Information

 

On the Issuance of Film Permits for Filming at Public Areas

Please be informed that in accordance with the modified provisions of Chapter IV of the Act No. II of 2004 on Motion Picture (“the Film Act”) on the use of public areas and real estates owned by the state for film shooting as applicable from October 1, 2016, the Location Office Ltd.(hereinafter referred to as Location Office) will be in charge of the tasks related to procedures involving the use of public areas for film shooting purposes.

Detailed rules are set forth in the Government Decree on Using Public Areas for Film Shooting (302/2016. (X.13.), which is available on the official website of Location Office.

Applicable laws

  • Chapter IV of Act No. II of 2004 on Motion Picture (hereinafter referred to as “the Film Act”) on the use of public areas and real estate owned by the state for film shooting;
  • the Gov. Decree on the detailed rules of using public areas and real estate owned by the state for film shooting.

Filing of an application for obtaining a permit to use public areas for film shooting

Cinematographic creations shall mean any cinematographic creation as defined by the Act No. LXXVI of 1999 on Copyright (hereinafter referred to as “the Copyright Act”) including any cinematographic work created as a trailer of a game software available on any computerized or other surface, excluding news programs, TV magazine programs involving current affairs or information on topics of public interest, sportscasts, chat/talk shows, game shows and quiz shows as well as advertisement motion pictures falling within the scope of the Act on Essential Conditions of and Certain Limitations to Business Advertising Activity.

In case of the foregoing exceptions (i.e. news programs, TV magazine programs involving current affairs or information on topics of public interest, sportscasts, chat/talk shows, game shows and quiz shows as well as advertisement motion pictures falling within the scope of the Act on Essential Conditions of and Certain Limitations to Business Advertising Activity), no application is required to be filed with Location Office for obtaining a permit to use public areas for film shooting; we recommend that you directly contact the competent local government with matters involving the foregoing.

To be eligible to file an application to Location Office, you must be either a film producer or a film production company.

  • film producer shall mean any legal entity or business organization without legal personality initiating and organizing the creation of the cinematographic work in its own name by granting the financial funding thereof and holding the rights to exploit or sub-license the exploitation of the cinematographic creation;

  • film production company shall mean any legal entity or business organization without legal personality organizing the creation of a cinematographic work in accordance with a contract for the production of the film, provided that it is not considered as a film producer in respect of the subject film due to its above-described activities.

Filing of an application for obtaining a permit to use public areas for film shooting as well as official notifications related to such film shooting must be filed with Location Office at least 5 (in case of expedited procedure, 2) working days prior to the anticipated commencement of the shooting.

In respect of the area of the Capital City Budapest, a separate application form must be filed for each district involved.

Each application for obtaining a permit to use public areas for film shooting shall include the following documents as attachment.

  • Proof of payment of the administrative service fee; HUF 12,000 in case of an application involving normal procedure and HUF 55,000 for expedited procedure.

The fee is payable to Location Office, to the following bank account: 10300002-10703208-00024900; for identification purposes the description field of the transfer order must contain the date of the application, the name of the applicant, a reference to the area involved in the application, as well as the working title of the cinematographic creation.

  • In case of shooting of cinematographic creations serving the interests of the public (with topics involving education, science or dissemination of information; or works created within the framework of public higher education involving cinematic art), the document serving as a proof of the foregoing;
  • short description of the cinematographic creation (synopsis);
  • short description of the content of the scene to be shot;
  • if the application is being filed by a person other than the applicant’s legal representative, an authorization (power of attorney) given to the latter;
  • 1:1000 or 1:500 scale traffic layout as a site layout accurately indicating the location (of the shooting).

The traffic layouts required for the procedure are available free of charge at the topographical bureau [“térképészeti iroda”] of Budapest Közút Zrt. [the company in charge of operating and maintaining the roads of Budapest] at the following address.

Issuance of copies of maps involving traffic layout

Address: 8-12 Bánk Bán Street, H-1115 Budapest

Telephone: +36 1 776 6103

Email: ugyfelszolgalat@budapestkozut.hu

Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Fridays, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Attachments may be filed either in .pdf or .doc format.

Applications shall be filed together with the attachments either electronically, by sending them to kozteruleti.iroda@filmlocation.hu or delivered in person to the following address, 174 Róna Street, H-1145 Budapest.

For the purposes of obtaining a traffic engineering expert opinion, site layouts attached to filed applications will be transmitted to Budapesti Közlekedési Központ Zrt. [Centre for Budapest Transport] where areas of the capital city are involved, or to the competent entity responsible for the management of public road infrastructure where the rest of the country is concerned.

The metropolitan or county police departments will also receive the applications for information purposes.

Calculation of the applicable fees payable for using public areas (due to the owner) for each locality part or category shall form part of the contract concluded with the competent authorities.

Delivery of the final contracts with the competent authorities will take place during office hours, directly to the legal representative of the applicant company or a person authorized to proceed in the matters concerned.

Location Office will be responsible for transmitting the applications for permit to use public areas involving state owned real estate (except for locations classified as high priority national monuments) to the property manager.

The following additional procedures related to film shooting may also be initiated with Location Office.

  • Issuance of vehicle passes;
  • procedure for the issuance of the approval of the manager of a public road;
  • procedures for the issuance of permits authorizing switching off of decorative streetlights / streetlights;
  • application for services of the police involving detouring traffic and securing locations;
  • police permit on the use of weapons designed for theatrical use (Paragraph (3) Section 35 of the Film Act);
  • procedures involving film shooting at protected natural areas of local significance (Paragraph (4) Section 35 of the Film Act).

Applications for initiating other procedures will be transmitted by Location Office to the competent bodies responsible for the specific area for enabling these to take the necessary measures.