Descent Is Not a Way Into Hungary, It Is a Way to Stay: an Ancestor's Hungarian Citizenship Waives the Three-Year Wait for Settled Status and Waives Everything in the Nationality Act
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Finland on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
172 exceptions recorded across 63 countries · none match Finland to Hungary · Residency through ancestry
Hungary answers the descent question twice, in two different statutes, and neither answer is a residence permit. Section 6(1) of Act XC of 2023 lists twenty-four purposes for a long stay and descent is not among them, so a person with a Hungarian grandparent arrives on the same footing as anyone else and has to find a purpose. Once they hold a residence permit, section 83(1)(d) opens the national residence card - settled status, indefinite by section 74(2) - to a third-country national who was a Hungarian citizen, or whose ascendant is or was a Hungarian citizen, with none of the three years of continuous residence that section 83(1)(a) asks of everybody else. Two conditions survive: section 83(2) requires the stay to be consistent with Hungary's interests and the applicant to meet the social coexistence conditions, which in practice means the Hungarian cultural knowledge examination. The second answer is larger and skips residence entirely. Section 4(3) of Act LV of 1993 allows preferential naturalisation of a non-Hungarian citizen whose ascendant was a Hungarian citizen, or who makes their Hungarian origin plausible, and who proves their knowledge of Hungarian - subject only to a clean record and no security objection. There is no residence requirement, no livelihood test and no constitutional examination, and the Act sets no language level: under section 2(1) of Government Decree No 125/1993. (IX. 22.) the official taking the application checks the Hungarian and certifies by signature that they did so.
At a glance
- Is descent a residence purpose
- No: none of the twenty-four purposes in section 6(1) of Act XC of 2023 is descent
This is where Hungary differs from Slovakia, whose section 21(1)(h) of Act No. 404/2011 Z. z. makes descent one of nine residence purposes in its own right.
- Descent at the settlement stage
- Yes: section 83(1)(d) of Act XC of 2023, with no waiting period
The provision reaches a person who was a Hungarian citizen themselves and a person whose ascendant is or was one. The Act states no generation limit.
- Residence otherwise needed for settled status
- 3 years, continuous and lawful
Section 83(1)(a) of Act XC of 2023. Section 84(1) allows absences of under four months at a time totalling no more than 270 days in the three years.
- What the descent route still asks for
- A residence permit already held, consistency with Hungary's interests, and the social coexistence conditions
The opening words of section 83(1) and section 83(2) of Act XC of 2023. The social coexistence conditions are the cultural knowledge examination under section 80(1) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.).
- Descent in the nationality Act
- Preferential naturalisation with no residence at all
Section 4(3) of Act LV of 1993, which applies the conditions in section 4(1)(b) and (d) only - clean record and no security objection.
- Language for preferential naturalisation
- Knowledge of Hungarian, with no level stated in any instrument read
Section 4(3) of Act LV of 1993 says the applicant proves their knowledge of Hungarian; section 2(1) of Government Decree No 125/1993. (IX. 22.) has the receiving official check it and certify the check by signing the application.
- Constitutional examination for the descent route
- Not required: section 4(3) of Act LV of 1993 does not apply section 4(1)(e)
The examination in constitutional basic knowledge, taken in Hungarian, is a condition of ordinary naturalisation only.
Requirements
- For the settled status: a Hungarian residence permit already held, an ascendant who is or was a Hungarian citizen, and the cultural knowledge examination
- For naturalisation: documents proving or making plausible your or your ascendants' former Hungarian citizenship, and Hungarian you can speak at the counter
- A clean Hungarian record and no objection on public security or national security grounds, for either
Country-level policy
Act II of 2007 on the entry and residence of third-country nationals governed Hungarian immigration for sixteen years and it is not law. Act XC of 2023 replaced it, and did so in two steps that are a day apart. Section 350 of the new Act repealed sections 1 to 120 of the old one - every substantive provision, listed point by point across eighteen lettered items. Section 351 then repealed the Act itself. Section 285(1) brought the new Act into force on 1 January 2024 and section 285(2) held section 351 back to 2 January 2024, so for the whole of 1 January 2024 Act II of 2007 existed as a title and a set of empty section numbers with no content in any of them. The National Legislation Database records the consequence on its own page for the Act, which is dated Hatalyos: 2024. 01. 01. - 2024. 01. 01. The new Act opens with a preamble that no other instrument in this corpus matches in tone, and it is worth reading because it states what the drafters were trying to do with the chapters that follow.
Section 83(2)(b) of Act XC of 2023 makes the social coexistence conditions a condition of the national residence card, and section 87(4) extends the same requirement to the EU residence card, so both routes to settled status in Hungary pass through it. Section 80(1) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) says what it means in practice: a Hungarian cultural knowledge examination. Section 81(6) provides that the examination is written and in Hungarian, which makes it a language requirement as well as a knowledge one although no provision read here sets a language level. The fee is 20,000 forints a sitting under section 80(4), payable before admission. Section 80(2) exempts only three classes - a person who has already passed it in another immigration procedure, a third-country national under 14, and one placed under guardianship by a final court judgment. The authority must announce at least four sittings a month and give fifteen working days' notice, and the result is pass or fail, announced on the spot. The provision with no counterpart elsewhere in this corpus is section 81(11): where an applicant finishes the examination with a fail three times, a further application to sit it must be refused. There is no waiting period and no second chance after it, and the refusal is of the application to sit rather than of the residence application. Section 79(2) exempts the national residence card issued in the national interest from the whole requirement.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Finland
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«A Magyarországon történő huzamos tartózkodás céljából nemzeti tartózkodási kártyát – a (3) bekezdésben foglalt kivétellel – az a harmadik országbeli állampolgár kaphat, aki tartózkodási engedéllyel, ideiglenes letelepedési engedéllyel vagy ideiglenes tartózkodási kártyával rendelkezik, és a) a kérelem benyújtását közvetlenül megelőzően legalább három éven át jogszerűen és megszakítás nélkül Magyarország területén tartózkodott, b) a kérelem benyújtását közvetlenül megelőzően legalább egy éve eltartott felmenőként családi életközösségben él magyar állampolgárral vagy huzamos tartózkodási jogosultsággal rendelkező, illetve menekültként elismert harmadik országbeli állampolgárral, c) magyar állampolgár, huzamos tartózkodási jogosultsággal rendelkező, illetve menekültként elismert harmadik országbeli állampolgár házastársa, feltéve, hogy a házasságot már a kérelem benyújtását megelőzően legalább két éve megkötötték, d) magyar állampolgár volt, de állampolgársága megszűnt, illetve a felmenője magyar állampolgár vagy magyar állampolgár volt, vagy e) huzamos tartózkodási jogosultsággal rendelkező, illetve menekültként elismert harmadik országbeli állampolgár kiskorú gyermeke.»Our translation - not official
For the purpose of long-term stay in Hungary a national residence card - with the exception set out in paragraph (3) - may be granted to a third-country national who holds a residence permit, a temporary settlement permit or a temporary residence card, and a) stayed lawfully and without interruption in the territory of Hungary for at least three years immediately before the submission of the application, b) has for at least one year immediately before the submission of the application lived in family union, as a dependent ascendant, with a Hungarian citizen or with a third-country national holding long-term residence entitlement or recognised as a refugee, c) is the spouse of a Hungarian citizen, of a third-country national holding long-term residence entitlement or of one recognised as a refugee, provided that the marriage was concluded at least two years before the submission of the application, d) was a Hungarian citizen but whose citizenship has ceased, or whose ascendant is or was a Hungarian citizen, or e) is the minor child of a third-country national holding long-term residence entitlement or recognised as a refugee.
Known to be out of date. The National Legislation Database dates this time-state 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31., which on its own definition in section 1 of Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) means the text changes on 1 January 2027. The instrument that changes it was not read.
Five alternatives, and the fourth is descent. The opening words still require a residence permit, so this is a shortcut through the waiting period rather than a way into the country.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«A Magyarországon történő huzamos tartózkodás céljából nemzeti tartózkodási kártyát a harmadik országbeli állampolgár az (1) bekezdésében meghatározott feltételek teljesítése esetén is csak abban az esetben kaphat, ha a) huzamos tartózkodása Magyarország érdekeivel összhangban áll, és b) teljesíti a jogszabályban meghatározott társadalmi együttélési feltételeket.»Our translation - not official
For the purpose of long-term stay in Hungary a third-country national may be granted a national residence card, even where the conditions laid down in paragraph (1) are met, only if a) their long-term stay is consistent with Hungary's interests, and b) they meet the social coexistence conditions laid down in legislation.
Known to be out of date. The National Legislation Database dates this time-state 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31., which on its own definition in section 1 of Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) means the text changes on 1 January 2027. The instrument that changes it was not read.
Two further conditions on top of the five alternatives, and the first has no further definition anywhere in the Act.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Az (1) bekezdés b) és d) pontjában meghatározott feltételek fennállása esetén – kérelmére – kedvezményesen honosítható az a nem magyar állampolgár, akinek felmenője magyar állampolgár volt vagy valószínűsíti magyarországi származását, és magyar nyelvtudását igazolja.»Our translation - not official
Where the conditions laid down in paragraph (1)(b) and (d) are met, a non-Hungarian citizen whose ascendant was a Hungarian citizen, or who makes their Hungarian origin plausible, and who proves their knowledge of Hungarian, may be naturalised preferentially on application.
No residence, no livelihood, no housing, no constitutional examination. The only two conditions carried across are the clean record in point (b) and the security clause in point (d).
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Az állampolgársági kérelem átvételekor a fővárosi és vármegyei kormányhivatal járási (fővárosi kerületi) hivatala kormánytisztviselője, a konzuli tisztviselő, az integrált ügyfélszolgálati iroda kormánytisztviselője, továbbá az állampolgársági ügyekben eljáró szerv a kérelmező személyazonosságát és az [Ápt. 4. § (3)](https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/1993-55-00-00) és [(3a) bekezdés](https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/1993-55-00-00) ére alapozott honosítási és a visszahonosítási kérelem esetében a magyar nyelvtudást ellenőrzi és ennek megtörténtét, illetve a kérelmező aláírásának hitelességét a kérelmen aláírásával igazolja.»Our translation - not official
On receiving the citizenship application, the government official of the district (metropolitan district) office of the metropolitan and county government office, the consular officer, the government official of the integrated client service office and the body acting in citizenship matters shall check the applicant's identity and, in the case of a naturalisation application based on section 4(3) and (3a) of the Citizenship Act and of a re-naturalisation application, their knowledge of Hungarian, and shall certify by signing the application that this took place and that the applicant's signature is genuine.
The whole of the language procedure. No certificate, no examination, no level - the check is made at the counter by whoever takes the papers.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Az [Ápt. 4. § (3) bekezdésére](https://njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/1993-55-00-00) alapozott honosítási kérelemhez és a visszahonosítási kérelemhez mellékelni kell a kérelmező, illetve felmenői egykori magyar állampolgárságát igazoló vagy valószínűsítő okiratokat.»Our translation - not official
A naturalisation application based on section 4(3) of the Citizenship Act and a re-naturalisation application shall be accompanied by documents proving or making plausible the former Hungarian citizenship of the applicant or of their ascendants.
Proving or making plausible. The lower standard is written into the evidence rule as well as into the substantive one.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«6. § (1) Harmadik országbeli állampolgár Magyarországon tartósan a) vállalkozási vagy befektetési célból aa) vendég-önfoglalkoztatóként, ab) vendégbefektetőként, b) munkavégzési célból, mint vendégmunkás ba) szezonális munkavállalás célú tartózkodási engedéllyel, bb) beruházás megvalósítása céljából kiállított munkavállalási célú tartózkodási engedéllyel, bc) foglalkoztatási célú tartózkodási engedéllyel, bd) vendégmunkás-tartózkodási engedéllyel, c) magasan képzett személyként munkavégzési célból, vagy valamely, az ország számára kiemelten fontos területen jártassággal rendelkező személyként ca) Magyar Kártyával, cb) EU Kék Kártyával, cc) vállalaton belül áthelyezett személyként, cd) kutatóként, ce) vállalkozás Magyarországra történő áthelyezése esetén Vállalati Kártyával, d) állampolgársághoz kötött munkavégzési, vagy más, e törvény szerinti célból Nemzeti Kártyával, e) az e törvényben meghatározott egyéb okból, azaz ea) tanulmányi célból, eb) képzési célból, ec) gyakornokként, ed) hivatalos célból, ee) ideiglenesen munkát vállaló turisták foglalkoztatására vonatkozó nemzetközi szerződés alapján, ef) Fehér Kártyával, eg) kiküldetés céljából, eh) gyógykezelés céljából, ei) önkéntes tevékenység folytatása céljából, ej) nemzeti érdekből, ek) családi együttélés biztosítása céljából, vagy el) humanitárius ok miatt»Our translation - not official
Section 6 (1) A third-country national may stay in Hungary for a long term a) for the purpose of business or investment aa) as a guest self-employed person, ab) as a guest investor, b) for the purpose of work, as a guest worker ba) with a residence permit for seasonal employment, bb) with a residence permit for employment issued for the purpose of realising an investment, bc) with a residence permit for employment, bd) with a guest worker residence permit, c) as a highly qualified person for the purpose of work, or as a person with expertise in a field of particular importance to the country ca) with a Hungarian Card, cb) with an EU Blue Card, cc) as a person transferred within an undertaking, cd) as a researcher, ce) with a Corporate Card where an undertaking is relocated to Hungary, d) with a National Card for work tied to nationality or for another purpose under this Act, e) for another reason specified in this Act, namely ea) for the purpose of study, eb) for the purpose of training, ec) as a trainee, ed) for official purposes, ee) on the basis of an international agreement on the employment of temporarily working tourists, ef) with a White Card, eg) for the purpose of posting, eh) for the purpose of medical treatment, ei) for the purpose of voluntary activity, ej) in the national interest, ek) for the purpose of ensuring family unity, or el) for a humanitarian reason
Known to be out of date. The National Legislation Database dates this time-state 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31., which on its own definition in section 1 of Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) means the text changes on 1 January 2027. The instrument that changes it was not read.
Twenty-four purposes and descent is not one of them, which is why this topic is answered in two other places.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The two routes reach different people and ask different things. The settlement route in section 83(1)(d) of Act XC of 2023 asks for an ascendant who is or was a Hungarian citizen and still requires a residence permit, Hungary's interests and the cultural examination. The naturalisation route in section 4(3) of Act LV of 1993 asks for an ascendant who was a Hungarian citizen or for plausible Hungarian origin, and asks for no residence at all.
Neither provision states a generation limit. Felmeno is any ascendant in the direct line, and neither instrument read here narrows it.
What a plausible Hungarian origin means in practice was not read. The decree asks for documents that prove or make it plausible and leaves the assessment to the body acting in citizenship matters.
- consolidates2023. évi XC. törvény a harmadik országbeli állampolgárok beutazására és tartózkodására vonatkozó általános szabályokról
Nemzeti Jogszabalytar, Igazsagugyi Miniszterium · consolidated to 2026-10-01
Known to be out of date. The National Legislation Database dates this time-state 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31., which on its own definition in section 1 of Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) means the text changes on 1 January 2027. The instrument that changes it was not read.
About this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidates1993. évi LV. törvény a magyar állampolgárságról
Nemzeti Jogszabalytar, Igazsagugyi Miniszterium · consolidated to 2026-10-01
About this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidates125/1993. (IX. 22.) Korm. rendelet a magyar állampolgárságról szóló 1993. évi LV. törvény végrehajtásáról
Nemzeti Jogszabalytar, Igazsagugyi Miniszterium · consolidated to 2025-07-01
About this source
The Hungarian state's own electronic collection of legislation, operated for the Minister of Justice by Magyar Kozlony Lap- es Konyvkiado Kft. under a public service contract, and the only place a consolidated Hungarian statute is published at all. Section 29(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 defines it; Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) sets the duties. Section 2(1) of the decree requires every statute in force to appear in consolidated form with all of its past time-states back to 1 January 2010 and its next three; section 2(3) requires the consolidation within three working days of promulgation. **Read the host carefully: section 8(1) of the decree still names www.njt.hu and the service that answers is njt.jog.gov.hu.** The address shape is njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-00-00 for an Act, using the Act's Roman numeral converted to Arabic - Act XC of 2023 is 2023-90-00-00, Act LV of 1993 is 1993-55-00-00, Act CXVII of 1995 is 1995-117-00-00 - and njt.jog.gov.hu/jogszabaly/{YEAR}-{NUMBER}-20-22 for a government decree, so Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.) is 2024-35-20-22. The decisive thing on every page is the line under the title: Hatalyos: 2026. 10. 01. - 2026. 12. 31. By the definition of a time-state in section 1 of the decree, the closing date is the day before the text changes, so a page with a closing date is telling the reader that the law will be different on the day after it, and Nem ismert means no change is yet scheduled. Footnotes at the foot of the text name, for every amended paragraph, the Act or decree that put the current words there, which is the only machine-readable amendment history in the corpus.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: **Nothing published here is the authentic text and Hungarian law says so in terms.** Section 25(1) of Act CXXX of 2010 confers authenticity on the Magyar Kozlony and section 25(2) forbids a consolidated text from being published in the Magyar Kozlony at all, so the authentic text and the current text are in two different places by design and the consolidation is never the authentic one. Neither Act CXXX of 2010 nor Government Decree No 338/2011. (XII. 29.) uses the word hiteles of this database anywhere. The practical limitation that follows is narrower than it sounds and bites hard in one place: **an amending provision disappears from here once it has done its work.** Section 12(2) of Act CXXX of 2010 makes an amending provision lose force the day after it takes effect, and the consolidated text of the amending Act then prints only a footnote saying so, stripping the subtitle headings with it. Act XC of 2023 as served here therefore contains neither section 350 nor section 351, the two provisions that repealed the statute it replaced; Act LXXXIV of 2024 as served here contains neither section 135, which removed the 500,000 EUR property option from the guest investor programme, nor the subtitle that would say which commencement date applied to it. **For what was enacted, and for when, read the Magyar Kozlony issue.** It also cannot be cited for anything kept outside the statute book, and the 2023 immigration Act pushes a great deal out there: the government decree naming which nationalities may hold a guest worker permit or a National Card, the ministerial communication fixing the annual permit number under sections 28(4) and 30(4), the communication listing excluded occupations, the communication fixing the EU Blue Card salary under section 48(7) of Government Decree No 35/2024. (II. 29.), and the registers of preferential employers and qualified temporary-work agencies. Nor is it the place to read a figure a statute re-indexes: section 25(3) of Act CXXX of 2019 prints a health service contribution of 7,710 forints set in 2020 and in the same breath provides that the rate in force is published each year by the National Tax and Customs Administration on its own website.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source