Path to citizenship
- Apply60-365 days
- Citizenshipgranted
Overview
- Country
- Hungary
- Program
- Hungarian Simplified Naturalization (Ethnic Hungarians)
- Local name
- Egyszerűsített Honosítás
- Type
- Ethnic Return
- Status
- Active
- Processing time
- 60-365 days
- Dual citizenship
- Allowed
- Visa-free countries
- 184 destinations
- Passport rank
- #5 (Henley Index)
Simplified naturalization for ethnic Hungarians and descendants of Hungarian citizens, including those from historical Hungarian territories lost after the Treaty of Trianon (1920): Transylvania (Romania), Upper Hungary (Slovakia), Vojvodina (Serbia), Sub-Carpathia (Ukraine), Burgenland (Austria), and others. Requires conversational Hungarian language proficiency (roughly A2-B1 level, assessed via interview). No residency requirement — can apply from anywhere in the world.
Fees and costs
- Application fee
- $0
- Processing fee
- $19
- Passport fee
- $28
Eligibility and requirements
- Police clearance required
- Medical exam not required
- Interview required
- Language A2-B1 (Oral interview in Hungarian (no formal exam — conversational assessment))
- Oath required
Ancestry requirements
- Generational limit
- No limit
- Ancestor citizenship
- Must have been citizen
- Ethnic origin
- Hungarian
Family
- Dependents
- Allowed
- Spouse
- Not included
- Max child age
- 18
Passport and mobility
- Passport rank
- #5 (Henley Index)
- Visa-free access
- 184 countries
- Passport validity
- 10 years
- EU citizenship
- Yes
- Schengen access
- Yes
- US E-2 treaty
- Yes — eligible for US investor visa
How to apply
- Method
- Both
- Apply from abroad
- Yes
- Application type
- Open
- Official website
- allampolgarsag.gov.hu
- Legal basis
- Act LV of 1993 on Hungarian Citizenship (as amended by Act XLIV of 2010 — simplified naturalization provision)
Notes and caveats
The language interview is the main practical barrier. Applicants must hold a basic conversation in Hungarian, answer questions about themselves and their family, and demonstrate they can understand and respond in short sentences. There is no formal written exam. The interview is conducted at the Hungarian consulate or in Hungary. Historically very popular: over 1 million applications since 2011, primarily from Romania (Transylvania), Serbia (Vojvodina), Slovakia, and Ukraine. Ancestor must descend from someone who was a Hungarian citizen — Kingdom of Hungary before 1920 or Hungary proper. The process is free of charge and among the fastest EU citizenship programs. No residency requirement at all.