Hungary Reopens Registrations for Its 30% Film Tax Rebate
Hungary has removed the block on new registrations for its 30% film tax rebate. What's changed, what hasn't, and what it means for scheduling.
Jul 2, 2026
Hungary's registration cap expired on 1 July 2026 and no new cap was introduced for the second half of the year. Registrations are open. Here's what that changes for productions planning a Budapest shoot, and what stays the same.
What changed
A government decree published in December 2025 set a cap on new registrations for the first half of 2026, with the second half left undecided. In practice this meant productions could meet every eligibility test and still not know whether they'd get through the door. Some didn't wait, so projects that would have shot in Hungary went elsewhere.
That cap expired on 1 July. The authorities decided not to introduce a replacement for the second half of the year, and the government confirmed the position publicly in mid-July. The National Film Office is processing registrations and issuing certificates without limitation.
What didn't change
The scheme itself. A 30% cash rebate on qualifying Hungarian spend, worth up to 37.5% of that spend once permitted non-Hungarian costs are factored in. Approved through 2030.
The annual collection account remains at 70 billion HUF (around 193 700 000 EUR) for 2026. This is worth understanding properly: registrations are uncapped, the fund is not. The two are separate mechanisms and they always have been.
What it means for scheduling
For anyone who shelved a Hungarian schedule this year, the main obstacle has been removed. Registration is no longer a gamble.
It doesn't remove the ordinary work. Registration timing, cost verification and collection-account cash flow are each their own process, and eligibility is not the same thing as a payment date.
What we'd look at with you
Whether your spend structure qualifies as it stands, and where it doesn't. Where the line falls between Hungarian and permitted non-Hungarian costs on your budget. When to register relative to your start date. And, if your project could sit in more than one territory, how Hungary compares against Bulgaria or Croatia on net cost rather than headline rate.
Abroad Films has been servicing international production in Hungary for years, through the cap and before it. The crews, stages and post facilities didn't go anywhere. The paperwork is now behaving again.
Sources
- Screen Global Production, 17 July 2026: Hungary removes cap on production incentive after uncertainty from producers https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2026/07/17/hungary-removes-cap-production-incentive
- Variety, 16 July 2026: Hungary Removes Cap on New Registrations for Production Incentive https://variety.com/2026/film/global/hungary-new-registrations-production-incentive-1236812488/
- filmhu, 16 July 2026: Ismét korlátozás nélkül regisztrálhatnak adóvisszatérítésért a filmes produkciók https://magyar.film.hu/filmhu/hir/ismet-korlatozas-nelkul-regisztralhatnak-adovisszateritesert-a-produkciok.html
- National Film Institute Hungary: Hungarian Film Incentive https://nfi.hu/en/filming-in-hungary/hungarian-film-incentive