Hungary runs a single mandatory national e-procurement platform, EKR (Elektronikus Kozbeszerzesi Rendszer, ekr.gov.hu). Since 15 April 2018 essentially all public procurement procedures must be conducted electronically through EKR, and Section 40(1) of the Public Procurement Act requires communication between the contracting authority and economic operators - submitting a tender, requesting supplementary information, deficiency completion, price justification, etc. - to take place via EKR. Procurement is governed by Act CXLIII of 2015 on Public Procurement (the Kbt.), which transposes EU Directives 2014/24/EU and 2014/25/EU; EKR operation is regulated by Government Decree 424/2017. There is no mandatory national standing vendor register you must join before bidding beyond creating an EKR account: suitability and the absence of exclusion grounds are proven per tender, and for above-EU-threshold procedures principally via the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) as preliminary self-declaration, with full supporting documents produced by the winning bidder. A foreign company does NOT need a Hungarian entity to bid: EU economic operators receive national treatment under the Act, and a foreign bidder can register itself directly in EKR. The material practical barrier is language: EKR and Hungarian procurement documentation operate in Hungarian, and tenders are generally required in Hungarian.
EKR - Elektronikus Kozbeszerzesi Rendszer (Electronic Public Procurement System); above-EU-threshold notices also on TED (OJEU)
Contracting authorities under Act CXLIII of 2015 (no single central buyer for all contracts; centralised state purchasing via the Kozbeszerzesi es Ellatasi Foigazgatosag, KEF). Regulator: Kozbeszerzesi Hatosag (Public Procurement Authority); remedies before the Kozbeszerzesi Dontobizottsag (Public Procurement Arbitration Board).
Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid
No Hungarian subsidiary, branch or local establishment is required to submit a bid. Economic operators established in the EU are given national treatment under Act CXLIII of 2015 and must be afforded equal opportunities and equal treatment; a foreign bidder can register itself directly in EKR (or authorise a representative) without a Hungarian intermediary company. Economic operators established outside the EU / goods of non-EU origin receive national treatment only in line with the international obligations of Hungary and the EU in public procurement (e.g. the WTO Government Procurement Agreement or an EU bilateral agreement), so third-country access is conditional, not automatic. EKR uses the tax number (adoszam) as the unique organisation identifier; a foreign entity that has no Hungarian tax number registers using its own (foreign) identifying data - it does not need a Hungarian tax number merely to register, though Government Decree 424/2017 requires foreign-owned economic operators to be identified for statistical purposes (non-discriminatory). The winning bidder must produce full home-country documentation (registration extracts, certificates on exclusion grounds, etc.), often with certified Hungarian translation. The decisive practical constraint is Hungarian-language documentation and communication, not entity formation.
Verify your status: EU economic operators have equal access under Act CXLIII of 2015 with no Hungarian entity required. Non-EU firms should confirm coverage under the WTO GPA or an EU bilateral agreement, since third-country national treatment applies only per Hungary's/the EU's international obligations. Determine whether the contract is above or below the EU thresholds, because above-threshold procedures are published EU-wide on TED and use the ESPD.
Search published opportunities. Since 15 April 2018 procurement procedures are conducted through EKR (ekr.gov.hu), where notices and tender documentation are published; above-EU-threshold notices are additionally published EU-wide on TED (the Official Journal of the EU). Published notices can generally be viewed on EKR without full registration, but downloading documents and any participation require an EKR account. Almost all documentation is in Hungarian.
Create an organisation (gazdasagi szereplo) registration in EKR. The registration interface is open to anyone and EKR does not restrict which organisations may register; the registering person declares they are authorised to represent the organisation and becomes its first superuser/administrator. The organisation is identified by its tax number (adoszam) - a foreign bidder without a Hungarian tax number registers using its own foreign identifying data. A foreign bidder may register itself directly or via an authorised representative; no Hungarian intermediary entity is required. Account activation is typically completed within a few business days. Note: interface and support are in Hungarian.
Additional individuals join the organisation in EKR via the 'User' menu ('Organisation Joining'), and the organisation's superuser approves each membership through permission-request evaluation. Set up the users who will prepare and sign the bid. Electronic submission via EKR generally requires appropriate electronic identification/signature capability for the submitting person; confirm the exact requirement in the specific tender documentation, as the required signature/authentication is set per procedure.
For each tender, submit the bid electronically through EKR, generally in Hungarian unless the notice permits another language. For above-EU-threshold procedures, prove the absence of exclusion grounds and compliance with suitability criteria by the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) as preliminary self-declaration - completed via the EKR-integrated ESPD module (or the EU ESPD service). Follow the tender's formal requirements exactly. Documentation not originally in Hungarian typically needs a (certified) Hungarian translation. The winning bidder must then supply the full supporting certificates.
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Create free accountNo mandatory government fee to register an organisation in EKR or to submit a bid. Costs are indirect: Hungarian-language bid preparation and certified translations, electronic-signature/identification tooling, and any legal/consultancy support. (Contracting authorities may charge a reasonable fee for physical copies of documentation, but EKR documents are generally available electronically.)
5–15 days
Act CXLIII of 2015 on Public Procurement ('Kbt.' / Public Procurement Act, PPA), in force since 1 November 2015, transposing EU Directives 2014/24/EU (classic sector) and 2014/25/EU (utilities). National/equal treatment for EU economic operators is set out in the Act's general provisions (economic operators established in the EU are given national treatment; contracting authorities must ensure equal opportunities and equal treatment). Mandatory electronic conduct of procedures and EKR communication is required by Kbt. Section 40 and Government Decree 424/2017 (on the detailed rules of electronic public procurement / EKR), mandatory since 15 April 2018. The ESPD is defined in the Act as preliminary evidence (self-declaration on a standard EU form per EU Regulation 2016/7) of the absence of exclusion grounds and of meeting suitability criteria for above-threshold procedures.
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This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-21.