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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

General information about the parliamentary election of 2026

1. Who has the right to vote?
According to the Fundamental Law of Hungary, every Hungarian citizen of legal age (i.e. who has reached the age of 18 or minors married before reaching the age of 18) has the right to vote and stand as a candidate for election to the Parliament.
Those disenfranchised by a court for the commission of a criminal offense or for limited mental capacity shall not have the right to vote and to be voted for.
2. What are the voting methods at the elections?
Citizens with the right to vote may cast their votes by the following ways:
those with a domicile in Hungary can vote only in person,
within Hungary: in a constituency corresponding to his/her domicile or in a constituency designated to absentee voters.
abroad: at foreign representations of Hungary
those living in Hungary without having a domicile in Hungary can vote by post.
those living abroad without having a domicile in Hungary can vote by post
There is no possibility for voting electronically, or by proxy. Early voting is not possible, either.
3. When can I vote?
Votes can be cast between 6am and 7pm on the 12th April, 2026 in Hungary.Voters queuing at 19:00 can still vote, but it is not allowed to start queuing after 19:00. Days and hours of voting may be different at foreign representations. For further information please visit the www.valasztasok.hu website.
4. How do I cast my vote?
Voters who are on the electoral register may vote at the polling station. Voters must provide proof of identity (a valid identity card, passport or driver’s license and then receives the stamped ballot papers, and confirms receipt by signing the printed copy of the polling district electoral register.
Valid votes can only be cast for the candidate or list on the ballot paper. Only one of the listed candidates or lists may be elected, in the case of more than one choice the vote will be invalid.
To vote validly, you can write two intersecting lines (X or +) with pen in the circle next to the name of the candidate or above the name of the list. After filling in the ballot paper, it must be dropped into the ballot box. Placing the ballot paper in an envelope is not compulsory for domestic voting, except for absentee voters. An absentee voter and a voter who votes at a foreign representation places the ballot paper in a green envelope and seals it after filling it in, and then drops it in the ballot box. Only the ballot paper in the sealed envelope is valid.
5. What help can people living with disabilities get?
Voters with disabilities with domicile in Hungary can request the following assistance to exercise their right to vote:
sending poll cards in Braille, which can be requested until the 68th day before the election;
easy read information material can be requested until the 68th day before the election;
using a Braille ballot paper sample at the polling station or while using a mobile ballot box can be requested until the 9th day before the election day;
using an accessible polling station, for which an application may be submitted until the 3rd day before the election day.
After the election day is set, a mobile ballot box can be requested from the 66th day before the voting until 12 pm on election day.
While voting, voters with disabilities may be assisted in filling in the ballot paper by an assistant of the voter’s choice or, if no such person is present, by two members of the Polling Station Commission.

Allocation of mandates

Legislative changes

8. How has the legislation changed since the last general elections held in 2022
A considerable amendment of the election laws has been adopted, according to which:
As of December 31, 2024. the territorial division of the parliamentary single-member constituencies were amended. There are still 106 single-member constituencies, but the number of representatives elected in the capital was reduced by two, while the representatives elected in Pest County rose by two due to the changes in population. Furthermore, the Act on Election Procedure specified the cases in which votes may be recounted and the related procedure.
A. Recounting through legal remedy
An appeal against the decision of the Polling Station Commission establishing the results of the polling district may only be lodged together with an appeal against the decision of the election commission establishing the election result. An appeal may also be submitted on the grounds that the decision of the Polling Station Commission establishing the results of the polling district was unlawful, in which case a recount may be ordered if adjudication of the appeal is only possible by recounting of the votes. The election commission reviewing the appeal or the court reviewing the judicial review application shall order a recount of the votes within three days. This shall be carried out by the local election commission within three days after it is ordered, but not later than by 12:00 on the sixth day following the receipt of the application for legal remedy The local election commission may make use of the assistance of the members of the local election office for the purpose of recounting the votes.
B. Recounting in cases specified by law
This applies when there is a very small difference in the number of votes between the two leading candidates, or automatically if two or more leading candidates receive an equal number of votes.
                  a) Upon simple request in the case of minor differences:
The candidate may request recounting even without the occurrence of a breach of law, within a short period of time. On the day after the parliamentary election, by 10 a.m., or – after counting the votes cast at foreign representations and by absentee voters – by 10 a.m. on the seventh day following the vote if, based on 100% processing of preliminary data (before the results are determined), the difference between the first and second candidates in the single-member constituency is less than 0.5% of all valid and invalid votes cast (fewer than 101 votes in a parliamentary election).
                  b) Automatically
In the event of a tie, the votes must be automatically recounted. Exception: in elections of the settlement national minority self-government representatives, a recount is conducted only upon request.In parliamentary elections, the local election commission, with the involvement of the members of the local election office, shall carry out the recount within three days of the vote if, based on the votes counted after the vote, the difference is 100 or less, then – without waiting for the votes of absentee voters and the votes cast at foreign representations – the votes must be recounted within three days of the vote. If the difference of 100 or less votes arises only after counting the votes of absentee voters and the votes cast at foreign representations, the votes shall be recounted on the seventh day following the vote. If a recount has already been carried out without the votes cast at foreign representations and by absentee voters, and the difference is 100 or less votes (even after these votes have been counted), only the votes cast at foreign representations and by absentee voters shall be recounted.
Changes concerning the electoral register:
With regard to the decisions of the election office, the legal institution of communication by public notice will be introduced if the applicant does not have a storage space at Client Gate+ system and there is no valid address data in the civil registry.
The poll cards shall be sent by post to the voter's address by the fifty-first day prior to the election and, if the technical conditions are met, also to the voter's storage space at Client Gate+ system in accordance with the Act on the digital State and laying down certain rules relating to the provision of digital services.
Closing the polling district electoral register:on the third day before voting, Thursday at 4 p.m.
Amendments affecting the activities of the Polling Station Commissions:
The use of envelopes during voting is not mandatory; they shall only be provided at the request of the voter,except for absentee voters and voters at foreign representations; in the case of election of the national minority self-government representatives.
The requirement to provide proof of personal identifier or address of the voter will be abolished, so voters will no longer need to bring their address card with them to the polls, it will be sufficient to prove their identity by presenting their ID card, passport, or driver's license, but the Digital Citizenship Program mobile application cannot be used for this purpose.
According to the amendment of the Act on Election Procedure decisions made by the president of the National Election Office shall be published by the Office on its website (e.g., registration of international observers, date of personal collection of postal voting packages).
Changes affecting the operation of Election Commissions: election commission meetings may also be held online, and the commissions’ decisions may also be issued electronically.
In order to facilitate the exercise of citizens' rights, certain deadlines have been standardized.

Electoral bodies

9. What are the electoral bodies and which ones are in operation during parliamentary elections?
There are two types of electoral bodies: the election office and the election commission.
The tasks of election offices: preparing, organizing and carrying out the elections, providing information, and data management.
The tasks of election commissions: establishing the election results, ensuring the fairness and lawfulness of elections, ensuring impartiality, restoring the lawful order of election whenever necessary.
For the parliamentary elections, the following election offices are operational:
local election office
parliamentary single-member constituency election office
regional election office
election office at a foreign representation
National Election Office
The following election commissions operate in parliamentary elections:
polling station commission (in settlements with single-member constituency, the local election commission acts instead)
parliamentary single-member constituency electoral commission,
regional election commission,
National Election Commission.
10. What is the National Election Office and what is its role?
The National Election Office (NEO) is an autonomous public administration organization. It is independent, subject only to the law, cannot be instructed in its functions, and performs its tasks separately from other bodies, free from influence.
The main tasks of the National Election Office are the preparation and conduct of elections, and the provision of information to voters and candidates. It is responsible for the functioning of the official website of the elections, for the financial aspects of carrying out the elections and for organizing the information system of the elections.
11. What is the National Election Commission and what is its role?
The primary task of the National Election Commission is to establish the results of the elections, ensure the fairness and lawfulness of the elections, enforce impartiality and, if necessary, restore the legal order of the elections.
In addition, it decides on the registration of nominating organizations, on the determination of the duration of the publication of political advertisements of those entitled to do so in the linear media service of the public service media provider, on objections to the activities of the election office of foreign representations, and on all objections that do not fall within the competence of the parliamentary single-member constituency election commission or the regional election commission and the place where it is committed cannot be ascertained. It shall decide on appeals against decisions of the parliamentary single-member constituency election commission or regional election commission, with the exception of appeals against decisions relating to the registration of individual candidates and against fines imposed for failure to submit a recommendation sheet, and on appeals relating to the participation of media service providers and the press or cinemas in the election campaign. In the event of a violation of the law of which it becomes aware, it shall initiate the decision of the competent body.
The National Election Commission registers observers at foreign representations.
Supervises the counting of votes cast by mail, determines the result of the count, and establishes the national list result of the election.
Publishes a statement on the national aggregate results of the elections.
Decides on immunity of the candidates in closed sessions.
The seven members and three alternates of the National Election Commission are elected for a nine-year term by Parliament (by a two-thirds majority of the votes of the members present), on a proposal from the President of the Republic. The current members of the National Election Commission were elected on 26 September 2022.
In addition, political parties and national minority self-governments can delegate members to the National Election Commission as follows:
from the moment the conclusive decision of the National Election Commission registering their national list becomes final and binding until the constitutive sitting of the National Assembly, the parties that have nominated a national list may each delegate one member to the National Election Commission. National minority self-governments that have national minority lists registered may also delegate a member to the National Election Commission.

Registration and requests

12. Can voters without a Hungarian address (Hungarians living abroad) participate in parliamentary elections? How can they apply for electoral registration?
Under Article XXIII of the Fundamental Law of Hungary, every Hungarian citizen of legal age has the right to participate in parliamentary elections.
Hungarian citizens living abroad may participate in the forthcoming elections if their electoral registration application reaches the National Election Office by 16:00 on the twenty-fifth day before the election.
The application can be submitted by post or online at www.valasztas.hu or using electronic identification at www.magyarorszag.hu on the website, or in person or through a representative.
The condition for electoral registration is
Hungarian citizenship and
holding a Hungarian personal identifier (on the back of the Hungarian address card), or
holding a valid Hungarian passport, ID or driver’s licence
has reached the age of 17 or has reached the age of 16 and married, and the marriage has been registered in Hungary
according to the Hungarian civil registry
he/she is resident abroad,
have neither a place of residence nor a registered domicile in Hungary,
is not in the civil registry,
        and
has not been disqualified from voting by a Hungarian court.
Although Hungarian citizens over the age of 17 may apply for registration, only voters of legal age may vote.
Whether a voter is registered or automatically entered in the electoral register depends on whether he or she has a Hungarian domicile or residence according to the Hungarian civil registry. The table below provides guidance on this issue:

13. How can voters cast their votes if they have a Hungarian address but want to vote outside Hungary?
Anyone who intends to exercise his/her right to vote abroad on the day of the election shall apply for registration in the foreign representation electoral register by the ninth day before the election day. The application may be submitted in person, by post, online on the website www.valasztas.hu.
Voters residing in Hungary and voting abroad can only vote at a Hungarian foreign representation, not by mail.
14. How and when can I apply for absentee voting to another polling station during the parliamentary elections?
Applications for absentee voting may be submitted by those who are on the electoral register of the polling district but intend to vote in Hungary at a different place than their place of residence. The application can be submitted at any local election office in person or through a representative or electronically at the web site of the elections. The application for absentee voting may be submitted from the 66th day before voting and must be received by the election office no later than 16.00 on the 9th day before the vote but as the 9thday before elections is Good Friday, this year the deadline is the10thday prior to election day.It is important to note that absentee voters can vote for the candidates of their place of residence.
15. Who can apply for a mobile ballot box and how?
Voters recorded in the polling district electoral register, whose mobility is limited due to their health condition or disability, or due to detention may request a mobile ballot box.Anyone requesting a ballot box for other reasons (e.g. for convenience or work) will have their request rejected by the local election office or the Polling Station Commission. In the case of using a mobile ballot box, two members of the Polling Station Commission shall visit the voter on election day at the address he/she has indicated.
The application for a mobile ballot box can be submitted:
online using the Digital Citizenship Program mobile application or Client Gate+ service until 12 pm on election day
by post or, online without electronic identification, no later than 4 p.m. on the third day before election day.
in person by 4 p.m. on the 2nd day before the vote,
through a delivery agent by 12 pm on voting day
by a representative holding a power of attorney by 4 p.m. on the 2nd day before the elections to the local election commission, or by 12 pm on election day to the Polling Station Commission
It is important to note that those who have requested a mobile ballot box cannot vote in the polling station in the "traditional" way, only with the mobile ballot box!
16. How do registered voters receive their voting package?
The National Election Office sends the voting mail package to the address (in Hungary or abroad) of the registered Hungarian voter who does not have a Hungarian address, which was indicated in the voter’s registration application.
The voter may also request personal hand-over of the voting package in the registration application instead of postal delivery. In this case it can be picked up from the fifteenth day before the voting, at the Election Offices of the following foreign representations of Hungary:Beograd (Belgrád), Berehovo (Beregszász), Bucharest (Bukarest), Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda), Osijek (Eszék), Kosice (Kassa), Kyjiv (Kijev), Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár), Lendava (Lendva), Bratislava (Pozsony), Subotica (Szabadka), and Uzhhorod (Ungvár).On election day it can be handed over during the voting period, at the polling station
in the municipality of the seat of the single-member parliamentary constituency,
in designated border settlements in Hungary or
in the designated foreign representations of Hungary.
Voters, who do not receive the voting package by the seventh day before election day, can request a package at any foreign representation of Hungary or at any single-member parliamentary constituency election office. The officer shall verify whether the person is registered as a voter voting by post and requested the delivery of the package by post.
17. Who can vote by post?
The following citizens with the right to vote can vote by post:
those living in Hungary without having a domicile in Hungary
those living abroad without having a domicile in Hungary
18. What is a registration as national minority voter?
Citizens with the right to vote and holding a Hungarian domicile, who belong to a recognized nationality community may request to be registered in the electoral register as a national minority voter in the parliamentary elections. The voter will also be able to vote in the election of the national minority self-government representatives. The 13 recognized nationalities are the following: Bulgarian, Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian. With the national list, national minorities can obtain a preferential mandate in the National Assembly.
Voters registered as national minorities in the parliamentary elections
while submitting the request for registration as national minority voter if you did not request that your registration should also apply for the parliamentary elections, you vote in the same way as voters not registered as national minority voter, i.e. for an individual candidate and the national party list,
while submitting the request for registration as national minority voter if you expressly requested that your registration as national minority voter be extended to the parliamentary elections, you may vote for a national minority list instead of a party list and for an individual candidate in addition to the party list.
If you have already been registered as national minority voter before, your registration is valid until it is withdrawn, and you do not need to submit a new request. In case you are not registered yet, applications can be submitted until the 9th day before election day.

Recommendation of candidates and national lists

Elections campaign

Observation

24. What are the general rules for election observation?
In the context of the principle of publicity of the election procedure, civil participation in election observation is provided by the Act on Election Procedure through a process-integrated model.
As a general rule, elected members of election commissions represent the civil society, since such members must comply with the strictest conflict of interest rules of the Act on Election Procedure. Elected members of the election commission may not be member of political parties, or nominating organizations, or serve in government service.
Delegated members of the election commissions – while representing the delegating nominating organization or candidate – also have election observation-related tasks, since they shall take part in all sessions of the election commission as members and have the right to monitor documents related to decision-making. All election commissions are regulated in the same way in this respect, including the Polling Station Commissions. This model, together with international election observation, further safeguards, and publicity-related measures of the election bodies result in a solid and sustainable system of guarantees protecting the integrity of the elections.
25. Who can be an international observer and how can he / she get accreditation?
Observers from other states, intergovernmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations or associations registered to observe the elections by the National Election Office may observe the entire election procedure and be present while the election bodies work, may inspect the documents of the election commissions and request copies thereof (in line with GDPR rules), may ask questions to members of election bodies and call their attention to the detected irregularities. They shall not hinder or interfere in the election process and the activities of the election bodies, shall wear the registration badge and carry out their activities impartially.
The National Election Office keep a register of international observers. Decisions on the registration and de registration of international observers shall be made by the President of the National Election Office, without the possibility to legal remedy against the decision. The names of international observers, as well as the names of the sending states or intergovernmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations or associations are published on the official website of the elections.

Media presence

26. How can the press be registered?
The representatives of the press (pursuant to Section 20/B of Decree 17/2013 (VII. 17.) of the Minister of Public Administration and Justice) are required to present the following identification documents to the Chairperson of the Polling Station Commission:
personal identification document (ID card, passport, or driver's license) and
authorization issued by the media content provideror
press card issued by a professional journalists' organization.
(At foreign representations, the foreign representation's election office may accept other documents as well, taking into account local circumstances.)
On election day, the National Election Office operates an election centre. (Address: Budapest, District V, Alkotmány utca 3.) Accreditation is required for admission. Representatives of the press will receive their accreditation cards on election day upon entering the election centre.
Based on the accreditation, the following locations can be visited at the election centre:
processing of postal votes, votes cast at foreign representations or by absentee voters (National Election Office)
monitoring of results, possible press conferences (Ministry of Construction and Transport, main hall)
meeting of the National Election Commission (National Election Office, 2nd floor)
For further information regarding accreditation, please contact:sajto@nvi.hu.
27. Where can the media representatives be present during the elections and the meeting of the election commissions?
On election day, representatives of the media may be present in the polling station and carry out their work from the start of voting (6:00 a.m.) until the end of voting (7:00 p.m., with the proviso that voters who are still in line at 7:00 p.m. may still vote), as well as during the preparation of the vote count and the vote count itself, without prior permission. However, they may not be present in the polling station during the preparations until voting has begun.
Media representatives may not interfere with the work of the Polling Station Commission, violate the secrecy of the vote, or have insight into the electoral register or take photographs or make recordings of it. The Polling Station Commission may only provide information on the number of voters. The press may not interview voters within the polling station. However, they may take photographs, make video and audio recordings (video recordings, cutaway shots) of the voting without the consent – and even despite the objection – of the voters, provided that the recordings are not portrait-like, i.e., they do not focus on individual voters, but document the voting as a public event of public interest.
Members of the press must also respect the norms prohibiting campaigning within 150 meters of the building housing the polling station on election day. The meetings of the election commissions are open to the public; therefore, representatives of the media may be present.

Legal remedies