After the fall of communism in 1990, the Hungarian army and police units initiated a program to replace the PA-63 with pistols using the NATO-standard 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge, first the imported Jericho 941, followed by the domestically produced P9RC, but the PA-63 is still in service in Hungarian law enforcement. It has been largely phased out in Hungary, but due to the large number produced, they are a popular and affordable surplus firearm since they have begun to be imported to the west.