Verification of Citizenship
Who can apply for the verification of his or her Hungarian citizenship?
If you have proof of your Hungarian citizenship, you do not have to have to apply for the verification of the citizenship of your child under the age of 6; simply initiate the registration of his or her birth.
Where can I apply?
Citizenship applications may only be submitted in person. Mailed-in applications will be sent back without further consideration.
Applications by minors who are 14 years of age and older must be signed by both the minor and his or her parent (both must be present in person). Parents act on behalf of younger children, therefore the child's presence is not necessary.
The application may be submitted in at the representation in your appropriate consular district or during extramural consular days.
How much is the fee?
The verification of citizenship is free of charge. Normally you will not need a citizenship certificate, given that your data will be registered in the registry of personal data and addresses when your citizenship is verified. All Hungarian authorities with access to this database will know that you are a Hungarian citizen when, for example, you apply for a passport.
Information on the fees for vital statistics registration requests and an acknowledgement of paternity submitted alongside your citizenship application is available here.
All consular fees are payable only by debit or credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Discovery).
Which form should I fill out?
The form titled „Állampolgárság igazolása iránti kérelem" ("Application for the Verification of Citizenship"). Please fill the form out with a computer or by a blue ink pen in block capitals. Please use full names in the Hungarian name order, e.g., Smith John Thomas instead of John Smith or John T. Smith. When referring to US cities, please also specify the state.
Which documents shall I submit for the verification of my citizenship?
Usually it is enough to submit your own birth certificate and your parents' marriage certificate if:
- you were or one of your parents was born in Hungary, or
- you or at least one of your parents had a Hungarian passport or ID card (booklet) before, or
- your Hungarian citizenship or the Hungarian citizenship of at least one of your parents has been verified before (e.g. if you received a citizenship certificate).
If the above conditions are not met, usually the birth certificate of the parent who is (presumably) a Hungarian citizen and his or her parents' marriage certificate have to be submitted, as well.
- Please bear in mind that only full ("long-form”) certificates are acceptable!
- If you are unable to submit certificates of births in Hungary or marriages officiated in Hungary, the Hungarian authorities will retrieve them from the archives.
If you or your ancestors left Hungary before 1945, it is beneficial to provide other Hungarian documents, e.g., old Hungarian passports and ID booklets, certificates of domicile ("illetőségi bizonyítvány") or old citizenship certificates, other old Hungarian official documents like school records, labor booklets ("munkakönyv"), military booklets ("katonakönyv"), address registration sheets ("lakcímbejelentő nap"), legal name change certificates ("névváltoztatási okirat").
Why is my marital status relevant?
Hungarian law stipulates that all vital statistics events of a Hungarian citizen (birth, marriage, divorce, death) are registered in Hungary. Without this registration your Hungarian citizenship cannot be verified and you cannot get a Hungarian passport.
a) What shall I do if my marital status is single (never married)?
If you were born in Hungary or your birth has already been registered in Hungary, you must simply attach your Hungarian-issued birth certificate.
If you were not born in Hungary or you do not have a Hungarian-issued birth certificate, please fill this form out. This English translation will help you in doing that.
- 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 delivery of the birth certificate, please tick option a) (delivery to a foreign representation) and specify "Washington, DC". We will send your certificate to the US address you specify.
Attach the following documents:
- Your birth certificate. Only full („long-form”) certificates are acceptable!
- Your parents' marriage certificate. Only full ("long-form”) certificates are acceptable!
- If you were not born from wedlock, the acknowledgement of paternity will be necessary.
- The copy of the document proving the citizenship of your non-Hungarian parent, e.g. a passport or a citizenship certificate.
b) What shall I do if my marital status is married?
Please refer to point a) to see whether your birth has to be registered in Hungary.
If you were married in Hungary or your marriage has already been registered in Hungary, you will just have to attach your Hungarian-issued marriage certificate.
If you were not married in Hungary or you do not have a Hungarian-issued marriage certificate, please fill out this form. This English translation will help you in doing that.
- Please fill the form out with a computer or by a blue ink pen, with block capitals.
- Please use full names in the Hungarian name order, e.g. Smith John Thomas instead of John Smith or John T. Smith.
- When asked about the delivery of the birth certificate, please tick option a) (delivery to a foreign representation) and specify "Washington, DC". We will send your certificate to the US address you specify.
Attach the following documents:
- Your marriage certificate. Only full ("long-form”) certificates are acceptable! If the certificate only includes the names of the parties, please attach a copy of your application to marry.
- The copy of the document proving the citizenship of your non-Hungarian parent, e.g. a passport or a citizenship certificate.
- If the bride's or the groom's family status at the time of the marriage was divorced or widow, submit the Hungarian-issued or foreign marriage or death certificate or court decree. Only full ("long-form”) certificates are acceptable! The foreign court decree has to be submitted with a Hungarian translation.
c) What shall I do if my marital status is divorced?
Please refer to points a) and b) to see whether your birth and/or your dissolved marriage have to be first registered in Hungary.
If the divorce was pronounced by a Hungarian court, or if your Hungarian-issued certificate has a remark saying that the marriage was dissolved by a foreign court, just attach the marriage certificate.
If you do not have such marriage certificate, please fill this form out.
Attach a decree from the US court which dissolved the marriage specifying the exact date on which the divorce took effect and its Hungarian translation. If you were not divorced in the US, please inquire in an email sent to appointment.was@mfa.gov.hu to see if you will need to obtain an Apostille or diplomatic legalization or have the divorce decree translated to Hungarian by an official translator.
d) What shall I do if my marital status is widow?
Please refer to points a) and b) to see whether your birth and/or your marriage, which was dissolved by the death of your spouse, have to be first registered in Hungary.
If your spouse was a Hungarian citizen, please submit his or her Hungarian-issued death certificate. If you do not have one, please have the death registered in Hungary.
If your spouse was a Hungarian citizen, please submit his or her Hungarian-issued death certificate.
How shall I schedule an appointment?
To book an appointment, please contact us on 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 verification of citizenship, a passport, and the registration of marriage at the same time, you should reserve 3 slots.
What is the Hungarian governmental agency responsible and where can I find more information?
The Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala (Budapest Metropolitan Government Office) is responsible for the verification of citizenship and the vital statistics registration.
The nationality procedure takes an average of 8-12 months. The Embassy is unable to speed up the proceedings.
Forms
