There must be a catch … surely?

Well, yes there is! If you prove that you have Hungarian Ancestory or that you originally had roots in Hungary, no criminal record or impending prosecutions and do not pose a threat to the security of Hungary then you are well on the way to Hungarian citizenship. All you then need is to prove a basic communication level in the Hungarian language.

This is not quite as easy as it sounds. At your application interview, you must be able to answer the interviewing officer in short Hungarian sentences and not rely on any assistance from a third party when making your application. Fail to do so means your application will be rejected!

Even if you do not fufilfulfill all the procedures outlined above (with the exception of the language fluency requirement) the door still may be open! If you have been married to a Hungarian partner for 10 years (or 5 years if have had children together) then you can still apply for citizenship. The place where the marriage took place is unimportant but one partner must be Hungarian by birth.

As with any official procedure you must allow plenty of time for the process to be completed before your citizenship is approved. Six months is the average time for most applications.

Once you have got the go-ahead, you have 12 month in which to take the vow of alliegence, either in Hungary or at one of the Hungarian Embassies throughout the world. Miss the deadline and the whole procedure wilwill have to be undergone again!

Dr. Szegő Judit Law Firm’s activities cover the whole area of civil law, including the following areas: company law, property law, family law, labour law, inheritance law, and litigation. Furthermore the office has wide experience in representing foreign investors in Hungary with full authority in English and German.

H-1026 Budapest, Gábor Áron köz 6. fszt. 1.
Phone: +36-1-7863-156
Mobile: +36-30-9-896-046
Facsimile: +36-1-7858-939
Website: www.drszegojudit.hu

Proofread by Paul St. Pierre