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Film tax incentives & cash rebates

Up to 37.5% cash rebate · Romania · Hungary · Serbia & Montenegro

Eastern Europe offers some of the most competitive film incentives in the world. We work across three core jurisdictions with published rates (Romania, Hungary and Serbia & Montenegro), plus partner companies in Georgia and Azerbaijan, and we handle the entire application process for you.

Romania and Hungary cover feature, episodic and documentary formats. Serbia is the only core jurisdiction whose incentive also covers commercials (at 20%); Montenegro rebates feature, TV and documentary at 25%.

Commercials & TVCs

Yes — Serbia offers a 20% cash rebate on commercials and TVCs, with a €150,000 minimum qualifying spend (feature and TV work rebates up to 30%). It is the only one of our three core jurisdictions whose incentive covers advertising work; Romania, Hungary and Montenegro cover feature, episodic and documentary formats only, not commercials.

Rebate vs tax credit

All three rebates are paid as direct cash to the production, not as a tax credit. No local tax liability or revenue history is required to collect — which is why Eastern Europe suits foreign productions with no local footprint.

Why Hungary reaches up to 37.5%

Hungary rebates 30% of qualifying spend — and up to 25% of that qualifying spend can be non-Hungarian (above-the-line and other foreign costs). That uplift lifts the effective rebate to up to 37.5% of your Hungarian spend. Feature films, TV films and series, documentaries and short films all qualify, and 50% of non-Hungarian cast and crew costs taxable in Hungary count as Hungarian spend too. Example: €1.000.000 Hungarian spend + €250.000 qualifying foreign spend = €1.250.000 basis × 30% = €375.000 back.

See the production services we manage and the filming locations each rebate applies to.

Rebate Calculator

Estimate your cash rebate across our three core jurisdictions. Actual amounts subject to qualifying expenditure and cultural test approval.

€500k
€50k€5M

Estimated Rebate

RomaniaPSN
Does not qualify

Romania's rebate covers feature films, documentaries & short films only

Hungary
Does not qualify

Hungary's rebate covers feature films, TV series, documentaries & short films only

Serbia & MontenegroPSN
€100k(20%)

Estimates based on published incentive rates. Actual rebate subject to cultural qualification test, eligible spend categories, and processing timelines. We handle the entire application.

Get exact figures →

Which formats qualify, by country

Only Serbia & Montenegro's incentive covers commercials. Romania and Hungary cover feature, episodic and documentary formats.

Format RomaniaHungarySerbia & Montenegro
Commercial ——✓
Feature Film ✓✓✓
TV Series —✓✓
Documentary ✓✓✓
Short Film ✓✓—

What that saves on a real budget

Three worked examples, each matched to a format the country actually rebates.

Romania

Worked example · Romania · €2.000.000 feature film

Shot in the UK

Above-the-line (director, DOP, agency) €600.000
Below-the-line (local crew, locations, equipment) €1.400.000
Cash rebate n/a
Net cost €2.000.000

Shot in Romania

Above-the-line (same director, DOP, agency) €600.000
Below-the-line (local crew, locations, equipment) (37% of UK) €520.000
30% cash rebate on Romanian spend −€156.000
Net cost €964.000

52% less than the equivalent UK production

Hungary

Worked example · Hungary · €2.500.000 feature film

Shot in the UK

Above-the-line (director, DOP, agency) €750.000
Below-the-line (local crew, locations, equipment) €1.750.000
Cash rebate n/a
Net cost €2.500.000

Shot in Hungary

Above-the-line (same director, DOP, agency) €750.000
Below-the-line (local crew, locations, equipment) (47% of UK) €822.000
Up to 37.5% cash rebate on qualifying spend −€308.000
Net cost €1.264.000

49% less than the equivalent UK production

Serbia

Worked example · Serbia · €500.000 commercial

Only one of the three that covers commercials

Shot in the UK

Above-the-line (director, DOP, agency) €150.000
Below-the-line (local crew, locations, equipment) €350.000
Cash rebate n/a
Net cost €500.000

Shot in Serbia

Above-the-line (same director, DOP, agency) €150.000
Below-the-line (local crew, locations, equipment) (30% of UK) €105.000
20% cash rebate on qualifying spend −€21.000
Net cost €234.000

53% less than the equivalent UK production

Indicative figures based on typical productions in each format. Actual saving varies by crew size and location mix. Above-the-line costs are assumed equal in both scenarios. Rebate applies to qualifying local expenditure only. Hungary's rebate is shown at its up-to-37.5% effective rate (30% of qualifying spend, which can include up to 25% foreign spend). Serbia's commercial rebate is shown at 20%; its feature and TV rebate runs 25–30%, and Montenegro rebates feature, TV and documentary at 25%.

Full comparison

CountryRebateQualifying formatsMin spendCapCultural testCash-backWe handle paperwork
Romania PSN 30% Feature, documentary, animation, short film €15,000 (short) – €100,000 (feature) €10M per project per year Required Yes ✓ Yes
Hungary Up to 37.5% Feature, TV, documentary, short film No stated minimum No stated cap Required Yes ✓ Yes
Serbia & Montenegro PSN Up to 30% Commercials (Serbia), feature, TV series, documentary €150,000 (commercials) · €300,000 (films) No stated cap Required Yes ✓ Yes

Not sure which country wins for your budget?

Send us the script, budget, and timeline. We'll model the incentive outcome across all three core jurisdictions and recommend the optimal country.

Get an incentive breakdown