Application for Verification of Hungarian Citizenship

Who can apply for verification of Hungarian citizenship?

Please consult our general information page on Hungarian citizenship to determine whether this is the appropriate procedure in your case.

Where can I submit my application?

You may submit your application at the consular office of any Hungarian Embassy or at any Government Office (kormányablak) in Hungary. It is advisable to submit your application at the office closest to your place of residence.

The information below applies to applications submitted at the Consular Office in London. If you intend to submit your application at another consular office or at a Government Office in Hungary, please contact the relevant office.

A citizenship application can only be submitted in person and by prior appointment. You can book an appointment at the following website:

https://konzinfobooking.mfa.gov.hu/home

When booking, select `Citizenship applications` (“Állampolgársági ügyek”) as the type of service. This is a complex procedure, so you do not need to book a separate appointment for the civil registration procedures.

Please make sure to enter the correct number of applicants!

If, during the booking process, you receive the message `We would like to inform you that there are currently no available appointments` this means that all appointments are currently booked. Please check regularly for available appointments, as new appointments become available every day. We are unable to respond to enquiries regarding appointment bookings.

Applicants who have reached the age of 14 (minors with limited legal capacity) are also required to appear in person. In case of a child under the age of 14 (without legal capacity), the parent/legal representative acts on the child's behalf, and the child's presence is not required.

When submitting the application, the identity of the applicant(s) must be verified using a valid identity document.

How much is the application fee?

Information about our current consular fees and methods of payment is available on our website:

Consular fees – London

How long does the procedure take?

The average processing time for citizenship applications is 8–12 months, although it may take longer.

The Consular Office receives the applications and forwards them to the competent Hungarian authority. Accordingly, we are unable to provide information on the status of pending cases and cannot respond to enquiries concerning the progress of individual applications.

Which forms do I need to complete?

You must complete the forms entitled `Form for Certificate of Citizenship` (“Állampolgársági bizonyítvány iránti kérelem”) and `Registration as a Hungarian citizen living abroad` (“Külföldön élő magyar állampolgárként történő nyilvántartásba vétel”).

and depending on your marital/family status, you must also complete the relevant forms listed under points a)–e) below for the registration in Hungary of your unregistered birth, marriage, divorce, widowed status and for the registration of the birth of your minor child/children.

Please note that you need to complete the Hungarian versions of the application forms, English ones are for your guidance only.

Please complete the forms either on a computer or in blue ink, using BLOCK CAPITALS.

When entering names, use the Hungarian order of names and provide the full name, e.g. Smith John Thomas, rather than John Smith or John T. Smith.

Please enter dates in the Hungarian format: YYYY/MM/DD.

For the address to which your documents should be delivered, select the option for delivery through the diplomatic mission and enter: `Consular Office, London`.

Please note that separate forms must be completed for every applicant, including minor children.

Please complete the forms as accurately and completely as possible. The processing time does not allow you to complete the forms at the Consular Office.

Please note, however, that not every section on the forms will necessarily apply to your circumstances. If you do not have the information requested, leave the relevant field blank.

Please note that your application cannot be accepted if the forms have not been completed correctly.

What supporting documents do I need to submit in order for my citizenship to be verified?

In addition to your own civil-status certificates, you should provide the birth and marriage certificates of your Hungarian-origin ancestors, where they were born and married outside the territory of present-day Hungary.

For civil-status events of your ancestors that took place in Hungary, the Hungarian authorities will obtain the relevant certificates ex-officio, you only need to provide the exact place and date of the relevant civil-status events on the application form (in the case of events that took place in Budapest, you must also provide the district).

It is advisable to provide any other documents that prove or support the likelihood that your ancestors were Hungarian citizens, for example:

an old Hungarian passport;
an identity card;
a certificate of residence/affiliation (illetőségi bizonyítvány);
a historical citizenship document;
documents issued by Hungarian authorities at the time, particularly:

- school certificates;
- employment/service records;
- military service records;
- address registration forms;
- name-change documents; etc.

If you or an ancestor of Hungarian origin has changed their name, it is advisable to provide the original name-change document, together with an official/certified Hungarian translation.

Why is my marital/family status relevant?

Hungarian law requires every Hungarian citizen to have all civil-status events that occur abroad registered in Hungary. These include:

birth;
marriage;
divorce;
the birth of a child; and
the death of a spouse.

When initiating a procedure for acquiring or verifying Hungarian citizenship, you must also submit an application for the registration in Hungary of your foreign civil-status events to the authority authorised to receive the citizenship application.

Without this registration, it is not possible to verify Hungarian citizenship or issue a Hungarian passport.

a) What do I need to do if my marital status is single (unmarried)?

If you were born in Hungary, or you have a birth certificate issued by a Hungarian authority, attach the birth certificate to the forms titled `Form for Certificate of Citizenship` (“Állampolgársági bizonyítvány iránti kérelem”) and `Registration as a Hungarian citizen living abroad` (“Külföldön élő magyar állampolgárként történő nyilvántartásba vétel”) You do not need to take any further action.

If you were born abroad and do not have a birth certificate issued by a Hungarian authority, complete the form titled `Form for the Domestic Registration of a Birth` (“Születés hazai anyakönyvezése iránti kérelem”).

Attach the following to the form:

Your original, detailed birth certificate (that includes the names of your parents).
Your parents’ original marriage certificate (if the marriage took place in Hungary or has already been registered in Hungary, a copy of the Hungarian marriage certificate is sufficient, if available).

If your parents were not married, or they married after your birth, you were born in the United Kingdom, and your UK birth certificate (Certified Copy of an Entry) clearly shows that both parents jointly and consistently made a declaration before the foreign civil registry authority concerning your parentage — that is, both parental roles (“Father” and “Mother”) appear in the “Informant” section — and all statutory requirements for making a declaration of paternity are otherwise met, the person listed as the father on the foreign birth certificate may be registered as your father without the need for a formal declaration of paternity having full legal effect. In other cases, a declaration of paternity may be required.

b) What do I need to do if my marital status is married?

First, follow the instruction under point a) above to determine whether your birth also needs to be registered in Hungary.

If you were married in Hungary, or you already have a marriage certificate issued by a Hungarian authority, you do not need to take any further action.

If you were not married in Hungary and do not have a marriage certificate issued by a Hungarian authority, you must complete the form titled `Form for the Domestic Registration of a Marriage` (“Házasság hazai anyakönyvezése iránti kérelem”) in order to register your marriage in Hungary.

Attach the following to the application:

Your original marriage certificate.
A copy of your spouse’s passport. (Where possible, your spouse should also appear in person in order to sign the application form. If this is not possible or is difficult to arrange, a copy of the identity document is sufficient.)

IMPORTANT! If you were married previously before your current marriage, the previous marriage(s), as well as the termination of the previous marriage(s) — through divorce or the death of the spouse — must also be registered.

c) What do I need to do if my marital status is divorced?

First, follow the instructions under points a) and b) above to determine whether your birth and your dissolved marriage need to be registered in Hungary.

If the marriage was dissolved by a Hungarian court, or if the notes on your marriage certificate that is issued by a Hungarian authority state that the marriage was dissolved by a foreign court, attach the relevant certificate and you have no further action to take.

If you do not have such a marriage certificate, complete the form titled `Form for the Domestic Registration of a Divorce` (“Adatlap válás anyakönyvezéséhez”).

Attach the following to the application:

Your final divorce decree (decree absolute), accompanied by a certified Hungarian translation. (Information in regard to translations can be found on the general information page.)
If your marriage was dissolved in the United Kingdom between 1 May 2004 and 31 December 2020, or in the European Union after 1 May 2004, you must obtain the so-called Brussels II Certificate (D180 form) from the court that dissolved the marriage. (The Brussels II Certificate is referred to in Article 39 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 2201/2003 of 27 November 2003 concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters. The D180 form can be downloaded from www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk.) This form does not need to be translated into Hungarian.

d) What do I need to do if my marital status is widowed?

First, follow the instructions under points a) and b) above to determine whether your birth and the marriage that ended due to the death of your spouse need to be registered in Hungary.

If your spouse was a Hungarian citizen, attach the death certificate issued by a Hungarian authority. If you do not have such a death certificate, you must initiate the domestic registration of your spouse’s death.

To register the death in Hungary, complete the form titled `Form for the Registration of a Death` (“Adatlap külföldön történt haláleset anyakönyvezéséhez”)

Attach the following to the application:

The original death certificate issued for your deceased spouse.
Your deceased spouse’s previous Hungarian passport or identity card (if available).

If your spouse was not a Hungarian citizen, to register the death in Hungary you must complete the form titled `Registration of the Death of a Foreign-Citizen Spouse` (“Külföldi állampolgár házastárs haláleset átvezetés”).

Attach the following to the application:

The original death certificate issued for your deceased spouse.

e) What do I need to do if I have a minor child/children?

To register the birth(s) of your minor child(ren), complete one form titled `Form for the Domestic Registration of a Birth` (“Születés hazai anyakönyvezése iránti kérelem”) for each child.

Attach the following to the form:

The child’s/children’s original, detailed birth certificate(s), including the names of the parents.

Which Hungarian authority handles these matters, and where can I find further information?

The Government Office of the Capital City Budapest (Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala) is responsible for citizenship matters and the related domestic civil-registration matters.

Forms

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