.hu is the national extension for Hungary. It has existed since 1990, and the registry is operated by the Council of Internet Service Providers (ISZT). There are now more than 700,000 .hu domain names on record.

If your website is aimed at a Hungarian audience, .hu is the most obvious choice: domestic visitors are familiar with this extension and look for it, whilst search engines clearly associate it with the Hungarian market. As well as names registered directly under .hu, you can also choose a name under so-called second-level public domains – such as .co.hu, .info.hu, .org.hu or .shop.hu – which are useful if the name you’re looking for is already taken directly under .hu.

Prices of .hu and related extensions

Extension	Registration	Transfer	Renewal
.hu	€5.44	€5.44	€5.44
.co.hu	€5.44	€5.44	€5.44
.info.hu	€5.44	€5.44	€5.44
.org.hu	€5.44	€5.44	€5.44
.shop.hu	€5.44	€5.44	€5.44
.video.hu	€5.44	€5.44	€5.44

Prices are quoted for one year and do not include VAT. The free transfer does not include a renewal; the fee for the paid transfer usually includes a one-year renewal.

How long will it take to be ready?

New domain registration

Once the order has been placed, we will immediately forward the application to the .hu registry (ISZT Nonprofit Kft.). From there, the registration process proceeds as follows:

1. Confirmation and declarations. If your notification email address and telephone number have not yet been confirmed, or if you have not yet made the declarations required for registration, the registry will send an email to your notification email address containing a link that is valid for a limited period. Please use the link to check your details and make the following declarations: that the details are accurate, that you accept the Domain Registration Rules and the decisions of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum, and that you have read the privacy policy.
2. Verification and assessment. The registry will verify the details and assess whether the requested name is misleading. If any information is missing, they will ask you to provide it; in this case, we will contact you. If the name could be misleading, they may ask you to provide a digitally signed declaration of good faith.
3. Provisional registration. Following successful approval, the domain will be provisionally registered within a few minutes: we will set up its name servers, and you will be able to start using it straight away. The registry will publicly list the name on the list of domains awaiting registration for 8 days.
4. Permanent registration. If no complaint is lodged within 8 days, the domain will be permanently registered. In the event of a complaint, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum will decide.

You have 30 days from the date of submission of your application to provide confirmation, make any declarations and rectify any omissions; after this period, your application will be automatically cancelled. Therefore, please check the emails sent to your notification email address, including your spam folder.

Domain transfer

When you transfer your domain (or, to use the registry’s terminology, change registrars), the domain is transferred from your current registrar to us. The domain holder remains the same and the name servers stay unchanged, so the domain continues to function throughout the process.

1. Requesting an authorisation code. Ask your current registrar for the domain’s authorisation code (auth code). The code is issued by the registry once you have verified your identity using the contact details associated with the domain (email address, telephone number) and confirmed the request. If you are unable to obtain the code via your registrar, you can request it directly from the registry on the start.domain.hu website. The 16-character code is valid for 30 days after approval. Keep it confidential: anyone who knows it can change both the domain’s registrar and its holder.
2. Order. Order the transfer from us and enter the code. If your details have not yet been verified, or if you have not completed the declarations, the registry will send you an email regarding this, just as they do for new registrations.
3. Completion. With a valid authorisation code, the transfer will take place immediately (or once confirmation has been received, should the registry request it). The domain’s expiry date will be extended by one year.

Things to bear in mind:

• Only the registrar of a registered domain can be changed. For a newly registered domain, this is not possible during the 8-day notice period.
• If the domain is protected by a registry lock, you must first unlock it on the start.domain.hu website.
• For 30 days following the transfer, neither a further change of registrar nor a transfer may be initiated.
• If the domain is still protected by a document under the old application-form-based system, an authorisation code cannot be requested for it. In this case, to transfer the registration, you will need a declaration set out in a private document with full probative value, in which you request the switch to factor-based identification; you can find a template amongst the document templates on domain.hu. Based on this declaration, the transfer is usually completed within 1–3 working days, but there is no fixed deadline for this. If you’re not sure which scenario applies to you, please write to us and we’ll help you.

How many characters can it be?

The domain name extension in .hu must be at least 2 and no more than 63 characters long. There must be no hyphens at the beginning or end of the name. A short, straightforward domain name is often considered more effective, as it is easier for website visitors to remember.

Special characters

The .hu extension supports the following special characters:

á é í ó ö ő ú ü ű

Restrictions

Citizens and organisations from the member states of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the EEA and EFTA, as well as from countries neighbouring Hungary, may apply for a .hu domain name without having to provide any specific justification, as may private individuals holding a Hungarian settlement or residence permit. Applicants from other countries may register if they are carrying out or commencing an activity that justifies the use of a .hu domain name – they must provide evidence of this at the request of the registry or the registrar. As a private individual, only persons aged 18 or over may apply for a domain name.

A domain name matching the name of a Hungarian municipality with its own local government may only be registered directly under .hu by that local government, whilst a domain name matching the name of a country may only be registered directly under .hu by that country’s official representation. Under .tm.hu, only a name matching the applicant’s own trade mark may be chosen.

Please note: In the event of rejection by the registry or if the required information is not successfully provided, no refund or credit will be issued.

Whois privacy

For .hu domain names, the details of private individuals are hidden by default and this cannot be changed. However, the details of companies (legal entities or other organisations) are public.