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futpar wrote:

jesperss wrote:

Ignore the "phone call" stories. Either your application will be approved or denied. If the consulate/embassy decides to accept it there is a 95% chance you'll be approved.

That's reassuring, jesperss, thanks.

The consulate submitted my application late last year, and I'm still waiting to hear. Anyone know what the turnaround time for applications is now? I read somewhere that Budapest changed which office is processing them, as of the beginning of this year. Has that maybe slowed things down?

How long did it take people to hear back?

Usually around nine months, give or take a couple months

Verification is longer

superkitebr - I've found it extremely difficult to reach anyone by phone, and the answers I get when I eventually get through are contradictory and consistently wrong. I even asked a Hungarian friend to call and she couldn't do any better. I get better and more accurate info from people on this board who've been through the process than I get from any official source. Sadly, I've learned the hard way not to trust what the consulates tell me. It has rarely been accurate.

Thanks as always, jesperss. But I don't understand what you mean by "verification is longer." Verification? Do you mean people applying by descent who need the chain of citizenship verified?

Yes, simplified takes approximately half the time

That is correct.  Strange but true.
Simp nat takes half the time vs verification of descendant/blood parents grandparents in present day HU
Other countries it's opposite.
Oh well.  Citizenship is always complex but it should be as it's worth more than many really know.

futpar wrote:

when I eventually get through are contradictory and consistently wrong.

For what it is worth, don't feel bad or think you have it especially hard. This is also a very common problem most anywhere here in Hungary as well.

Just to explain the logic between the difference in processing time, Simplified Naturalization was intended to be just that, simplified, and a separate bureaucratic process was set-up to handle applications in a relatively streamlined way.

The difference isn't just timimg. For example, most non-Hungarian official documents need to be "legalized" under citizenship verification, but that's not necessary under Simplified Naturalization; you just present your birth and marriage certificates as issued, translated but without legalization.

The fun begins when you have to get res card, TAJ card, tax number etc.  that was more difficult than simp nat.  Glad I'm done everything.  Now If Budapest overpriced apt would drop in value so I can buy:)

Thanks for the elaborations, everyone. That's very useful perspective on the various issues. As I said in my previous post, the people on this board have been extremely helpful and informative. Thank you all.

I thought simplified naturalization was "simplified" relative to the onerous regular naturalization procedures, including the famously difficult citizenship exam. I didn't realize applying by descent was that time-consuming and administratively complex.

I was very relieved to find out I didn't need to get everything apostilled for simplified naturalization, it's an expensive and time-consuming process in the various jurisdictions where my documents are located. But unfortunately the consulate gave me wrong info on that to begin with and I wasted several hundred and quite a few months having it done before I found out from people here who'd been through the process that I didn't need to get apostilles.

Which is just one example of how helpful people on this board can be.

Hello everyone I would like to ask that I applied for simplified naturalization at the embassy of Hungary in Beirut and successfully passed my interview. My question is that will they notify me after 3 month that my application is accepted and how long is the waiting period for any update. Will be more than glad to hear from you.

Regards to all

futpar, sorry to hear about your not-so-good experiences. Hopefully, nothing like that will come up for me.

Jess, it depends on the origin of your documents. My gr-grandmother's birth certificate had to be officially translated by OFFI. Then I had a few more documents that I had to get apostiled. Then, when I gave the apostiled documents to the consulate, I had to pay a "legalization" fee. Talk about expensive for just a few documents.

Omar1982 wrote:

Hello everyone I would like to ask that I applied for simplified naturalization at the embassy of Hungary in Beirut and successfully passed my interview. My question is that will they notify me after 3 month that my application is accepted and how long is the waiting period for any update. Will be more than glad to hear from you.

Regards to all

I also have the same question.

And let  me add to that, can you apply for a passport the moment you get your certificate of citzienship? If all my stuff gets approved, I'm going to have to go to a very big and dangerous city that is far away.  It would be very convenient if I could fill out the form and take the pictures with me there...

And does anyone know if they mail the passport to you, or you have to go back and get it?

blonder wrote:

The fun begins when you have to get res card, TAJ card, tax number etc.  that was more difficult than simp nat.  Glad I'm done everything.  Now If Budapest overpriced apt would drop in value so I can buy:)

have you been living there? Your Hungarian must be pretty good.

I signed up for Hungarianpod today. Their evaluation test (which isn't long enough, IMO) gave me intermediate. I keep studying because I want to get to the level where I can talk about everything. I need something where I can practice every day. Hopefully their platform supports that. Does anyone know?

This 2nd time around, it's hard to get through the FSI course because their vocabulary is so dry (yeah, I know it was written in the 50s): cup, sailboat, cabinet, vase, flowers, valley, mountains, suitcase, typewriter, record player, etc.. Add to that they never use the 2nd person tense which is probably the most used tense nowadays.

I know that after your oath you receive your citizenship certificate and then directly after that you will be able to apply for your passport

They take your photo and biometrics and if you wish to provide a mail to them they will send you the passport by mail.

My great-grandmother  was born in Austria-Hungary right on the border between current day Czech Republic and Slovakia.  She was born on the Austrian side but  the origin of our family is Slovakian/ Hungarian.  The only proof I have is a copy of her birth certificate and I have all the documents that show the lineage to me.

The consulate here in NY said the birth certificate was acceptable and I just need to learn Hungarian but I spoke to a lawyer and they are not so sure (the document is in Old German).

Does anyone have advice on this?

No need to consult a lawyer and pay extra charges just talk to your nearest Hungarian embassy or consulate and they will guide you exactly the way I did. I assume you are applying on simplified naturalization and if you do yes you are required to learn the Hungarian language on a B1 level. Just put your effort in to it and you will do great, wish you all the best and if you have any further questions will be more than glad to answer you. All the best

Thanks Omar.  He just wasn't so sure that the birth certificate would be enough as she was on the Austrian side.  It  would be extremely disappointing to learn hungarian to be turned down through the bureaucratic process.  I'm definitely not paying for a lawyer.

My case was different as my grandmother is Hungarian born in Budapest. My aunt also applied and is already a Hungarian citizen now she also helped me in the process as well as I got my guide through the embassy which helped me in the process. I also learned the language and passed my interview in May on simplified naturalization ( Egyszerűsített  honosítás )

Well let's hope the embassy is right. So how long did you study Hungarian before you passed the test?  I'm.1/2 through duolingo and can say a few things. Not sure it counts.

It took me 1 and half year as I was studying with a teacher on Skype as well as Iam working in the same time but believe me it was so hard in the beginning but later I enjoyed the language and I already visited Budapest last year so I practiced also the language there. I love hungary the culture as well as the Hungarian people are so helpful and nice. I encourage you to go through this process and work as much as you can to achieve because it's absolutely a great experience and please if you wish to communicate further I will be more than glad.

My translator said that if I show that I am enrolled in a course that could help, and it might sway them.

What do you mean by sway them there are two types of citizenship verification and simplified naturalization. If you are entitled to simplified naturalization then the main requirement is is speaking Hungarian as B1 level if you are entitled to verification then no language exam is needed.

Off course showing them you are enrolled is a very good sign that you are learning the language but there is no exemption from the language requirement as it is one of the main requirements.

Not at all true.

How so blonder?

I dont mind spending a year learning Hungarian.  I just dont want to do all this and Hungary telling me the birth certificate isnt acceptable. 

I'm really enjoying learning hungarian.  The verb conjugation is insane (I thought french was hard).

Blonder what do you mean not true at all please correct me if I am wrong

The days of showing a piece of paper that you're studying Hungarian by taking a class and having that sway the interviewer is long gone....that's what he means.

Thank you jesperss for your reply. This was exactly what I meant in my previous comment and maybe blonder has understood me wrong is that if you showed them you are learning the language is a good sign that you are a serious person and what I meant that there is no way of swaying them by just showing them a piece of paper that you are studying. I hope my message is clear now and again thank you jesperss for your clarification.

Thanks guys, I've enjoyed reading through several years of posts.

My great grandfather and grandmother were born in what was then the Kingdom of Hungary. They emigrated to the US around 1895. However, I cannot find any record of their naturalization or reference to the loss of Hungarian citizenship.

Their daughter, who became my grandmother, was born in the US and has an American birth certificate.

I have photocopies of all the birth and marriage certificates and have had a blast discovering my Hungarian heritage!

I'm assuming that because my grandmother was born after they immigrated, that I don't automatically qualify and would have to speak Hungarian? (My language skill is embarrassingly poor). Even though my grandmother was born to Hungarian citizens?

Additionally, I'm a US citizen living in a country that only has an HONORARY Hungarian consulate. Does anyone know if it is possible to submit a citizenship application through an honorary consulate?

Yes you can ask and apply at horonary consulate no problem as far as I know to any Hungarian embassy or consulate

Rhino, I've seen notices from honorary consulates on their web pages specifically stating that they can't handle citizenship applications, only actual consulates and embassies can do that. They specify that people who have an honorary consulate have to apply through the actual consulate or embassy responsible for their geographic region.

For example, see this from the website of the Hungarian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada:

...In other types of cases -especially in citizenship and visa applications- honorary consuls have no authority. In these cases, please get in touch with the Ottawa Embassy or the Toronto Consulate General even if it is only information you are seeking.



Rhino, it would be important to ask the honorary consulate whether they can handle your citizenship application. I doubt that they can. But presumably there's an embassy where you live that could do this. Or does Hungary not have diplomatic relations with your country?

I'd suggest calling your local honorary consul and the local embassy and hope they both give you consistent information. (I've found that I can't rely on the info in any one phone call, it's rarely accurate the first time.) I think it's likely you'll have to go through the nearest actual consulate/embassy. It would be surprising if an honorary consulate could handle citizenship matters. But if the Hungarians don't have diplomatic relations with your local country, maybe the rules are different there.

Rhino, the Hungarian citizenship law is very complicated. It changed frequently, and tracing whether someone was a citizen is tricky. (That's why there's only one bureau in Hungary that does it.) So the caveat is, nobody knows offhand if you can apply for Hungarian citizenship by birth because figuring that out takes some work.

But I can give you a high probability: If your parent was born before October 1, 1957, you probably don't qualify by birth.

Even if your grandmother was born a Hungarian citizen, I don't think she'd be able to pass citizenship on to you because Hungarian nationality law used to be based on the father's citizenship, not the mother's. Plus, women used to lose their citizenship when they married foreigners and so couldn't pass Hungarian citizenship on to their legitimate children because the mothers were no longer Hungarian citizens. (That's an oversimplification of the law, The details are more complicated.)

There was also a period when living abroad for 10 years would cause someone to lose Hungarian citizenship even if they didn't formally naturalize in the new country (which is what happened in my line and caused me to lose my claim to citizenship by birth).

I'm quoting all this from memory, so I may not be correct. Definitely check it out yourself. But these are the issues that I recall offhand that would be important to look into for your situation.

The first thing to check would be whether your grandmother could pass Hungarian citizenship to her children. i suspect the answer is she couldn't because she was a woman (assuming your parent was born before October 1, 1957 and your grandparents were married) and that will settle the question. If your parent was born after 1957 or your grandmother wasn't married, it'll take some research to figure out if you qualify.

I spent a lot of time researching this for my family and learning the complexities of Hungarian citizenship law to see if we could qualify by birth. It's annoying to dig around in this, and time consuming because there are lots of exceptions that don't show up in the general online summaries and discussions. The best overall, basic summary of the law that I've found is on the website of the Hungarian Consulate in New York:



Good luck!

Hi futpar sorry for the interruption. May I correct you if you don't mind. My situation is exactly like Rhino situation and he does qualify for simplified naturalization from his grandmother's side as it's exactly like my case and which I consulted the Hungarian Embassy about that matter. He definitely needs to consult the Hungarian Embassy or any office that can handle citizenship requests for clarification and they will help all the way. As far as I know which I also did is that I seeked to get my grandmother's birth certificate as well as my mother's family extract in order to show the line of descendant and it worked totally fine as well as I learned the language and did my interview. If you need any clarification I will be more than glad to reply.

Best of luck to all

Let me clarify. I wasn't addressing simplified naturalization. He clearly qualifies for simplified naturalization and I don't believe anyone was questioning that.

I was addressing Rhino's question about whether his lineage qualifies by birth through his great-grandparents (via his grandmother). His was trying to determine whether he has to learn Hungarian or whether he can avoid the language requirement by applying through citizenship by birth. He asked:

I'm assuming that because my grandmother was born after they immigrated, that I don't automatically qualify and would have to speak Hungarian? (My language skill is embarrassingly poor). Even though my grandmother was born to Hungarian citizens?

I was addressing that question. My post was to explain why he very likely does not qualify by birth even though his grandmother was born to Hungarian citizens. The point is that he can't avoid going through simplified naturalization and thus he can't avoid the language requirement even though his "language skill is embarrassingly poor."

That's the issue I was addressing: He'll have to learn Hungarian.

Ok Futpar thank you for your clarification and again sorry for any misunderstanding. Please I have one question for you please if you have any information about that because I was seeking a question but unfortunately couldn't find any response is that if I passed my citizenship through simplified naturalization is that true that after 3 month it we be signed by the president and how I am going to be notified if my application is approved or not and when. For example will I be notified after 3 month or should I wait till after 9 month or a year. Thank you so much for your help.

Hi Omar,

It is true that the president will sign it, and he has to sign it quickly after he receives it. But the research into your application before they send it to the president can take a long time. It won't be 3 months. I've been waiting for 9 months to hear back about mine. (I already asked the person from the consulate once and got a non-response. I may ask again soon. But 9 months is not unusual.)

Jesperss has already become a citizen and knows more about how they notify you than I do, and has posted some very useful information about the process. We had a conversation about it on this board around 14 July. You can read the old posts to see what Jesperss has to say.

It would be very helpful if people who have been approved would post and say how long it took before they received their notification. That would be very useful information.

Thank you so much Futpar I appreciate your quick response and help, I will sure go back to check the old posts as well will seek a response from Jesperss. For sure I will update you and all the group with any update and I also wish you all the best and would love to hear back from you on any update regarding your citizenship. Thank you again futpar for your help and it was nice meeting you.

Kind Regards,

Omar

It's nice meeting you, too. This process is so complicated and correct information is so hard to find, we all help each other. I've gotten better information from people on this board than I get from the consulate/embassy. The bureaucrats there don't know as much about this and just give quick off-the-cuff answers that are often wrong. People on this board are so helpful!

I wish you all the best, too and look forward to hearing updates about your citizenship! Good luck to all of us!