A new official electronic register for general power of attorney has been established and is operating from 1 January 2018. The general POAs can be submitted in civil litigation and non-contentious cases and in administrative court procedures. The registration must be initiated at the competent regional courts. The register is not public, however it is available free of charge to the courts and other authorities, as well as to the parties concerned. The register is maintained by the National Office for the Judiciary (in Hungarian: “OBH”).
The new register means good news especially in mass litigation cases like FX loan matters, where the register will probably ease the administrative burden of the representatives. Until 1 January 2018, no central register was maintained, therefore, the courts requested the representatives to prove in each individual case that they have registered their general POAs, and the information on the registered general POAs was not available even to the judges themselves.
By Tamas Virag, Attorney at Law, KCG Partners Law Firm