Registration of Birth

Who can have a birth registered in Hungary, and how to do it?

Follow this procedure if you wish to have the birth of a child registered and if at least one of the parents has proof of his or her Hungarian citizenship. You can also request a passport at the same time. If the child is under 6 years of age, the passport will be issued before his or her birth is registered. The procedure takes an average of 6-8 months (without the passport procedure), but please note that in some cases, it could take longer!

The birth of all Hungarian citizens must be registered in Hungary on the application of the parents or the citizens themselves.

The application may only be submitted in person with both parents present. Mailed-in applications will be sent back without consideration.

The application may be submitted at the representation in whose consular district you reside and during extramural consular days.

 

How much is the fee?

Birth registration is free of charge. However, we charge a service fee for applications submitted during extramural consular days; also consular assistance fee is applicable in certain cases. You'll find more information about consular fees HERE. All fees are payable only by debit or credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Discover).

 

Which form should I fill out?

When filling out the form, please follow these guidelines (there is an English translation of the form to help you):

Please fill the form out with a computer or by a blue ink pen, with block capitals.

Please use full names in the Hungarian order, e.g., Smith John Thomas instead of John Smith or John T. Smith.

When asked about the mailing of the birth certificate, please tick option a) and write "Washington" on the line. We will mail your certificate to the US address you specify.

 

Which given names can I request for my child?

As a general rule, if the child has more than two given names, the parents can choose two of them without changing their order (e.g. Emma Olivia Sophia Smith may be registered in Hungary as Smith Emma Olivia or Smith Olivia Sophia or Smith Emma Sophia). If you do not make a choice, the first two (Olivia Sophia) will be registered. If you so request, he or she can retain all three given names.

Normally the name on the US (foreign) birth certificate will be registered, even if it is not a common name in Hungary.

If the name has a Hungarian equivalent, which is an approved given name in Hungary, then you can request to have the Hungarian equivalent on the Hungarian certificate. You must do this if the name on the US certificate is a Hungarian one (e.g., Istvan), but you wish to have it with correct Hungarian accents (István) on the Hungarian birth certificate.

You can even have one name with US spelling, and the other as a Hungarian equivalent (e.g., Ildikó Chloé).

 

What documents should I submit with the application?

  • An original birth certificate. We only accept a full birth certificate, showing data for parents as well! (If you do not have an extra copy, you may request one here.)
  • The parents must present their identity documents, and in the case of a non-Hungarian citizen, a passport or citizenship certificate which proves his or her citizenship. The Hungarian parent shall present proof of Hungarian citizenship.
  • The Hungarian-issued marriage certificate of the parents. If they were married abroad and the marriage has not yet been registered in Hungary, they shall have it registered simultaneously with the birth registration. 
  • If the child was not born from wedlock, the acknowledgment of paternity would be necessary.
  • If the name does not have a Hungarian equivalent, please bring the child's foreign passport.

 

Should I bring a translation of the birth certificate?

There is no need for translation: 

  • if the birth certificate is issued in English, German or French language;
  • OR, if the birth certificate is issued by other countries in two or more languages if one of them is English, German, or French.

 

If the birth certificate is issued in a different language, a legal translation should be presented:

  • the translation could be prepared by the National Translation and Authentication Office (OFFI) – www.offi.hu , 1062 Budapest, Bajza utca 52, Tel: (36-1) 428-9600, Fax: (36-1) 428-9610 – in this case, it does not need to be further legalized;
  • OR, the translation should be legalized by the responsible Hungarian Consulate.

 

How can I schedule an appointment?

To book an appointment, please contact us at the following email address with your request and a short explanation of your case: appointment.was@mfa.gov.hu

Please note that you should reserve one slot per application submitted – for example, if you apply for registration of marriage, registration of birth, and a passport at the same time, you should reserve 3 slots.

 

Which Hungarian governmental authority is responsible, and where can I get more information?

The Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala (Budapest Metropolitan Government Office) is responsible for the registration of vital statistics events that happened abroad.
 

Forms