Hungary to introduce constitution-based obligation to accept cash payments

On 14 April 2025, the Hungarian parliament accepted a constitutional amendment that establishes cash payment as a fundamental right. On 23 April 2025, the Hungarian government submitted amendments to related consumer protection and e-commerce draft legislation and issued a government decree. The following article explores what this development means for businesses selling products or providing services in Hungary.

Cash payment as a fundamental right

The Fifteenth Amendment to Hungary’s Fundamental Law, accepted on 14 April 2025, elevates the right to pay in cash to the level of a fundamental right. The goal of the amendment is to counterbalance the increasing shift toward electronic and digital payment methods, and in doing so, aligns Hungary with efforts by other CEE countries (e.g. Slovakia adopted a similar constitutional amendment in Slovakia in 2023).

Changes to consumer protection rules

The draft legislation submitted to parliament amends Act CLV of 1997 on Consumer Protection by adding a new requirement for businesses to offer natural person consumers the option to pay for goods in cash, except for transactions carried out, almost exclusively, through electronic payment, such as digital services, streaming platforms, or webshops operated outside of Hungary, or those offering cross-border sales.

Changes to commerce and e-commerce regulations

The draft legislation also amends Act CLXIV of 2005 on Trade, requiring that “in connection with activities falling under the scope of this Act, natural person consumers must be given the option to pay in cash.” The above Trade Act covers retail and wholesale trade as well as commercial agency activities, as defined in Section 2(9). As a result, the amendment would primarily affect in-store retailers and online service providers engaged in commercial activities, such as local webshops, online stores or delivery services. How this provision aligns with the above-mentioned consumer protection exemption for cross-border online transactions is unclear, as the Trade Act does not currently include a similar carve-out.

Amendment to the services act

The draft legislation also makes service providers obligated to accept cash. According to the draft amendment to Act LXXVI of 2009 on Services, “during the provision of any service covered by this Act, natural person consumers have the right to pay for the service in cash.” At the same time, the proposal acknowledges the practical limitations already recognised in the Consumer Protection Act and introduces a corresponding exemption whereby service providers offering cross-border online services (as defined in the Consumer Protection Act) would not be required to accept cash.

For more information on these amendments and consumer protection regulations in Hungary, contact your CMS client partner or these CMS experts.