Dear John,

I work as a lawyer in Budapest and our law firm also have migration law practice.

In your case, the first question is if the US census document contains information about when and where your great-grandfather's father was born.

This is the starting point in your case. If your ancestor was born in the territory of today's Hungary, and the date and location is clear, then the Immigration Office will investigate if there is a birth certificate in the state Registry Office.

In Hungary the state registration of births started in 1895. If your relative was born after this date, it might happen that the question of nationality can be cleared easily.

If he was born before this date, then we have to look for a Church Birth Certificate, or if he was born outside of the territory of today's Hungary, then we have to look for in that country's state or church registry where the location of the birth is situated.

If you cannot find any birth certificate in Hungary about your ancestor, well then, your case depends on the authenticity and content of the document on the census. In this case the Office decides on a rather ad hoc basis. In this case your chances are lower compared to if you have the birth certificate.

It is not a problem if they spoke German.

If the Hungarian citizenship of your ancestor is proven, then you have to prove a link between him and yourself (so to prove, that he is your relative).

The other requirement for the simplified nationalization is that you are able to express yourself in Hungarian. In practice it means, that when you are launching your application, you have to be there personally as well (even if you have a lawyer) in the Immigration office and you have to be able to express yourself, and tell them what you want, and to answer on their questions. Its not a requirement that you can speak correctly, or on an academic level, but you have to make yourself understood in general topics.

If you could give me some details where and when your ancestor was born then we could advise, what should be the next step in your case.

In any case if you are not eligble for the simplified nationalization, we can also help to find other solutions (for example to get a residence card, which entitles you to live and work freely in most of the EU countries).

If you have any questions, or you would like to start an application process, do not hesitate to contact me.

My email address is: marcell.szijarto@gmail.com

Best Regards,

Marcell Szijártó, dr.

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Environs: This is a very loooooooong drawn out process. Be prepared for at least 6-12 months of paper trail searching. If you think the US government is slow, this process with the Hungarian govenment, will blow your mind. I along with a parent started this process last Septermber and we are still waiting/searching, and my parent was actually born in Hungary but left when she was young.

At some point you will have to appear before the Hungarian consul in person. This means either at an embassy in the USA, or in Budapest. You will also need to produce birth certificates that are certified with an apostille seal, for everyone including yourself. The lawyer did not disclose this information, but you will probably also need marriage licences certified with an apostille seal as well. One of these actually took 3 months to receive from a US state! My own birth certificate from another country is so far unobtainable-- and without it, I can't complete my application, even though BOTH my parents were born IN Hungary. Also involved is filling out the application, which is in Hungarian. (not a problem for me). Then comes the cost involved, which for me was $125 appx. Then after all this, the certificate you receive is only good for a year, within which time you need to get a passport or can get a temporary passport if you don't plan to travel to Hungary within that year timeframe. Be patient, do your research and good luck!

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00abuse

Hi there,

can you let me know what your process was like in applying through the simplified naturalization process as I am just beginning to research and find all the necessary documentation in order to apply, Thanks for your help! I greatly appreciate it

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00abuse