General elections in Hungary in 2026 – Can you vote?

Next general elections:
April 12, 2026, Sunday, 6 a.m. through 7 p.m. CEST

Last updated on February 5, 2026.

What are general elections about?

Hungary is a parliamentary democracy, which means that laws are decided by the Parliament. The Parliament is made up of representatives chosen by the people every 4 years. The candidates are either running independently or as members of a party. The party getting the most votes can form a government, while the rest of the elected officials will be in opposition. Laws will be determined in collaboration between the two, although the more seats the government has, the easier it will be for the governing party to get enough votes for each decision.

At the general elections, people can vote on two things:

• Individual candidate – can be independent or a party member
• Preferred party

At the same time, ethnic minorities can vote on representatives of their own instead of a party. Ethnic minorities include Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Greek, Polish, Romani, Romanian, Rusyn, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian people with Hungarian citizenship.

Candidates can run for parliament if they collect enough nominations before the elections. One voter can nominate multiple candidates. If you live in Hungary, you will see activists collecting nominations all over the country between February 21 and March 7.

Voting is anonymous and paper based. At every polling station, there is a committee checking IDs, but the ballots themselves have no markers, they are filled out in curtained booths, and then put in closed envelopes before being cast in the ballot box.

Who can vote in general elections?

Every adult citizen of Hungary is entitled to vote (unless they are banned from it by a court order). Voting is a right, but not an obligation. If you do not cast your vote in the general elections, no penalties apply. However, if you are eligible, voting is the easiest way to make an impact on the world around you and make life better for yourself and for your community.

In Hungary, voter registration is automatic, and voters should get a notification of the upcoming elections by regular mail sent to their permanent address between February 4 and 19, 2026. If you think you are eligible but haven’t received the invitation, you will have plenty of time to look into the issue. You can learn more about checking your registration here or getting registered here (in Hungarian), or you can go to the government office (kormányablak) closest to you before March 18.

The notification letter will list how you can cast your vote:

• If you live in Hungary, at a polling station closest to your permanent address (you can also request in advance to vote at a different location).
• If you live in Hungary but cannot visit a polling station, e.g. because you are disabled or treated in a hospital, you can request a moving ballot box before April 12, noon.
• If you live abroad but you have a Hungarian permanent address, you can vote at a Hungarian embassy or consulate closest to where you live, just register before April 2, 4 p.m. IMPORTANT: if you live on the American continent, you will be able to cast your vote on April 11 instead of 12.
• If you live abroad but you do NOT have a Hungarian permanent address, you can register for mail-in voting until March 18, 4 p.m.

You can find a list of deadlines relevant to the general elections here.

Casting your vote

The notification will list your core data and all the information relevant to casting your vote at the general elections.

• Your name and address
• Your constituency / electoral district
• The location where you can vote
• The time and date of the voting
• The topic you are voting for
• The ID documents accepted

For election day, polling stations are set up in public buildings that can easily host the event. This usually means schools. On the gates of the building, you will be able to find your electoral district based on your address, so you will know which room to find.

Elections always happen on Sundays, when most of the population is off work. Voting is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, or until the last person is done at any given location. For those voting at embassies and consulates on the American continent, voting takes place one day sooner, now on April 11, so votes can be counted by the time votes are being counted in Hungary.

At each polling station, there will be a committee checking ID documents, getting people sign attendance sheets, and distributing ballots. To identify yourself in front of the committee, you will need a photo ID (ID card, driver’s license, or passport). Unlike in previous years, the notification does not list the address card as a necessary document alongside your photo ID. WATCH OUT: DÁP is not accepted as a form of identification in the voting process.

Results and government formation

Ballots are being counted continuously throughout election day, so by the time the polling stations close, partial results are already available. Final results are announced late at night on Sunday, although in some cases, ballots are counted again over the course of the next week. Parliamentary seats are assigned based on the number of votes on each individual candidate and party (the calculation method is somewhat convoluted). Based on the result, the President of Hungary will ask the winners to form the new government. New MPs are typically sworn in sometime in May. This is when the new government may start its operation.

Helpers at your service

Helpers Hungary provides business and immigration assistance to international clients since 2005. We are here to help you navigate Hungarian bureaucracy whether you want to set up a business or obtain Hungarian residency or citizenship. Let us take care of administrative tasks for you, so you can focus on achieving your goals.

And don’t forget to vote!

The post General elections in Hungary in 2026 – Can you vote? appeared first on Helpers Hungary.