Zero-residency preferential naturalisation by 10-year marriage (or 5-year with common child) — kedvezményes honosítás házasság alapján (§4(3a))

Eligible: a non-Hungarian who, at application, either has lived ≥10 years in a valid marriage to a person who is a Hungarian citizen at application (aa)), or ≥5 years in such a marriage where a common child was born (ab)); proves Hungarian-language knowledge; and satisfies §4(1)(b) (clean record) and §4(1)(d) (no security harm). No Hungarian residence, no livelihood/housing requirement, no §4/A written exam.

Marriage-duration threshold (the entire qualifying basis): aa) ≥10 years in a valid marriage to a Hungarian citizen (citizen 'at the time of application'); or ab) ≥5 years in such a marriage where a common child has been born. There is no descent component — that is §4(3). The marriage must be valid.

Filing: in person, in Hungarian, on the prescribed form; for applicants abroad, before the competent Hungarian consul (125/1993. (IX. 22.) Korm. rendelet §13(1); §4(3a) simplified forms in the 10. melléklet).

Estimated ~8–12 months from submission of a complete application per T1 embassy guidance for the simplified §4(3)/(3a) preferential tracks; no statutory maximum in the primary text. Statutory constraint: oath within 1 year of notification (§7).

ILLETÉKMENTES (fee-free): the kedvezményes/egyszerűsített preferential route is and has been entirely díjmentes. Naturalisation is fee-free since 2021-01-01 (kormany.hu first-instance illetékmentesség); the Itv. Melléklet XV. cím citizenship-fee items were repealed (2017. évi II. törvény onward). 'HUF 133,400' is the SUPERSEDED pre-2021 figure. Only consular translation fees may apply. P1 correction applied.

Operative law: Act LV/1993 consolidated, hatály 2025.XII.23 (current as of 2026-05-31). The preferential architecture was introduced by 2010. évi XLIV. törvény §2(2) (§4(3) diaspora route; EIF 2010-08-20, applied from 2011-01-01); §4(3a) is the parallel marriage subsection. Fee-free regime from 2021-01-01. No enacted change to §4(3a) as of 2026-05-31.

On the §4(3a) preferential route the President of the Republic grants citizenship and issues the deed on the proposal of the minister responsible for citizenship affairs (§6(1)–(2)); the substantive examination/decision-proposal is prepared by the citizenship-matters organ (BFKH). The grant is discretionary, not an entitlement.

Threshold boundary cases: a 9-year childless marriage, or a 4-year marriage with a child, does NOT qualify under §4(3a) — there is no sub-5-year or childless-sub-10-year §4(3a) pathway. Such applicants fall to §4(2) (HU-MAR-01, if resident in Hungary 3 years) or the standard §4(1) 8-year track (HU-NAT-01). The Hungarian spouse must be a citizen at the time of application.