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Good afternoon everyone.Apologies that for my first ever post the topic is a rather sombre one.My grandparents cemetery plots have been active since 2000 and there was a 25 year lease which is now very near expiry. (June 2025) Last June I sadly lost my father and he was the owner of the lease. I visited the cemetery last summer and hoped to pay the fee to extend the plot for at least another 25 years. I took my father's death certificate which they took a copy of but advised that I couldn't extend the lease as it's not in my name. My translation skills are not so good but I believe that I would need to have some documents translated from English to Hungarian to prove the family bloodline and for this I need to make an appointment at the Hungarian embassy in London. Do I need to have my fathers will and testament translated also as evidence?If anyone has any experience of this process or is able to offer any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.Rich. - @richbliha

That doesn't sound right.   

My MIL departed this earth last December and I don't think there was any trouble about ownership of any of the historical plots.  At least no-one said they want to remove them.  I don't think anyone cares that much.  We did get a note from graves people in one village that the lease will expire.  Now we need to decide who in the family wants to take on responsibility for it.

Don't you have a HU passport?  Surely you'll inherit the responsibility for your Dad's affairs as his survivor.  That's obviously the case. 

We have had problems with stupid stuff like the cable TV and  phone line at the MIL's place but showing the death certificate was enough to get those things disconnected.  It's all a bit daft.  Who are they going to chase about it?

Actual property in the form of the MIL's house just gets transferred at the local government.  Mrs F's going through it right now.

She's not in at the moment but when she comes back I'll ask her about graves.  Maybe you just need to take out new leases on the same plots.

Thank you for the reply.

What I have learned is that in Hungary rarely is anything straight forward.

Dad left Hungary in 56 like many others at that time and eventually ended up in the UK.

I was born in the UK so have a British passport and unfortunately do not have a native tongue.

The lady at the cemetery office was a 'pencil pusher' as my cousin would say. I was ready on the spot to make a payment but she wouldn't accept it I mean that would be too simple I guess.

If you do find out any other information please do let me know.

Ok, Mrs Fluffy is back and told me you were being spun a load of old tosh. 

Anyone can pay for the lease of the grave.  They should not care who you are either and it's simple rubbish about whose name is on any paper. 

After all it's money in their account.  Mrs F says 30K HUF for 10 years, 50K HUF for 25 years. Typical prices. 

The actual amounts are set by the graveyard and it's nothing to do with the local government.  In our case, we've just found out TWO family members paid for one of the graves at the same time.  Now one of them wants the money back!  Good luck with that!

It sounds like the person was doing old school Hungarian obstruction.  Unfortunately this still happens here.  It's very annoying.  What they want is for the person in front of them to go away.  If you go, then it's job done as far as they are concerned.  I thought we'd be over that stuff but it seems there are a few left.

If you PM me, Mrs F says she  will call the cemetery and ask them what  the story is.    We need any plot numbers or identifying inscriptions etc - if there are any. 

BTW, best to get your HU passport.  You're entitled and if you have kids, so are they.  Our kids are dual nationals. I insist on them having both UK and HU passports valid at the same time.

OK, in true HU style, we have different stories about your grave plot.  Typical stuff.

So as follows:

1) All the cemeteries have their own rules

2) If you do not have proof that you are the inheritor, then you cannot pay for it.

BUT

3) if the grave lease expired 2 years ago (OK, not your case), anyone can pay for it, even just some random person, including you regardless of your inheritance situation. 

4) If  you pay after 2 years expiry,  you can own the contract but from your OP, we'd be talking June 2027 before you can take it over without any additional paperwork. 

5) Looks like no-one will disturb the grave for at least 2 years after expiry, so you have plenty of time.

Update:

We've just come back from a Biatorbagy cemetery where we renewed an ancient relative's grave. 

It was in my FIL's name but as he's dead and it had expired already we renewed it in Mrs F's name for 10 years (until 2035) and for the princely sum of 16K HUF.    The sum will be split between 5 people with Mrs F as the coordinator.  We had to go to the local priest's office and pay there. They gave us a contract and a bill.     

Some relatives declined to participate as that particular person died in about 1946 and was treated very badly, even ostracised, by the wider family.   He was quite a character apparently and lived a hedonistic lifestyle. There are admirers in the family including one particular cousin who wants to go into the same grave.  I can see the attraction of going in with the odd ball cum independent thinker.