There are numerous types of citizenship applications. The two most common are the following:
(1) Verification of citizenship – This is for those with Hungarian ancestors, whose citizenship was never revoked/renounced and consequently it can be assumed that the applicant is Hungarian by descent. A classical example would be descendants of Hungarians who emigrated to the US, UK or Australia in 1956. Since these applicants are most probably Hungarian by descent, there is no legal requirement to speak Hungarian.
(2) Simplified naturalization – This is most common for two types of applicants. The one kind is applicants with Hungarian ancestors who at some point lost their Hungarian citizenship due to territorial changes after WW1 and WW2. The other kind is applicants with no Hungarian ancestry who have been married to a Hungarian citizen for at least 10 years or only 5 years if they have children together. In both cases, speaking Hungarian on an intermediate level is required by law – verbal and written skills will be tested.
These applications are usually very complex, unique applications where just one tiny circumstance may change the entire trajectory of the application. Thus, before booking an appointment, you are strongly advised to contact us at consulate.abu@mfa.gov.hu to seek guidance. Make sure to include the following in your enquiry:
- Who was/is Hungarian in your family?
- Where and when was this particular ancestor born? > make sure you provide a complete list from your ancestor to you, including everyone’s POB, DOB & place and date of marriage (e.g. if your maternal grandfather was Hungarian, you need to provide your grandfather’s POB and DOB, time and place of your grandparents’ marriage, your mother’s POB and DOB, time and place of your parents’ marriage, and your POB, DOB)
- When did your Hungarian ancestor leave the territory of Hungary?
- Were your parents married at the time you were born? If so, where and when did they get married?
- What’s your marrital status (unmarried, married, divorced, widowed)? > please list time and place of all marriages/divorces
- Have you ever changed your name (due to a marriage or with a deed poll)?
- Do you have any children under 18? If so, where and when were they born?