Declaration for the Acquisition or Reacquisition of Hungarian Citizenship

In what cases can Hungarian citizenship be acquired or reacquired by making a declaration?

Regardless of the place of residence, you may acquire/reacquire Hungarian citizenship if one of the followings apply to you:

You were deprived of your citizenship under Act X of 1947, Act XXVI of 1948, Act LX of 1948 on Hungarian Citizenship, or Act V of 1957 on Citizenship;
You were released from Hungarian citizenship between 15 September 1947 and 2 May 1990;
You were obligated to resettle in Germany;
You were born before 1 October 1957 to a Hungarian citizen mother and a foreign citizen father, and did not acquire Hungarian citizenship by birth under the regulations applicable at that time. (See also the information provided in the general information section.)

Where can I make the declaration?

The declaration may be submitted 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.

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.

When submitting the application, the applicant(s) must prove their identity with a valid identity document.

What is the fee for the procedure?

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

https://london.mfa.gov.hu/eng/page/konzuli-dijak

How long does the procedure take?

The average processing time for citizenship applications is 8–12 months, but 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 about the status of applications currently being processed, and we cannot respond to enquiries concerning their status.

Which forms do I need to complete?

You must complete the forms titled:

`Declaration for the Reacquisition of Hungarian Citizenship` (“A magyar állampolgárság visszaszerzésére irányuló nyilatkozat”), or
`Declaration for the Acquisition of Hungarian Citizenship for Persons Born before 1 October 1957` (“A magyar állampolgárság megszerzésére irányuló nyilatkozat 1957. október 1. előtt született személy részére”),

as well as:

`Form for Registration as a Hungarian Citizen Living Abroad` (“Adatlap külföldön élő magyar állampolgárként történő nyilvántartásba vételhez”),

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

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 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 field 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 else do I need to attach to the declaration?

In the case of persons who were released from Hungarian citizenship, the original document confirming the release from citizenship, where possible;
In the case of a person born before 1 October 1957 to a Hungarian citizen mother and a foreign citizen father:

- - their parents' marriage certificate; and
  - their mother's birth certificate.

Why is my marital status important?

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

birth;
marriage;
divorce; 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.

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

If you were born in Hungary, or you have a birth certificate issued by a Hungarian authority, attach your birth certificate and you have no further action to take.

If you were born abroad and do not have a birth certificate issued by a Hungarian Authority, complete the form entitled `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.)

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

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

If you were married in Hungary, or you already have a marriage certificate issued by a Hungarian authority and you have no further action to take.

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

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) 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 certificate, complete the form entitled:

`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 an official 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 a 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 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) to determine whether your birth and the marriage that ended due to your spouse's death need to be registered in Hungary.

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

For the Hungarian registration of the death, complete the form entitled:

`Form for the Registration of a Death Occurred Abroad` (“Adatlap külföldön történt haláleset anyakönyvezéséhez”).

Attach the following:

The original death certificate issued in respect of your deceased spouse;
Your deceased spouse's previous Hungarian passport or identity card, if available.

If your spouse was not a Hungarian citizen, complete the form titled:

`Registration of the Death of a Foreign-Citizen Spouse` (“Külföldi állampolgár házastárs haláleset átvezetés”).

Attach:

The original death certificate issued in respect of your deceased spouse.

Which Hungarian authority handles the procedure, 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 Hungarian civil-registration procedures.

Forms

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