Classic foundling presumption — child of unknown parentage found in Hungary / ismeretlen szülőktől származó, Magyarországon talált gyermek

Eligibility for §3(3)(b): (1) child found in Hungary (on Hungarian territory); (2) parentage is UNKNOWN — neither parent is identifiable. This is the critical distinguishing element: §3(3)(b) requires that the child's parents cannot be identified. Once parentage is established, §3(3)(b) no longer provides the basis; instead §3(1) (Hungarian-citizen parent) or §3(3)(a) (stateless resident parents) may apply. No age cap; applies to newborns and children of unknown parentage.

No application required for §3(3)(b) presumption. Practical documentation: (1) establishment by child-protection/guardianship authority (gyámhatóság) that the child is of unknown parentage; (2) birth registration (anyakönyv) noting the §3(3)(b) presumption; (3) állampolgársági bizonyítvány from BFKH if formal certification is needed. Rebuttal: if foreign nationality or non-Hungarian parentage is later affirmatively established under §3(4), the presumption ceases.

Process: statutory presumption operates automatically at the moment a child of unknown parentage is found in Hungary. Practical steps: (1) gyámhatóság/gyermekvédelmi szerv establishes foundling status and initiates any parentage investigation; (2) anyakönyv registration of the child as Hungarian by operation of §3(3)(b); (3) állampolgársági bizonyítvány from BFKH if formal proof needed. The child's welfare/adoption proceedings (1997. évi XXXI. törvény) proceed in parallel but are separate from the citizenship determination.

Timeline: §3(3)(b) presumption operates automatically when the child of unknown parentage is found in Hungary. No citizenship application is required. Birth registration via anyakönyv should occur promptly. Állampolgársági bizonyítvány from BFKH — no statutory maximum; practice-based timing. The presumption has no expiry — it continues until affirmatively rebutted under §3(4).

Illetékmentes (fee-free) since 2021-01-01. All first-instance administrative citizenship procedures are fee-free (kormany.hu; 2017. évi II. törvény repeal of Itv. Melléklet XV. cím items). No statutory citizenship fee applies to the §3(3)(b) presumption or to the állampolgársági bizonyítvány.

Status: OPEN era spanning W1–W7. §3(3)(b) has been in continuous force since the 1879:L era (in force 1880-01-08); the 2025 reforms did not alter §3(3)(b) — Act CXXVI/2025 added §3(3)(c) as an extension. No amendment to §3(3)(b) is pending as of 2026-05-31. All seven temporal windows are relevant to understanding the historical lineage of this route, although only W5–W7 represent current operational time.

Competent authority for citizenship determination: citizenship-matters organ (állampolgársági ügyekben eljáró szerv — BFKH). Gyámhatóság handles child welfare/adoption proceedings separately. OIF handles immigration/asylum/Guest Investor only — NOT foundling citizenship matters. Judicial review of citizenship-determination decisions: Fővárosi Törvényszék within 30 days of notification.

Unlike the §3(3)(a) stateless-parents limb, §3(3)(b) imposes NO residence requirement and no condition on the parents' status — it needs only that a child of unknown parentage be found in Hungary — making it the broadest territorial presumption. It is rebuttable under §3(4): the Hungarian-citizen presumption falls only if non-Hungarian parentage or a foreign nationality is affirmatively established. Status is confirmed declaratively (not by naturalisation) through an állampolgársági bizonyítvány issued by the citizenship-matters organ under Act LV §11 (valid three years), with the immigration authority OIF having no role.