Film production in Hungary
Hungary is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 7h 29min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Shooting hours in Budapest across the year
Budapest is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (47.4979, 19.0402) in the Europe/Budapest timezone.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:28 | 16:20 | 8h 52min | 15:30 |
| February | 06:51 | 17:07 | 10h 16min | 16:23 |
| March | 05:58 | 17:49 | 11h 51min | 17:08 |
| April | 05:56 | 19:33 | 13h 36min | 18:51 |
| May | 05:08 | 20:14 | 15h 06min | 19:29 |
| June | 04:47 | 20:43 | 15h 57min | 19:55 |
| July | 05:02 | 20:38 | 15h 36min | 19:52 |
| August | 05:40 | 19:58 | 14h 18min | 19:16 |
| September | 06:22 | 18:59 | 12h 37min | 18:18 |
| October | 07:03 | 17:58 | 10h 56min | 17:16 |
| November | 06:49 | 16:10 | 9h 21min | 15:22 |
| December | 07:26 | 15:54 | 8h 28min | 15:01 |
What that means for planning
In Budapest, daylight swings by 7h 29min across the year. A schedule built around 15h 57min in June has only 8h 28min left in December — with the same setup count.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Budapest sets at 15:54, with golden hour starting as early as 15:01. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Film incentives and rebates
Hungary refunds 30 % of eligible spend — one of Central Europe's most established hubs. Budapest doubles for Paris, Berlin and Moscow; Origo and Korda Studios plus seasoned English-speaking crews make Hungary Central Europe's busiest service hub.
What that means in practice depends on the qualifying share: on a €1m budget with 80 % qualifying spend, the 30 % rate returns roughly €240,000. Provided without warranty. Permit and incentive conditions change; the responsible authority is always the binding source.
As of: 2025-01 · Source: nfi.hu
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in Hungary are covered here?
1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Hungary has the longest shooting days?
In June, Budapest with 15h 57min of daylight. In December that drops to 8h 28min.
When is the best time to shoot in Hungary?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.