Electronically signed auditor’s report became mandatory in Hungary

In relation to financial statements for the 2025 financial year, a significant regulatory change has entered into force concerning the signing and publication of auditor’s reports in Hungary. As a result of legislative amendments, only electronically signed auditor’s reports may be issued, and during the publication of the financial statements, this authenticated electronic document must be uploaded to the Hungarian system for electronic transmission of financial statements..

This requirement applies to all financial years starting on or after 1 January 2025.

New rules for issuing auditor's reports 

Based on the amendment to Act LXXV of 2007 on Auditing, effective from 1 January 2025, for financial years starting on or after this date, the following have become mandatory in Hungary:

•  the auditor’s report must be issued as an electronic document,

•  the document must bear a qualified electronic signature,

•  and a timestamp must be applied.

Accordingly, auditors may only issue auditor’s reports in PDF format authenticated with an electronic signature and timestamp.

The system for electronic transmission of financial statements also verifies electronic signatures

According to the information provided by the Chamber of Hungarian Auditors, verification of electronically signed auditor’s reports has been implemented in the Hungarian system for electronic transmission of financial statements.

In practice, this means that if the starting date of the financial year is 1 January 2025 or later, the portal for electronic transmission of financial statements will only accept auditor’s reports in electronically signed PDF format. If a non-authenticated document is uploaded, the system will issue a warning.

The purpose of the regulation is to ensure the authenticity and integrity of documents, as well as to standardize electronic administration in Hungary.

Practical implications for accountants and businesses 

One of the most important practical consequences of this change is that accountants and companies must no longer publish a simple, unsigned generated PDF document, but rather the certified electronic auditor’s report itself.

Accordingly, there is no need for a separate unsigned PDF, and in fact, only the authenticated electronic version may be used for publication.

Integrity of the electronic document is critical

The validity of an electronically signed auditor’s report may be compromised if:

•  the document is modified,

•  it is re-saved,

•  certain PDF editing software automatically rewrites the file.

Therefore, it is essential that the PDF file received from the auditor is uploaded unchanged into the Hungarian system for electronic transmission of financial statements.

Regulation is currently asymmetrical 

At the same time, the current regulatory environment in Hungary has resulted in an interesting professional inconsistency. While the legislator has made the use of authenticated electronic signatures and timestamps mandatory for auditor’s reports from the 2025 financial year onwards, the regulation still does not require electronic signatures on the client side for the audited annual financial statements themselves.

In practice, this means that one element of the audited financial reporting package – the auditor’s report – appears as a fully authenticated electronic document, while the annual financial statements themselves may not have the same level of electronic authentication.

From a professional perspective, this creates a form of asymmetrical approach regarding documents that are closely related both in substance and legally, and which together form the audited reporting package. This may indicate that, with the development of digital financial administration in Hungary, further fine-tuning of the regulatory framework can be expected, and in the longer term, the introduction of uniform electronic authentication for annual financial statements.

Which report is attached to paper-based financial statements? 

In the case of paper-based financial statements, it is important that the independent auditor’s report issued as an electronic document and bearing an electronic signature is also attached. This is achieved by the auditor printing the document and certifying it with an endorsement, thereby creating an authenticated paper-based version.

Summary

 In relation to the 2025 financial statements, a new era begins in the handling of auditor’s reports in Hungary. The electronically signed auditor’s report becomes a mandatory element of the financial reporting publication process.

This article is for general information purposes only and should not be considered as advice.