All about becoming a Hungarian citizen

20 August is one of the most important national holidays in Hungary. First and foremost, it celebrates the foundation of Hungary, for which it has been dubbed as the birthday of Hungary. As such, it is just natural that the event needs an official cake of Hungary – which is selected yearly.

Currently more than 1.4 million people living in the U.S. consider themselves Hungarian. Thanks to the Citizenship Act of Hungary, most of them are eligible for Hungarian citizenship, and with that, for a passport that grants visa-free travel to 185 countries around the world.

Do you have questions about how you could gain Hungarian citizenship? Now is your chance to ask an expert. Join a session with one of our experts on YouTube, ask your questions in the chat module, and learn everything you want to know.

Naturalization is the official term for obtaining citizenship. The more ties you have to Hungary, the sooner and easier you can become a citizen. However, eventually you become eligible even if your only tie is living here; that is when we talk about regular naturalization.

If you are looking for an EU passport, you might start by taking a look at your family tree. Many EU countries offer citizenship if one or more of your ancestors were local citizens. The procedure varies country by country, meaning not only requirements but also processing time.