Hungary: Information on where in Hungary and with which ministry or organization do foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens apply for Hungarian citizenship; on the residence requirements in Hungary for foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens to obtain Hungarian citizenship; on the circumstances under which Hungarian citizenship is not granted to foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens; on whether periods of residence outside Hungary disqualify foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens from obtaining Hungarian citizenship; on whether foreigners who are denied Hungarian citizenship are able to appeal the decision or reapply for Hungarian citizenship after a waiting period; on whether the decisions to grant residence status and Hungarian citizenship to foreigners who marry Hungarian citizens are influenced by the ethnicity of the foreigners, particularly if they are from Muslim countries; on whether the answers to the above questions are different for the period from the mid-1980s to the present, and if so, in what ways
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HUN28755.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Hungary: Information on where in Hungary and with which ministry or organization do foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens apply for Hungarian citizenship; on the residence requirements in Hungary for foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens to obtain Hungarian citizenship; on the circumstances under which Hungarian citizenship is not granted to foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens; on whether periods of residence outside Hungary disqualify foreigners who have married Hungarian citizens from obtaining Hungarian citizenship; on whether foreigners who are denied Hungarian citizenship are able to appeal the decision or reapply for Hungarian citizenship after a waiting period; on whether the decisions to grant residence status and Hungarian citizenship to foreigners who marry Hungarian citizens are influenced by the ethnicity of the foreigners, particularly if they are from Muslim countries; on whether the answers to the above questions are different for the period from the mid-1980s to the present, and if so, in what ways, 1 February 1998, HUN28755.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad0d14.html [accessed 9 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A letter sent to the Research Directorate on 11 February 1998 by the consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in Ottawa states:
Application for Hungarian citizenship should be filed with the Citizenship Department of the Ministry of Interior of Hungary. The decision is made by the President of the Republic.
Residence requirement. A non-Hungarian citizen who resided in Hungary continuously over at least a period of 3 years can apply for citizenship if he has lived in a valid marriage with a Hungarian citizen for at least three years or the marriage has been terminated through the spouse's death.
The application may be refused if the applicant:
- has less than 3 years residence in Hungary or
- is not a person with clean police record according to the Hungarian Penal Code or there is criminal proceedings in progress against him before a Hungarian court or
- his/her livelihood and residence are not assured in Hungary or
- his/her citizenship violates the interests of Hungary or
- did not pass Citizenship Exam
Disruption. The period of residence outside Hungary that exceed 45 days/year is considered as a disruption in the residence in Hungary.
Appeal. Those who were denied Hungarian citizenship can appeal against the decision at the Capital's Court (Favorosi Birosag) and can apply again any time.
Differences in citizenship issues. According to the Citizenship Act of 1957 (replaced by the Citizenship Act of 1993):
- The application should be filed with the Ministry of Interior, decision is made by the President's Council (Collective Head of State).
- Person who lives in marriage with a Hungarian citizen can become a Hungarian citizen regardless of his permanent address and the length of marriage.
Please note that the information contained in the preceding paragraph is in response to the following question: are the answers to the above questions [on citizenship issues] different for the period from the mid 1980s to the present, and if so, in what ways?
Information on whether the decisions to grant residence status and Hungarian citizenship to foreigners who marry Hungarian citizens are influenced by the ethnicity of the foreigners, particularly if they are from Muslim countries, and additional or corroborating information to that provided by the Hungarian Embassy, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Embassy of the Republic of Hungary, Ottawa. 11 February 1998. Letter sent to the Research Directorate by the consul.
Additional Sources Consulted
CSCE Digest [Washington]. Monthly.
Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection (WNC).
Resource Centre country file on Hungary.
One other oral source contacted did not provide information on the requested topics.
