Hungarian nationality law is based on the principles of

jus sanguinis ( , , ; 'right of blood') is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. Children at birth may be citizens of a particular state if either or both of th ...

. Hungarian

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

can be acquired by descent from a Hungarian parent, or by

naturalisation Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

. A person born in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

to foreign parents does not generally acquire Hungarian citizenship. A Hungarian citizen is also a

citizen of the European Union European Union citizenship is afforded to all citizens of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU citizenship is additio ...

. The current Hungarian nationality law came into force in 1993. By changes made in January 2011, every person who was a Hungarian citizen or a descendant of a person who was a Hungarian citizen before 1920 (only the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

, part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, is eligible) or between 1941 and 1945 and speaks Hungarian may apply to become a Hungarian citizen, even if they do not live in Hungary.

Dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...

is permitted under Hungarian law.

Citizenship by birth and adoption

A person acquires Hungarian citizenship at birth if at least one parent is a Hungarian citizen. The place of birth is irrelevant. Children born in Hungary to foreign parents do not acquire Hungarian citizenship at birth unless they would otherwise be stateless. Minor children adopted by Hungarian citizens may apply and would normally be granted Hungarian citizenship.

Naturalization as a Hungarian citizen

Persons may apply to be naturalized as a Hungarian citizen after 8 years continuous residence in Hungary if they: * have no criminal past at all, * have a stable livelihood, * are of good character, and * pass a test in basic constitutional studies. Persons may apply to be naturalized after 5 years residence in Hungary if they were: * born in Hungary, or * established residence in Hungary before age 18, or * are stateless. Persons may apply to be naturalized after 3 years residence in Hungary if they are: * spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for three years (or who are widows or widowers), * parents of Hungarian citizen minor children, * persons adopted by Hungarian citizens, or * recognised refugees. Persons may apply to be naturalized if they are: * spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for at least ten years, or * spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for at least five years and they have a child together, and * able to provide proof of proficiency in the Hungarian language. Applicants aged 60 or over, those of diminished capacity, and persons holding a Hungarian language diploma (from a Hungarian institution) may be exempted the constitutional studies requirement.

Citizenship by ancestry

The Hungarian citizenship law of 2011 allows ethnic Hungarians to apply for simplified naturalisation if they can speak Hungarian and provide evidence of Hungarian ancestry. The person may apply for simplified naturalisation if the person is a descendant of a person who was a Hungarian citizen before 1920 (only the

, part of the

, is eligible) or between 1941 and 1945 and speaks Hungarian may apply to become a Hungarian citizen, even if they do not live in Hungary. The law has created controversy as some five million ethnic Hungarians living beyond Hungary's borders, mostly in Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine, may claim Hungarian citizenship. There are Hungarians living in Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, and Austria whose ancestors lost Hungarian citizenship as a result of the peace treaty ending World War I. By December 2019, more than 1,100,000 applications had been filed and over 950,000 people had been granted citizenship. The main sources of applicants were 650,000 from

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...

(Romania), 150,000 from

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

(Serbia) and 120,000 from

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

Hungarian citizenship by declaration

Declaration is a simplified form of naturalisation. The following people may be eligible to acquire Hungarian citizenship by declaration: * persons who lost Hungarian citizenship through emigration between 15 September 1947 and 2 May 1990. *

Stateless persons In international law, a stateless person is someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law". Some stateless people are also refugees. However, not all refugees are stateless, and many people who are st ...

aged less than 19, born in Hungary and residing in Hungary for the 5 years prior to the declaration.

Oath of allegiance

Persons becoming naturalised Hungarian citizens are expected to take an Oath of Allegiance as follows: :"I swear that I regard Hungary as my country. I will be a faithful citizen of the Republic of Hungary. I will respect and obey the Constitution and laws of this country. I defend my country to the utmost of my strength, I serve it to the best of my abilities. So help me God". Those who prefer may take an equivalent ''solemn promise'' instead of an oath.

Loss of Hungarian citizenship

It is not possible for a person to lose Hungarian citizenship involuntarily. The exception concerns fraudulent applications for naturalisation (subject to a 20-year time bar after which action cannot be taken). Hungarian citizens who hold another nationality and live outside Hungary may renounce their Hungarian citizenship.

Dual citizenship

Hungary allows its citizens to hold foreign citizenship in addition to their Hungarian citizenship. Some countries, however, do not permit multiple citizenship e.g. adults who acquired Hungarian and Japanese citizenship by birth must declare, to the latter's

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Justi ...

, before turning 22, which citizenship they want to keep.

Citizenship of the European Union

Because Hungary forms part of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

, Hungarian citizens are also

citizens of the European Union European Union citizenship is afforded to all citizens of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU citizenship is additio ...

under

European Union law European Union law is a system of rules operating within the member states of the European Union (EU). Since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community following World War II, the EU has developed the aim to "promote peace, its valu ...

and thus enjoy rights of free movement and have the right to vote in

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

for the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...

. When in a non-EU country where there is no Hungarian embassy, Hungarian citizens have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country present in that country. Hungarian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.

Travel freedom of Hungarian citizens

Visa requirements for Hungarian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of

. As of May 2018, Hungarian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 180 countries and territories, ranking the

Hungarian passport Hungarian passports are issued to Hungarian citizens for international travel by The Central Data Processing, Registration and Election Office of the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior. Every Hungarian citizen is also a citizen of the European ...

9th in terms of travel freedom according to the

Henley Passport Index The Henley Passport Index ( abbreviation: HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom enjoyed by the holders of that country's ordinary passport for its citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restricti ...

. In 2017, the Hungarian nationality is ranked eighteenth in Nationality Index (QNI). This index differs from the

Visa Restrictions Index The Henley Passport Index (abbreviation: HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom enjoyed by the holders of that country's ordinary passport for its citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictio ...

, which focuses on external factors including travel freedom. The QNI considers, in addition, to travel freedom on internal factors such as peace & stability, economic strength, and human development as well.

References

External links

Office of Immigration and Nationality

Act of Hungarian nationality, 1993
{{Portal bar, Hungary, European Union Hungary and the European Union