digitalisation

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Electronic administration has undergone significant changes in recent years with the introduction of the Digitális Állampolgári Program (DÁP). The previously widely used document authentication (AVDH) has been phased out and is now completely obsolete. Given that this has a significant impact on the way individuals and companies conduct their electronic administration (e.g. ePapír administration, either as individuals or through the Company Gate), we outline below the essence of the changes, the parties affected and the practical steps to be taken.

AVDH in brief

AVDH was previously a free document authentication solution available to all users with a client gate. It was a widely applicable, easily accessible and simple to use service, and was also considered suitable for corporate signatures. Documents authenticated with AVDH were considered private documents with full probative force, so they could be used in a wide range of procedures and administrative processes.

The general availability of AVDH ended at the end of last year, so it could only be used in a limited scope, integrated into the ePapír service. This meant that when individuals and companies submitted documents to government agencies (e.g. to the labour authority) via ePapír, they could authenticate their submissions and attachments with AVDH, thus eliminating the need for electronic signatures.

Changes in November

On 31^stOctober 2025, the AVDH service was completely discontinued (i.e. in official procedures as well). It was replaced by a service for user document assignment (FEDOR) with significantly reduced functions, starting from 1 November 2025.

However, FEDOR does not provide nearly all the features of its predecessor. The FEDOR service does not replace the signature, but only assigns it to the individual, so it does not result in a fully probative private document. However, for an electronic document to be considered authentic, it must at least have the probative value of a private document (and an electronic time stamp).

Necessary steps

Given that authentic electronic documents must be submitted during electronic administration, authorities currently ask clients to resubmit the appropriate documents in cases where the documents do not qualify as private documents with full probative value.

Under current legislation, documents bearing a qualified electronic signature or an advanced electronic signature based on a qualified certificate are considered private documents with full probative value, so the documents to be submitted must be signed with one of these.

In order to ensure that the company’s communication with authorities does not become impossible, we know that many companies have quickly opted for a qualified electronic signature provided by a Hungarian trusted service provider. However, it is important to note that choosing the right partner in the long term opens up many more opportunities for digitisation.

Practical options

Private individuals have access to the eAláírás function provided by DÁP, which is considered a qualified electronic signature. However, it is important to note that this can only be used by private individuals, i.e. the DÁP eAláírás function is not suitable for corporate signatures under the provisions of the law, so business organisations will have to look for other solutions.

Qualified electronic signatures and advanced signatures based on qualified certificates can only be provided by so-called trust service providers. It is important to note that this is regulated at European Union level, which means that such services can be used not only from the three providers registered in Hungary, but also from providers registered in any EU Member State, as Member States are obliged to accept them. In Hungary, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) is the competent supervisory authority, which maintains this register, and the list of registered service providers can be found here. Service providers registered in the various EU Member States can be accessed via the following link.

It is also important to note that it is, of course, possible to act through an authorised representative (e.g. a private individual, accountant, legal representative) in electronic procedures, in which case the authorised representative must have the appropriate signature.

Summary

With the complete discontinuation of the previously widely used AVDH service, an appropriate electronic signature is required to use the ePapír service.

Although this may initially be perceived as a burden by those affected, electronic signatures can be used in a much wider range of applications and can practically replace the role of previous paper-based signatures entirely. Electronic signatures may, of course, entail additional costs, but it should also be noted that their use reduces several other costs (e.g. paper, printing, postage, courier and travel costs). Given that there are several types of electronic signatures, which result in different types of documents with varying degrees of evidential value, and that they can be used in a wide range of situations (e.g. company procedures, employment relationships, official notifications), it is definitely advisable to consider the purpose and scope of use when selecting a specific service (signature type). In our practice, we have assisted numerous group of companies with their digital transition, and we can clearly state that companies choose different service providers based on their varying priorities (e.g., mass document uploading, document management, a wide range of signatories, signatures that can be provided to employees by their employer, cost).

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