Notification that your business has been registered or dissolved
- Confirmation that you have paid the yearly Chamber of Commerce fee
- Invitation to events of the Chamber of Commerce
- Request to review your NACE codes after an update
- Authorization for a government agency to manage some of your data
Government Inbox vs. Company Gate
The Government Inbox is automatically available to every natural person who has registered for the Ügyfélkapu. If you are a freelancer, you will also receive messages regarding your freelancing business here. If, however, you operate a Hungarian company, you will also need to register for the Cégkapu (or Company Gate), which is a similar platform dedicated to Hungarian companies. While your Ügyfélkapu should normally be accessible only to you, it is normal for accountants to access the Cégkapu of their clients.
Comprehensive assistance from Helpers
If you start a business or get residency in Hungary with Helpers, the process will include assistance with registration for the Ügyfélkapu. If you are in Hungary, we are happy to accompany you to a government office to take care of this in person. Access to the Ügyfélkapu is essential for business owners while it also makes life immensely easier for natural persons.
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The post Your Hungarian Government Inbox appeared first on Helpers Hungary.
