Extraordinary truck traffic ban in Hungary. UEFA Champions League final is the reason

On 30 May 2026, Hungary will introduce an additional, extraordinary traffic ban for trucks over 7.5 tonnes. The restrictions are connected with the UEFA Champions League football final, which will take place in Budapest and is expected to attract more than 100,000 fans from across Europe.

Following consultations with the police, the Hungarian Ministry of Transport decided to introduce the exceptional truck traffic ban due to the expected heavy traffic around Budapest, as well as on motorways and expressways across the country.

The new restrictions will also apply on Saturday, 30 May, which is an important change for carriers operating international transport through Hungary. The Saturday ban was introduced suddenly and unexpectedly. The original schedule provided only for the standard ban from Saturday, 30 May, from 22:00 to midnight, and then from Sunday, 31 May, from 00:00 to 22:00. An additional restriction has now been added, starting on Saturday morning.

The current ban schedule is as follows:
• 30 May 2026, Saturday, from 05:00 to 17:00
• then again from 30 May at 22:00 until 31 May, Sunday, at 22:00

The restrictions apply to all domestic and international heavy goods vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of over 7.5 tonnes, regardless of their EURO emission standard. Hungarian transport organisations MKFE and NiT Hungary have criticised the authorities’ decision, pointing out that the sudden introduction of the additional ban may lead to serious logistical problems, delivery delays and disruptions to the working schedules of drivers and dispatchers.

The ban will not apply, among others, to transports of:
• live animals,
• fresh milk and dairy products,
• fresh and frozen meat,
• bread,
• perishable food products,
• fresh vegetables and fruit,
• grain,
• humanitarian aid.

In the case of transporting perishable goods, the transport document must include the marking “perishable”, and the vehicle should be properly marked in accordance with Hungarian regulations. An additional difficulty for carriers is that, outside July and August, the rules do not allow trucks to return during the ban from the border to their base or to the nearest place of unloading.