A gas fitter or gas appliance repair person (hereinafter jointly: gas fitter) is the person who is engaged in the installation of connection lines and consumer appliances and the installation inspection and periodical testing with respect to safety requirements according to the law on natural gas provision. The service activities include the following sub-activities: installation, placing into service and maintenance as well as troubleshooting and elimination of problems for connection lines and consumer appliances,

1. installation, placing into service and maintenance as well as troubleshooting and elimination of problems for consumer appliances,
2. technical safety inspection of connection lines and consumer appliances.

Each of the three different sub-activity groups above requires compliance with different material law requirements and consequently licences with different content.

Gas fitting belongs to the sector of special vocational qualifications 43 in the Standard Classification of Economic Activities (TEÁOR'08), within which it belongs to sub-sector 43.2. Building equipment installation and sub-category 43.22 Water, gas, heating and air conditioning installation.

The manufacturer or the gas fitter authorised by the manufacturer who has the qualifications and certifications designated below is entitled to place gas consumer appliances into service.

The gas fitter who has the qualifications and certification designated below and meets the requirements specified for the technology used shall be entitled to install the connection and consumer lines.

These activities can also be performed by those with the certification of an engineer (university degree) or an engineer (college degree) with this specialisation obtained under the Act on Higher Education. See Government Decree No. 289/2005. (XII. 22.) Korm. on bachelor’s and master’s degree training courses in higher education and the system of procedures for commencing specialisation courses for the designation of university and college faculties.

Qualifications and certifications required for commencing the sub-activity of installation, placing into service and maintenance as well as troubleshooting and elimination of problems for connection lines and consumer appliances

1. master’s examination for gas line and appliance fitters, even without practical experience,
2. building equipment engineer, gas industry engineer, mechanical engineer for the chemical industry, special engineer for the gas industry, building equipment process engineer or gas supply specialist process engineer and specialisation in the installation of gas consumer appliances and pipe networks, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience, or
3. building equipment technician or gas industry technician and specialisation in the installation of gas consumer appliances and pipe networks, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience.

Qualifications and certifications required for commencing the sub-activity of installation, placing into service and maintenance as well as troubleshooting and elimination of problems for consumer appliances

1. master’s examination for a gas and oil combustion equipment fitter or master’s examination for gas pipeline and appliance fitter, even without practical experience,
2. building equipment engineer, gas industry engineer, mechanical engineer for the chemical industry, special engineer for the gas industry, building equipment process engineer or gas supply specialist process engineer, and specialisation as a gas and combustion technology mechanic, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience,
3. building equipment engineer, gas industry engineer, mechanical engineer for the chemical industry, special engineer for the gas industry, building equipment process engineer or gas supply specialist process engineer, and specialisation in the installation of gas consumer appliances and pipeline fitting, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience,
4. building equipment technician or gas industry technician, and specialisation as a gas and combustion technology mechanic, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience, or
5. building equipment technician or gas industry technician, and specialisation as a gas consumer appliance and pipeline fitter, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience.

Qualifications and certifications required for commencing the sub-activity of technical safety inspection of connection lines and consumer appliances

1. master’s examination as a gas line and appliance fitter, and specialised qualification for technical safety inspection in the gas industry, even without practical experience,
2. master’s examination for fitting and placing gas and oil combustion equipment into service, and specialised qualification for technical safety inspection in the gas industry, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience,
3. building equipment engineer, gas industry engineer, mechanical engineer for the chemical industry, special engineer for the gas industry, building engineering process engineer or specialised gas industry process engineer, and specialised qualification for technical safety inspection in the gas industry, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience, or
4. building equipment technician or gas industry technician, and specialised qualification for technical safety inspection in the gas industry, and a minimum 3 years of practical experience,
5. a professional having qualifications as a design and consulting expert included in the official public register of the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers (starting with the letters G or GO), even without practical experience.

If the applicant intends to commence the activities later than 5 years from the date of obtaining the qualifications above, he/she shall also attend a continuing training programme – of a minimum of 20 hours – before doing so. The compulsory modules of the continuing education:

1. changes in the legal regulations applicable to gas connections and consumer appliances,
2. modern skills of operation, maintenance and technical safety inspection.

The list of institutions engaged in adult education and offering continuing training courses in gas fitting is published for information on the website of the Ministry by the Minister of National Development.

Procedures connected to the commencement and continuation of the service activities

 With respect to gas fitting activities, the authority with jurisdiction shall be the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and the county government office.

For pursuing the activities of installation of connection lines and consumer appliances and the installation and periodical inspection activities concerning the safety specifications (gas fitting, repair of gas appliances) the licence issued by the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government offices.

The application for a gas fitter’s licence shall be submitted in writing using the form issued by the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government offices. At this time, it is not possible to initiate the process electronically. Click here for the form. The following documents shall be attached to the application:

1. vocational qualification certification or an authentic copy of it,
2. documents certifying professional experience in the trade,
3. if the application is for extending the licence or the application is submitted later than 5 years after the date of obtaining the vocational qualification, the document certifying participation in the continuing training of gas fitters, and
4. three ID photographs.

The application shall be judged by the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government offices within the general administration deadline of 30 days. This deadline can be extended by the head of the authority by 30 days on one occasion.

If both the application and the gas fitter meet the legal conditions, the authority will issue the licence for the gas fitter. Simultaneously with the issuance of the licence, the authority issues ex officio a certificate.

An administrative service fee of HUF 7,500 shall be paid for the licensing procedure – also including the procedure for amending or extending the licence – to the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government offices. The obligation for the payment of the fee can be fulfilled in the following manner:

1. cash payment to the payment account (cash transfer order), or
2. transfer order between payment accounts (transfer order)

to the payment account No. 10032000-00282448-00000000 held by the Hungarian State Treasury.

Cash transfer by means of a domestic postal money order, without a payment invoice, shall not be accepted.

The licensed gas fitters shall be entered into the register of the genuine public authority by the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government office when the licence is issued.

Any change in the data included in the register of gas fitters shall be reported and verified by the gas fitter within 15 days to the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government office. The changes in the data shall be entered by the authority onto the register based upon the report. An administrative service fee of HUF 7,500 shall be paid for the procedure of entering the changes. The procedure already described shall apply to the payment of the fee.

If the gas fitter intends to discontinue his trade activities, he/she shall report this to the metrological and technical safety authority of the metropolitan and county government office within 15 days – in conjunction with handing in the certificate.

Pursuing the gas fitting activities in the framework of a cross-border service

A person settled in another Member State (EU, EEA) lawfully engaged in a service activity practicing a profession defined therein (hereinafter: the gas fitter with free right to provide services) shall announce to the Hungarian Trade Licensing Office before starting his/her activities for the first time his/her intention to conduct gas fitting activities in the framework cross-border services.

If the gas fitting activity is not a regulated profession in the Member State of settlement, the gas fitter with the free right of providing services can only conduct the cross-border activity if he/she was lawfully engaged in gas fitting activities for a minimum 2 years during the ten years preceding the provision of service, except if in the Member State of settlement the training performed by the gas fitter for exercising the trade is regarded as training according to regulations.

The gas fitter with the free right of providing services shall use his/her professional title assigned to the specific trade in the Member State in accordance with settlement, in the official language of the Member State of settlement. If no professional title is assigned to the gas fitting trade in the Member State in accordance with the settlement of the service provider, the service provider can pursue the activities by using the title in the foreign language certified by the document certifying the successful completion of the training.

If the gas fitting service is provided by means of using the professional title of the Member State in accordance with settlement, or is verified by a document certifying the successful completion of training, the service provider shall also inform the user of the service about the data as follows:

1. if the service provider is included in a corporate register or a comparable public register, the name of the register in which he is entered, with the number of entry or the ID included in the applicable register,
2. if the activity of the service provider is subject to a licence in the Member State of settlement, the name and address of the supervisory authority with jurisdiction,
3. denomination of the trade association or an equivalent body, which registered the service provider,
4. the professional title of the service provider or, if no such title exists in the Member State of settlement, then the title of the service provider verified by the document certifying the successful completion of training and the name of the Member State in which this qualification was obtained,
5. if the service provider conducts an activity subject to value-added tax, the value-added tax ID number defined in (22) (1) of the Directive of the European Council on the harmonisation of legislation of the Member States concerning sales taxes and data of the service provider related to his/her insurance policy for professional liability, and any other individual or collective protection.

Announcement and preliminary supervision of cross-border services

The service provider can start the gas fitting service activities only after obtaining a licence from the authority in charge of preliminary supervision, following the checking of the professional qualifications of the service provider based on the report.

The report can be made by the gas fitter in writing or in person, orally. For technical reasons, electronic reporting is not possible (Form). The report of the gas fitter shall include the following data:

1. name of gas fitter,
2. address of gas fitter, its headquarters in case of an organisation,
3. designation of the service activity to be pursued (gas fitting),
4. citizenship of the service provider, in case of a legal entity registered in another EEA State, or an organisation having no legal personality, the designation of the register of the EEA State according to the registration, and the registration number of the service provider,
5. designation of the EEA State in accordance with the place of settlement of the service provider,
6. the statement of the service provider that he/she intends to carry on the activity in the framework of cross-border services, and
7. the designation of the authority issuing the licence or maintaining the register and the number or registration number of the service provider’s licence, if the service activities of the service provider are subject to a licence or registration in the EEA State in accordance with the place of settlement of the service provider,
8. the statement of the service provider about the availability of an adequate professional security, the name of organisation providing the professional security and the data necessary for the identification of the contract stipulating the professional security, the risks covered by the professional security, the territorial scope of the security and the amount of the professional security or the upper limit of the guarantee included therein,
9. the duration of providing services planned for the subject calendar year,
10. the professional title intended for use in Hungary while providing the service,
11. information about the duration and content of training under which the certificate verifying the successful completion of training was issued,
12. if professional experience has been obtained, information about the professional experience, and
13. if professional continuing training has been completed after obtaining the document certifying the successful completion of training, then information about the professional continuing training.

The following documents shall be attached to the report by the gas fitter:

1. copy of the public document confirming citizenship,
2. copy and authentic translation of the document, which certifies that he/she is entitled to practice the specific profession as a settler in a Member State,
3. Authentic copies and authentic translations of documents of the service provider certifying the successful completion of his/her training, which prepared him/her for providing services in his/her Member State,
4. if the gas fitting profession is not a regulated trade in the Member State of settlement of the gas service provider, the authentic copy and authentic translation of the document that certifies that the service provider has practiced the specific profession for at least 2 years in the course of the ten years preceding the submission of the report in the Member State of settlement.

If the gas fitting activity is not actually conducted by the service provider himself, then the data shall be reported with respect to the person actually engaged in the service activities and the preliminary supervision shall also be conducted with respect to the professional qualification of that person.

Cross-border service provision

If you wish to launch this service in the form of cross-border service provision, please click here to read the general conditions of cross-border service provision in Hungary.

Legal regulations applicable to the service activities and the procedures

1. Act XL of 2008 on natural gas provision, 
2. Decree No. 30/2009. (XI. 26.) NFGM on licensing and registering gas fitters, 
3. Government Decree No. 320/2010. (XII. 27.) on the Hungarian Trade Licensing Office and the regional metrological and technical supervisory authorities, 
4. Decree No. 20/2010. (XII. 31.) NGM on the administrative service fees to be paid for the technical safety procedures of the Hungarian Trade Licensing Office and of the building authority procedures assigned to its jurisdiction, 
5. Act LXXVI of 2009 on the general rules for commencing and continuing service activities, 
6. Act C of 2001 on recognising foreign certificates and diplomas, 
7. Act CXL of 2004 on the general rules of official public administrative procedures and services,
8. Government Decree No. 289/2005. (XII. 22.) on the bachelor’s and master’s degree training in higher education and the procedural order of starting specialised courses.