Bill Sykes

Yep - I bit the bullet and went for it last week, with my wife's help - married 23 years, obvs she is Hungarian. Even she didn't understand all the questions on the forms.

But we got a very helpful woman in the office to guide us through the process. She said not that many foreigners are applying for citizenship currently, so with any luck it won't be the 6 months' wait she said to expect.

Any unanswered questions and the authorities should in theory ask me within 30 days, otherwise fingers crossed should be OK.

The CV bit was not actually so bad. I used Google translate and memorised stuff, I do actually speak a reasonably good Hungarian, relatively speaking I guess.

But I did have to write the CV page in front of my helpful woman.

Pleasantly surprised there wasn't a fee - my wife ended up paying nearly £1K to get UK citizenship, and that was a few years ago.

I kept on telling her: what's the point? We're in the EU.

As always, the women are generally correct lol.

Jack_Russells4ever

Welcome to the British Expats Hungarian sub forum. Congratulations of applying for Hungarian Citizenship. I have been here almost 6 years and am making application soon for Permanent Residency. Keep us posted if anything crops up along the way to becoming a Naturalised Hungarian Citizen.

Bill Sykes

Good luck on the PR visa - I've got that as a fallback, quite useless EU rules about only 90 days in 180 after Brexit. So I got it when Hungary made it easy, I guess that was December 2021. Wasn't too painful a process though I don't really like driving in Bp any more. I don't know if Hungary is actually enforcing it (max 90 days), I get the impression they like the money that expats spend. Same as I gather that Spain isn't bothering to enforce the 90 days rule - can anybody confirm?

Does a 60YO with Hungarian citizenship get any benefits such as free bus pass/ prescriptions etc?

Bill Sykes

Actually the visa/ border force authorities often have a lot of discretion and can bend the rules if they see fit. Eg my grandma died so my grandpa went to live in NZ with his daughter/ my aunt - he was 86 I think. Obvs NZ has very strict migration rules, my grandpa didn't bother applying for anything more than the visitor's visa. When he was over-staying, he got a visit & my aunt just showed them his bank a/c balance and they said that everything was OK, have a nice day.

Peter_in_Hungary

The 90 day rule pre-dates Brexit and of course is causing problems for Brits all over Europe - but then that is what every one else voted for. It is an EU / Schengen rule which you may get away with unless you are stopped i.e. I don't think the authorities go around doing spot checks but you may have problems at the border if you went to Austria for a day and tried to come back into Hungary if you have more than the 90 days (or gettting stopped by the traffic police might cause problems).

Free travel happens after 65 and is available to all EU citizens (thank you Brexit) and in Hungary prescriptions are subsidised - not free - the amount of the subsidy depends on a combination of the particular drug, the economic status and the health status of the patient. I don't mind paying for prescriptions because the Hungarian NHS is way better than what passes for a service in the UK

Other benefits open to a 60YO Hungarian - you can vote in national elections, become a member of parliament or become president.

Bill Sykes

Here's another one - I know for a fact that an Australian got married to a foreigner and just showed up at the airport in Aus with his new wife, no visa for her or anything.

They granted her the spouse PR visa (or whatever, I don't know the exact name) on the spot.

Sort of: you're an Aussie, mate - we'll do you right.

Bill Sykes

How exactly would you nail incompetence in your Hungarian wife? Answer - probably you wouldn't, if you knew what was good for you.

So I asked her to research how I could get a Hungarian passport several times.

Mostly I got the answer: you don't qualify.

Despite me being married to her for 23 years and all our kids are dual Hungarian/ UK citizens, all born in Bp.

Plus I spent a lot of time in Hungary.

So basically she couldn't be bothered to look it up, which instinctively seemed wrong, I should have been able to get Hungarian citizenship, but I didn't care that much, UK was in EU - which obvs all changed.

So finally my wife says: oh, actually if you are married to a Hungarian, you can get citizenship after 5 years.

I spent hours and hours getting her the UK citizenship, including going to appeal (and winning)..

Hard done by? No, not me.

Anyway - wish me luck.

philat98

Italian citizenship gives you the opportunity to pay more tax. Did you look at the financial side?

Peter_in_Hungary

I haven't found any down side to the financials since getting Hungarian citizenship - up side free travel.

FenTiger

Oops .... forget my posts on the thread I started! I thought you were a newby. Let's just say on social media a Brit made an unpleasant comment about myself. Totally unwarranted because it was about the build up to our Coronation BBQ for 13 Hungarians and myself!
I'm considering applying for Hungarian citizenship but as many on here kniw I'm as deaf as a lamp post! No idea if I could get round it using a sign language interpreter. I'd be miffed if the answer was No!

Peter_in_Hungary

My understanding is that the Okmányirodá (government / public interface office) where the citizenship procedure happens (amongst other officialdom bits) has facilities for people to use sign language - but might be by appointment. Given this using SL should be a option. Also because for the citizenship you have to do an interview in Hungarian it would reasonable that you will have to use Hungarian SL.

FenTiger

I'd be happy to sign in HSL but need to increase my HSL sign vocabulary.

Bill Sykes

Fentiger - all good.

No problem whatsoever - I hope you have an extremely pleasant weekend.

FenTiger

Thanks .... yesterday I felt so tired after my trip to Budapest on Thursday for ENG. Appointment was at 5:15pm .... got back to Miskolc at 9:30pm. Luckily for myself a friend picked me up. If he didn't I'd have to sprint to the bus station and if not making it in time wait an hour for the next bus at 11pm! The electric pulse treatment sessions with physio I have been having absolutely zap my energy.