Regulations to allow 8 days to prove eligibility for foreign plates

(MTI) – Failure to prove eligibility to the use of a foreign licence plate on the spot will result in a lower fine in wake of a European Court ruling, the national development ministry told MTI on Thursday.

If stopped by police, drivers of cars with foreign licence plates have to prove they are eligible to use non-Hungarian plates or pay a fine.

Earlier there had been no opportunity to prove the entitlement later, but the European Court vetoed this practice, ruling it was not right to levy the same fine for drivers who had the right documents but who were not in possession of them as those who were not eligible at all. In its November ruling the Court ordered Hungary to make it possible to show eligibility within a certain deadline.

Road regulations have now been amended to allow drivers who are stopped to show their documents within eight days of the road check and only pay a fine of 30,000 forints (EUR 99).

The regulations were put in place to curb tax evasion in connection with lower registration fees payable in other countries. The strict regulations will stay in place, the ministry said in a statement.

Photo: retroradio.hu

Source: http://hungarymatters.hu/