The importance of international family law

It is crucial to know the importance of the international aspects of family law first. Almost all aspects of family law have some kind of international relevance: the conclusion and termination of the marriage (divorce), moving to a different country, raising the child in multiple states or adopting children from abroad all bear international importance. Such cases become even more complex when the spouses themselves are of different nationalities. More international marriages mean more international divorces, which may result in a lot of legal and technical difficulties.

International marriage

Marrying a spouse with a different nationality is an old and tried legal process, ever since the beginning of the 20th century. There are a number of international agreements which aim to settle the question of the applicable law for international marriages and family law cases. One of the most important documents is the so-called Brussels IIA regulation, which regulates the applicable law for marriage and parental guidance. The agreement regulating the applicable law for international divorces is the so-called Rome III regulation. It is important to note however that this document only covers the applicable law relevant for the given divorce proceedings, and does not include rules for other questions (like the validity of the marriage etc.)

Where can I file the divorce?

As a general rule, the law of the country of the spouses’ autonomy is to be applied for the divorce proceedings. According to this rule, the spouses who wish to divoce may choose either of the below options:

1. the law of the country where the common domicile of the spouses is located;

2. the law of the country where the spouses’ last common domicile was located, provided that at least one of the spouses still lives in that country;

3. the law of either of the spouses’ home country (nationality); or

4. in case none of the above is applicable, the spouses may choose the law of the court to which they filed the divorce papers (lex fori).

In order for the spouses to be able to choose the optimal law, the European Union has created an online, freely accessible informational network, with which the spouses may compare jurisdictions.

What happens if no jurisdiction is chosen?

In order to prevent one of the spouses from choosing the applicable law at their sole discretion, the regulation introduced rules that aim to provide the spouses with a neutral applicable law. Therefore, the applicable law for the divorce is to be decided as described below:

1. The law of the country where the spouses common domicile is located at the time of filing the divorce papers;

2. the law of the country where the spouses’ last common domicile was located in the last 1 year prior to filing the divorce papers, provided that at least one of the spouses still lives in that country;

3. the law of the spouses’ common nationality at the time of filing the divorce papers;

4. in case none of the above is applicable, the spouses may choose the law of the court to which they filed the divorce papers (lex fori).

Did you know?

A final divorce in either of the European Union’s member countries is recognized automatically by all other EU countries, with the only exception being Denmark. Denmark has opted out from the international divorce rules of the EU.

Refusal to apply the law chosen by the spouses

In the following cases the regulation allows for the refusal to apply the law chosen by the spouses: in case where application fo the law chosen by the spouses is obviously incompatible with the laws of the court’s country, or in the event that the court’s country does not consider the given marriage as valid (for example in cases where the court’s country does not recognize the marriage between same-sex couples).

How are international divorce procedures performed in Hungary?

According to Hungarian law, and especially act 28 of 2017 on international private law (the Codex), before proceeding with the divorce the Hungarian court must first investigate whether either of the above reasons for refusal may be applicable. Also, the court checks the spouses’ nationality, and if the spouses are of different nationalities, but at least one of the spouses is a Hungarian citizen, the court will automatically apply Hungarian law for the divorce procedure. As more and more Hungarian citizens are involved in international divorce procedures in Hungary, this rule is being used ever so often.

Should you have any questions regarding divorce proceedings in Hungary, or should you require legal help in family cases, feel free to contact us!

Government Decree No. 415/2025 (XII. 23.) on the amendment of consumer protection–related government decrees with a view to ensuring a higher level of consumer protection introduces substantial changes in the field of consumer protection as of 2026.

In this article, we briefly summarise those amendments which will be perceptible to consumers in everyday life and may be of particular practical importance from 2026 onwards.

Government Decree No. 415/2025 (XII. 23.) amends a total of six government decrees related to consumer protection.
The objectives of the amendments are, on the one hand, to strengthen consumer protection and, on the other hand, to reduce the administrative burden on businesses, while also ensuring compliance with EU law and legal harmonisation.

Government Decree No. 448/2025 (XII. 29.) amends Government Decree No. 327/2015 (XI. 10.) on the detailed rules of professional practice related to surveying and cartographic activities for non-cadastral purposes by introducing a new concept and new rules. These amendments will enter into force on 14 January 2026.

The most significant change is the introduction of the concept of the planning base map, the preparation of which now mandatorily requires the setting out of the property boundary.

In practice, the new regulation aims to ensure more uniform, more accurate and, from the perspective of the planning process, more reliable base maps, which may help prevent future conflicts and legal disputes. At the same time, the additional requirements are likely to slow down procedures and increase costs, and stakeholders should be prepared for this impact.

What Do Carriers and Affected Businesses Need to Know?

On 23 December 2025, two new pieces of legislation affecting public roads and freight traffic were promulgated, both of which entered into force on 1 January 2026. The primary objective of the new regulatory framework is to ensure that international and domestic transit traffic is conducted along uniform, legally designated routes, primarily using high-capacity dual-carriageway (2×2 lane) road networks. The regulation serves both to enhance road safety and to reduce the burden on residential areas and secondary roads.

The two relevant legal instruments are: 

• Decree No. 44/2025 (XII. 23.) of the Ministry of Construction and Transport (ÉKM), aimed at defining the Hungarian sections of the transit route network; and

• Government Decree No. 439/2025 (XII. 23.), aimed at curbing freight traffic diverted from expressways.

Opinion leaders, commonly referred to as influencers, have become key actors in modern communication as a result of the rapid expansion of the internet and social media.
The development of digital technologies, the widespread use of smartphones, and the global proliferation of social media platforms—such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch—have fundamentally transformed users’ content consumption habits, as well as their entertainment and purchasing behaviours. As a consequence, influencer marketing has emerged as one of the most significant and fastest-growing tools of the modern advertising market.

By way of an interesting observation, it should be noted that, from a legal perspective, the category of influencers is not limited to natural persons acting as opinion leaders. An influencer may also include a CGI or deepfake character, an animal, or even an object.

The rapid growth of this phenomenon and the intermingling of personal and commercial content on social media platforms primarily justify the need for regulation in this field. For consumers—particularly audiences younger or older than the average user—it is often not clear whether an influencer’s recommendation is based on a paid collaboration, the provision of a gifted product, or another form of material interest.

The Hungarian Civil Code recognises the existence of a domestic partnership in two distinct forms. It sets forth the institution of marriage, which several legal scholars have described in elevated terms as an “emotional and economic alliance,” and it also provides for the possibility of living together without entering into marriage, in the form of a cohabitation (élettársi kapcsolat). The law strictly characterises this latter form as an obligational legal relationship, regulated under Title XXV of the Book on the Law of Contracts.