Under Article 6(3) of the Hungarian Constitution, “The Republic of Hungary bears a sense of responsibility for the fate of Hungarians living outside its borders and shall promote and foster their relations with Hungary.” Over the past 20 years, Hungarians living around the world and in the Carpathian Basin formulated the need, from time to time, for a simplified naturalization procedure similar to the practice of other countries as a significant assistance in maintaining relations with Hungary and preserving their Hungarian identity.

On 26 May 2010, the Hungarian National Assembly approved with an overwhelming majority the amendment of Act LV of 1993 on Hungarian citizenship and introduced a simplified naturalization procedure.

Every state is free to decide whom it accepts as a citizen, thus this amendment does not violate any international law and fully complies with the European Convention on Nationality passed by the Council of Europe in 1997.

The arrangement introduced by this amendment is familiar and applied increasingly frequently in various countries both in and outside the European Union.

The pre-amendment version of the Hungarian Citizenship Act also granted preferential acquisition of Hungarian citizenship. As has been the case so far, the procedure shall commence upon individual request, with Hungarian authorities processing each application in the context of a well-regulated procedure.

This new regulation has simplified the procedure and reduced the administrative burden. Every non-Hungarian citizen is eligible for preferential naturalization if:

• he or she or any of their ancestors was a Hungarian citizen or if he or she serves reason to believe his or her origin is from Hungary,
• he or she proves their knowledge of the Hungarian language, has no criminal record and is not under prosecution, and naturalization does not violate the public and national security of Hungary.

Simplified naturalization does not mean that a citizen automatically becomes an elector.
Suffrage is subject to a registered residence in Hungary. The simplified procedure does not automatically provide a Hungarian passport; if desired every citizen must apply for a passport in the appropriate procedure after the acquisition of citizenship. Simplified naturalization is merely a possibility. To apply for citizenship is a matter of individual discretion.

Applications for naturalization may be filed with any Hungarian registrar, any regional directorate of the Office of Immigration and Naturalization, or any Consular officer at Hungary’s foreign diplomatic missions. Applications shall be adjudged by the President of the Republic on the recommendation of the Minister of Public Administration and Justice.

Please note that this is for your information only. For detailed and updated information please check http://www.allampolgarsag.gov.hu/.