Can you record a phone call in Hungary?
Everyone on the call must agree before you record it. Hungary's Civil Code says that making or using a voice recording of a person needs that person's consent.
- Phone calls
- Under the Civil Code (Act V of 2013, section 2:48), both making and using a voice recording of a person need their consent. This covers calls you take part in. The Criminal Code offence of illicit data acquisition (section 422) targets people who secretly intercept other people's communications, and courts have not treated recording your own conversation as that crime.
- Business calls
- GDPR applies, enforced by the data protection authority NAIH. Tell callers at the very start of each call that it is recorded, why, how long you keep it and how to get a copy. A notice only in your terms or on your website is not enough. Public service providers and other businesses named by law must record customer service calls and keep them 5 years (Consumer Protection Act 17/B).
- What counts as consent
- Announce the recording when the call begins, before the conversation starts. The NAIH says this notice must let the other person decide whether to agree. A customer may record a call with a company too, and should also say so at the start.
- Penalties
- The NAIH fines businesses, for example HUF 1 million in 2024 against a telecoms provider over call-recording notices. The recorded person can sue for breach of personality rights. Secretly intercepting other people's calls carries up to 3 years in prison.
Say this at the start
Telling everyone and asking is the safe habit everywhere.
- English
Before we start: I record my calls so I can keep accurate notes. Is that OK with you?
- Hungarian
Mielőtt belekezdenénk: a hívásaimat rögzítem, hogy pontos jegyzeteket készíthessek. Hozzájárul ehhez?
Worth knowing
- Courts add a test the statute lacks: a secret recording breaches personality rights only if it is abusive. Recording to prove a wrong done to you, with no other proof, is not abusive. For routine recording, ask first.
- Much of the NAIH's written guidance on recordings dates from 2016, before GDPR, but its 2024 decision confirms that the notice must come at the start of each call.
Sources
Checked on 14 October 2026. A plain summary of the law, not legal advice.
- NAIH: information note on making and using audio recordings (2016)regulator
- NAIH: recommendation on audio recordings and the right to a copy (NAIH-2016-4718-V)regulator
- NAIH decision NAIH-9562-1/2024 on recording customer service callsregulator
- Jogászvilág: may a private conversation be recorded secretly?guide
- Jogászvilág: use of secret recordings as evidenceguide
Other countries
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Questions
Is Hungary a one-party consent country?
No. Everyone on the call must agree before you record it. Hungary's Civil Code says that making or using a voice recording of a person needs that person's consent.
Can a business record calls in Hungary?
GDPR applies, enforced by the data protection authority NAIH. Tell callers at the very start of each call that it is recorded, why, how long you keep it and how to get a copy. A notice only in your terms or on your website is not enough. Public service providers and other businesses named by law must record customer service calls and keep them 5 years (Consumer Protection Act 17/B).
What counts as consent in Hungary?
Announce the recording when the call begins, before the conversation starts. The NAIH says this notice must let the other person decide whether to agree. A customer may record a call with a company too, and should also say so at the start.
What happens if you record a call illegally in Hungary?
The NAIH fines businesses, for example HUF 1 million in 2024 against a telecoms provider over call-recording notices. The recorded person can sue for breach of personality rights. Secretly intercepting other people's calls carries up to 3 years in prison.
Hang up. The notes are done.
Superscribe records your business calls on the number you already have and writes the note when you hang up. You say one line at the start, and it does the rest.
