Hungarian citizenship for UK nationals

Trips to the Schengen zone since Brexit

While the UK was a member of the European Union, UK nationals were allowed to travel to other members of the EU without a visa, even though the UK has never been a member of the Schengen zone. While visa-free entry is still allowed, stay is limited to 90 days in every 180 days. The 90 days are cumulative, meaning that time spent in different Schengen member states is considered together, not separately. If you want to stay for more than 90 days in the Schengen zone, for example to study or to work, you will need some kind of visa or residence permit, while before Brexit, a simple registration was enough.

Additionally, the Entry/Exit System (EES) is now being rolled out across the Schengen zone. Third-country nationals, like citizens of United Kingdom, will need to register before entering the zone, even if they are from a country that enjoys visa-free access. This requires additional administration before trips.

Benefits of Hungarian citizenship

If you can obtain Hungarian citizenship as a UK national, you will be able to again enjoy the privileges of being a citizen of both the EU and a Schengen member state.

• Visa-free access to the Schengen zone – without worrying about the EES
• Up to 90 days of stay in each member state
• The right to live and work anywhere in the EU with simplified residency as an EU national
• Simplified real estate purchase
• Faster bank account opening
• Lower business taxes

Just like the UK, Hungary allows dual citizenship, so you will not risk your existing citizenship just by obtaining Hungarian citizenship. Moreover, the UK has a double taxation agreement in Hungary, meaning that you do not have to worry about paying taxes twice.

Hungarian citizenship by descent

Hungarian citizenship is attainable easily enough if you have at least one parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or any other ancestor who was once a citizen of Hungary. Many countries offer citizenship based on ancestry to the descendants of emigrants, but Hungary offers it without limitations on the number of generations in between. Additionally, the procedure takes only around 12-14 months, which is relatively fast compared to other programs.

The main requirement is that you will need to provide paperwork linking you to your Hungarian ancestor. This will mean mainly birth and marriage certificates. You might be eligible even if you don’t have all these papers right at the start: a specialist in family tree research can go find the required documents in local registry offices, churches, army offices, or other archives where your ancestors were born and married, whether it is in present day Hungary or a neighboring country.

When you apply for Hungarian citizenship by descent, you will need to speak Hungarian at a conversational level, unless you are eligible for a special procedure called “verification of citizenship”: then you will not need to speak Hungarian. Verification is available under specific conditions – our experts will be able to tell you more about this during a personal consultation. To get started, however, it is best to fill in our online survey that is completely free of charge, takes only a few minutes, and will be able to tell you whether you are eligible for simplified naturalization.

Hungarian Citizenship with the experts of Helpers

Helpers Hungary provides services in the area of investment and immigration to international clients since 2005. We have a team dedicated just to citizenship applications, while we also have ample experience working with UK nationals, many of who stayed in Hungary after Brexit, and are this year extending their permanent residence permits. If you want to work with a team committed to realizing your goals and who will be by your side throughout the way, get in touch with us now.