Mergers - Hungary

Updated 12/2010

Legal requirements

A merger is a type of transformation that is regulated by corporate law. In Hungary, foreign and Hungarian natural and legal persons, and companies without a legal entity, may set up a company, become a partner in an existing company or obtain shares in a company.

A single company may be created as the legal successor to two or more companies when the companies merge. Mergers may occur by incorporation or concentration. Rules for cross-border mergers of companies that combine their capital are different from the rules relating to mergers and are laid down by separate legislation (they are not covered by this summary).

Mergers between large companies must comply with legislation on market practices.

Act on the Prohibition of Unfair and Restrictive Market Practices [404 KB]

The Hungarian Competition Authority is an independent body set up to monitor the freedom and integrity of market competition and authorise mergers between companies.

Duties of the Hungarian Competition Authority
Rules of the Hungarian Competition Authority relating to concentrations
Regulation of variable compliance and mergers at the Hungarian Competition Authority

Merger methods

Incorporation

During incorporation, the incorporated company ceases trading, and its property is transferred to the acquiring company, as the legal successor; the form of the company remains unchanged. Both the rights and obligations of incorporated companies are transferred to the legal successor.

Company mergers

Merger

During a merger, the merging companies cease trading, and their property (rights and obligations) is transferred to the new company created by the merger, as the legal successor.

Concentration pursuant to the Competition Act

Companies form a concentration if:

two or more companies that were previously independent of each other concentrate, one is incorporated into another, or part of the company becomes part of another independent company (merger) ;
one company, or several companies jointly, directly or indirectly takes over one or more other companies that are independent of it, in whole or in part;
several companies that are independent of each other jointly create a company that they direct and which is capable of performing all the functions of an independent company in the long term.

Merger conditions

It is possible to obtain company information relating to the companies, among other things, through the Company Information Service website.

Online Company Information Service

The supreme bodies of the companies participating in the merger shall make a decision on the merger on two occasions, unless otherwise provided for by the deed of foundation. On the first occasion, it shall be determined, based on the submissions of the senior officers or supervisory committee (if there is one), that they agree with the intention to merge, the recommended method for doing so, the form in which the legal successor company will operate, and who wishes to participate in the merger. They will also define the date of the plans for balancing assets and creating the inventory of assets, appoint an independent auditor, and entrust the senior officers with preparing the necessary documents, including the merger agreement (or draft thereof), and the plans for balancing assets and creating the inventory of assets. A transformation plan will also be drawn up where relevant.

The management representatives of the merging companies prepare the draft merger agreement, which must define:

the names, registered offices and company registration numbers of the merging companies, as well as the form, name and registered office of the company that is to be created;
the merger method (incorporation, concentration);
in the event of incorporation, the necessary draft amendments to the articles of association of the acquiring company;
in the event of a concentration, the draft articles of association of the new company;

everything stipulated by law, or which the supreme bodies of the companies participating in the merger deem necessary.

The associations representing the interests of employees at the companies must be informed of the merger within 15 days of adoption of the merger agreement. In the event of a final decision by all companies involved, the companies affected by the merger are obliged to have a statement published in the Companies' Gazette regarding this within 8 days of the final decision, and the statement must appear in two consecutive issues.

In the event of transformation, the deadline for the court of registration to assess applications is 30 working days, starting from the date when the company documents for all the companies participating in the transformation are available to the competent court of registration. If the company undergoing the transformation defines the transformation date, the transformation will not take place on the date of registration of the company but on the date defined by the company.

Buying an existing company, with an already established structure, can be a good way of expanding your business.

Takeovers — Hungary

Administrative procedures

Licensing obligations

Mergers that fulfil defined conditions may only take place once preliminary authorisation has been given by the Hungarian Competition Authority.

A licence from the Hungarian Competition Authority is required for mergers between companies with joint net revenue of more than fifteen billion forints (approx. 53.5 million euros), if at least two of them jointly achieved net revenue of more than five hundred million forints (approx. 1.8 million euros) in the year prior to the merger.

The companies have to submit an application to the Hungarian Competition Authority, which, depending on the complexity of the case, will examine the merger using either a simplified or comprehensive procedure.

Duties of the Hungarian Competition Authority

The form required for submitting a merger application can be downloaded from the Hungarian Competition Authority website.

Merger application form [330 KB]

The Hungarian Competition Authority will decide on whether the merger can be authorised based on the results of a merger control. The decision will be made as part of the simplified procedure if the merger does not significantly reduce competition in the relevant market, especially as a consequence of the creation or reinforcement of market dominance. The cut-off date for the simplified procedure is 35 days, which may be extended by 15 days on one occasion.

If the case requires further investigation in order to assess the impact that the merger would have on the market, owing to the complexity of this, the concentration must be evaluated using the comprehensive procedure ; in such cases the final decision must be made within 4 months, which may be extended by 45 days on one occasion. Should the Authority find that the merger does not significantly reduce competition in the relevant market, especially as a consequence of the creation or reinforcement of market dominance, it may not refuse to issue a licence.

Merger control proceedings of the Hungarian Competition Authority

Record-keeping

Companies are obliged to have a statement published in the Companies' Gazette regarding the transformation within 8 days of the final decision, and the statement must be published in two consecutive issues.

Procedures for registering companies and changes may only be completed electronically, for all companies, and possibly with the cooperation of the legal representative.

Information on electronic company procedures
Downloadable company registration documents and programs

Resources

The Company Information Service provides free company information through a separate website. The company details of a registered company that cannot be used for official documents may be requested on the basis of the company's registration number, name and tax number in the database.

Free database of company information

Programmes

In the area of developing a Hungarian competition culture, the primary duties of the Hungarian Competition Authority are to promote a regulatory environment that ensures social acceptance of competition, law-abiding behaviour, and conscious decision-making by consumers.

Competition Culture Centre of the Hungarian Competition Authority

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

Mergers - Hungary