How the company name check works
- You enter the intended name and your email. Include the company form in the name — “Kft”, “Bt”, “Zrt” — so we review exactly the name you intend to start.
- We review it by hand against the Hungarian registry. We check the name with our partner law firm in the public company registry — a qualified person, not a script, decides whether the name is distinguishable from names that are already registered.
- We reply by email — within one working day. We send the result, and a few alternatives where useful, to the address you gave us. This does not form a company — if you go on to incorporate, that is a separate, deliberate decision.
What to watch for when choosing a name
Three main rules govern a Hungarian company name, under § 3 and § 4 of the Companies Act (Ctv.):
1. Clear distinguishability (Ctv. § 3 (3))
The name must differ from every previously registered company name to a degree that rules out confusion. A single differing word is not always enough — in the practice of the registry court, the whole name is assessed, not one element of it in isolation.
2. The company form is mandatory
The name must contain the company form (“Kft”, “Bt”, “Zrt”, “Nyrt”), and the designation must appear in Hungarian even in an otherwise foreign-language name. A separate rule applies to the words “Magyar” or “Magyarország” (Hungary) — their use requires permission.
3. Prohibitions
The name may not contain an unlawful reference, an offensive term, or a misleading element (for example “Magyar Állami Bank Kft” — “Hungarian State Bank” — for a private venture). The use of names protected by a trademark is also restricted; that is the remit of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (SZTNH), not the registry court.
Cited law: Companies Act (Ctv.) § 3–4, NJT.
What this check does not replace
The company-name check is not a trademark search. Trademarks are kept in a separate register (the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office — SZTNH), and a registered trademark may not appear in the company registry at all. If you take the brand name seriously, a trademark search is worth running — the partner law firm performs one in the Zenty Pro and International tiers.
The company-name check is not domain-availability advice. Whether the .hu, .com, or .eu domain is free is a separate matter — here we report only the status of the name in the company registry.
The company-name check does not replace an attorney’s opinion. The final view is given by the partner law firm at the countersignature stage of the Kft formation — attorney countersignature under § 6 of the Companies Act is the validity condition for the articles. The attorney executing your formation is Dr. Tallár Ákos, admitted to the Hungarian Bar (Magyar Ügyvédi Kamara), bar registration number 5203. Read more about the legal partner.
Where the name goes next — registration
A cleared name is the first step, not the last. When you form the company, the partner law firm files the articles electronically with the registry court under § 36 of the Ctv. A company is registered by the registry court with jurisdiction over its registered seat — for a Budapest seat (for example a HomeBase address), the Budapest Metropolitan Court. On registration the company receives its registration number (cégjegyzékszám) and tax number (adószám), and the chosen name becomes the registered name. Typical timing is 2–8 working days; the minimum share capital for a Kft is 3,000,000 HUF under § 3:161 of the Civil Code (Ptk.). The full sequence is on the company formation page.
What we do with your result
Your email address is processed by Zenty as data controller. We send the result once. You can unsubscribe at any time. The full privacy notice is at Privacy Policy.
Reviewed by Dr. Tallár Ákos, attorney (Tallár Law Firm, MÜK 5203)