What does a Hungarian company registration number mean?
The first four digits of a registration number tell you where a company was registered and in what form.
Three parts, with hyphens
A Hungarian company registration number (cégjegyzékszám) always has three parts: two digits, two digits, then six digits — for example 01-09-729429. The hyphens are part of the number, not decoration, and the three blocks say three different things.
- The first two digits identify the registry court — that is, where the company was registered.
- The next two digits give the company form: Kft., Bt., Zrt. and so on.
- The last six digits are a serial number within that court. Nothing about the company follows from them.
The first block: which registry court
01 is Budapest; the counties follow. The registry court is determined by the registered seat: the company is registered where its seat is at the time of registration.
Importantly, this records the place of registration, not today's seat. For a company that has since moved, the two can differ, so the first two digits of a registration number are no guarantee of where the company is now.
One code surprises people: 13 is Pest county, but the competent court is the Budapest Environs Regional Court, not a court in a county seat. Pest county companies are thus registered in the capital — yet not under code 01.
The second block: which company form
The second pair of digits gives the corporate form. The most common: 09 is the limited liability company (Kft.), 06 the limited partnership (Bt.), 10 the private company limited by shares (Zrt.), 03 the general partnership (Kkt.).
This code changes when the company changes form — for example a Bt. converting into a Kft. The company then receives a new registration number, and the old one remains in the company's history.
What it does not tell you
The serial number is not a nationwide founding order, only an order within one court, and neither the company's age, size nor condition can be inferred from it. A low number does not mean an old company; a high one does not mean a new one.
The registration number also does not reveal whether the company is operating. Through liquidation, voluntary dissolution or striking-off, the number stays the same.
Registration number and tax number
The two are not the same, and neither can be computed from the other. The tax number (adószám) has 11 digits, is issued by NAV, and is built differently: its middle digit is the VAT code and its last two name the competent tax directorate.
Company data can be searched by either, but the registration number is what the registry court uses.
Frequently asked questions
How many digits does a Hungarian registration number have?
Ten digits, in three blocks: two for the registry court, two for the company form, six for the serial number — for example 01-09-729429.
What does 01-09 at the start of a registration number mean?
01 denotes the Metropolitan Court of Budapest — a company seated in Budapest at registration — and 09 the limited liability company (Kft.) form. So it is a Budapest Kft.
Why doesn't the code match the company's current seat?
Because the first two digits record where the company was registered, not where its seat is now. For a company that moved to another county, the two can differ.
Are the registration number and the tax number the same?
No, and neither can be derived from the other. The registration number is issued by the registry court and has ten digits; the tax number by NAV, with eleven.