Citizenship of Hungary
Why become a citizen of Hungary? Hungarian citizenship in the last few years has become one of the most popular naturalization options in Europe among citizens of Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former CIS. What are the main advantages of a Hungarian passport for applicants?
Why become a citizen of Hungary? Hungarian citizenship in the last few years has become one of the most popular naturalization options in Europe among citizens of Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former CIS. What are the main advantages of a Hungarian passport for applicants?
Citizens of Hungary can also access the Hungarian free system of healthcare and education. Moreover, Hungary offers favorable business conditions for everyone who wants to open a company and start trading in Europe.
A mild climate, a friendly attitude towards migrants, a similar mentality, affordable prices for products and services, low prices for real estate objects – all these factors indicate the attractiveness of Hungary in terms of naturalization and citizenship for non-EU residents.
A Hungarian passport can be obtained in various ways, in particular:
- Participation in the investment program;
- Citizenship through repatriation;
- Citizenship through naturalization, etc.
Each of these options is appropriate for certain situations, so the specialists of our company are always ready to help you choose the best citizenship program. Let’s consider them in more detail.
Citizenship of Hungary through investment
The Hungarian residence permit card through investment is valid in all countries of the Schengen area, which gives you complete freedom of movement and travel without a visa for your family and children. You can enter and exit any country of the Schengen area with a residence permit issued by Hungary. Some EU countries don’t even stamp your passport when you show them your resident card.
How does the program of Hungarian citizenship through investment work? It is intended for foreign investors who are not residents of the European Union and is called “Fast Track Permanent Residency Investor”. According to this program, foreign investors buying government bonds of Hungary at a cost of €300,000 with a period of maturity of 5 years or shares from state corporations are immediately granted a residence permit for a period of 5 years. The investor program is open for citizens of all countries.
After you make an investment, visa from the Hungarian embassy in your country to enter Hungary within 1 year after the investment is made will be issued. The permanent residence card of Hungary through investment will be handed over to you personally at the immigration office in Budapest.
The permanent residence card of Hungary through investment is valid in all countries of the Schengen area. You can travel freely to all EU countries without applying for a visa and stay up to 30 days within a 6 months period. 5-8 years after receiving your permanent residence card you can apply for the passport of Hungary.
The passport of Hungary through investment is a document that gives you full EU citizenship allowing you to live, travel and work anywhere in the EU. Knowledge of the Hungarian language is mandatory. With a Hungarian passport you can travel to over 100 countries, including the UK, Canada and the US without applying for a visa.
Advantages of the permanent residence program and citizenship of Hungary through investment:
- The program grants permanent resident status of Hungary for the whole family (main applicant, spouse and children under the age of 18);
- The investment period is limited to a five-year period, but the right to permanent residence remains for a lifetime;
- The residence permit allows visa-free entry to all countries of the Schengen area and residence for 90 days within any 180 days without restrictions;
- Very short application processing time (1-2 weeks maximum);
- Residence and work are permitted throughout Hungary;
- Residency of all EU countries in 5 years;
- There is no mandatory requirement to be physically present on the territory of Hungary;
- It is possible to obtain citizenship of Hungary after 8 years of continuous residence in Hungary with certified knowledge of the Hungarian language.
Citizenship of Hungary through repatriation
Citizenship of Hungary through repatriation is an opportunity to become a citizen of this country due to your “ancestral heritage”. Are your parents, grandparents or other ancestors from Hungary? Do you want to become a citizen of a country-member of the EU with excellent infrastructure and a thousand-year-old culture located in the heart of Europe? We are ready to help you with this by offering citizenship through repatriation.
How to get a passport of Hungary through such option? The simplest procedure is available to those who have Hungarian parents or grandparents. It should also be considered by those who can trace their Hungarian origin through their ancestors.
Whether your family left Hungary in the 1980s or the 19th century, you are fully entitled to obtain citizenship of Hungary. You are only required to provide evidence of your origin and pass a basic language test.
This process is called simplified naturalization and it only takes a few months, unlike the regular process where you have to be a resident of Hungary for 8 years before you can apply for citizenship.
Our company and its specialists are ready to provide you with any possible assistance at this stage. First of all, you need a verification that will confirm the relevance of your possibility to obtain citizenship of Hungary under the repatriation program.
You should provide our experts with any existing documents regarding your family ties and Hungarian roots of the family, after which we will check whether you are eligible for citizenship of Hungary and help you plan the next steps to obtain it.
How is research and reception of evidence of Hungarian inheritance conducted? Depending on when your family left Hungary, finding evidence of your citizenship rights can be easier or harder. Very often it is necessary to employ the services of archives and experts in genealogy.
Don’t forget about language testing and preparation: everyone who applies for citizenship of Hungary must prove that he or she speaks at least some Hungarian. As part of the standard procedure this means that you must pass a basic exam in the history and culture of Hungary in Hungarian.
During the simplified procedure available for people with Hungarian ancestors, you only need to say a few words in Hungarian with the administrator when applying. If all documents are in order, your application will be processed smoothly by the authorities and you will become a citizen in just a few months (although the process can take up to a year depending on other factors).
As a result, if you have Hungarian ancestors, simplified naturalization is your shortest way to obtain Hungarian, and therefore, European citizenship.
Citizenship of Hungary through naturalization
For some applicants citizenship through naturalization is the easiest and most financially beneficial way to obtain a passport of Hungary. Needless to say that this method requires certain time costs and provides strict requirements for the applicant, but it is a guaranteed option for the situations below.
Hungary is part of the European Union, so a Hungarian passport is also an EU passport. All EU citizens and their family members have the right to move and travel freely, work and reside within the European Union and the European Economic Area.
How to get a passport of Hungary through naturalization? There are several options of procedures that can be applied for obtaining of this kind of citizenship:
- General procedure of naturalization
After eight years of continuous residence in Hungary, a non-Hungarian citizen is entitled to obtain citizenship of Hungary, if the applicant meets the following requirements:
– no outstanding convictions in Hungary;
– evidence of sufficient financial funds in bank accounts of Hungary, as well as the availability of a place of residence in Hungary;
– naturalization does not violate public and national security;
– the applicant takes an exam in the Basics of the Constitution in Hungarian.
- Preferential naturalization
This option is appropriate for those who have continuously lived in Hungary for at least 5 years. After five years of continuous residence in Hungary, a non-Hungarian citizen is entitled to obtain citizenship of Hungary if the applicant was born in Hungary or has been living in Hungary until the age of majority.
Therewith, the applicant must also meet the four requirements for general naturalization mentioned above. The exception is a minor child who is not required to take an exam in the Basics of the Constitution.
Moreover, a minor child who was born on the territory of Hungary and who had permanent residence in Hungary until the age of majority does not need to spend 5 years in Hungary if he applies for Hungarian citizenship together with his parents.
In addition, preferential naturalization is appropriate for those who have continuously lived in Hungary for three years. After three years of continuous residence in Hungary, a non-Hungarian citizen is entitled to obtain citizenship of Hungary if he or she has been in a lawful marriage with a Hungarian citizen for at least three years, or he or she has a minor child who is a Hungarian citizen.
In these cases, applicants must fulfill the four requirements specified in the general procedure of naturalization.
- Simplified naturalization
The main advantage of the simplified naturalization is that the applicant does not have to pass an exam in the Basics of the Constitution. He just needs to prove his knowledge of the Hungarian language at an intermediate level sufficient to communicate. The simplified naturalization process is for those non-Hungarian citizens who have lived in a lawful marriage for at least ten years with a person who is a Hungarian citizen at the time of application. It is also appropriate for those who have been legally married for at least five years with a person who is a Hungarian citizen at the time of application and they have a common child.
Although this simplified procedure does not require passing an exam in the Basics of the Constitution, the applicant must not have any outstanding convictions in Hungary. He must also confirm that his means of support and residence are guaranteed in Hungary. His naturalization should not violate public and national security which is checked by the relevant authorities.
The aforementioned eight-year, five-year or three-year period of residence in Hungary in respect of general and preferential naturalization procedures begins from the date of obtaining permanent status. This refers to the presence of a permanent residence permit.
For persons entitled to free movement and residence, this period may start from the date of immigration registration or from the date of receipt of a registration certificate in the European Economic Area with the issuance of a residence card.
Double citizenship of Hungary
Hungary is one of the few countries in Europe that legally provides second citizenship for every resident if necessary. In other words, the second citizenship of Hungary does not obligate the applicant to get rid of his old passport.
Hungary formalized the right for double citizenship on January 1, 2011, when the adopted law allowing tens of hundreds of thousands of citizens of neighboring countries to become EU citizens without complying with the rules of the European Union came into force.
According to the Ukrainian media, for example, the Hungarian consulate in Berehove opened a special office where a new application of a Ukrainian citizen for a Hungarian passport is registered every half an hour.
The requirements for this are minimal: confirmation of knowledge of the basics of the Hungarian language and documents on “Hungarian roots”, if the applicant is counting on citizenship through repatriation, for example. Having a Hungarian passport will allow new citizens to enjoy visa-free travel, as well as the rights and protection afforded to EU citizens anywhere in the world.