Standard naturalisation — 8 years' continuous residence — általános honosítás (8 év, §4(1))
Citizenship in Hungary
- Eligibility
- Standard honosítás: 8 years' continuous residence + clean record + secured livelihood/housing + no security harm + passed §4/A constitutional-basics exam in Hungarian (or exemption); discretionary Presidential grant; illetékmentes since 2021-01-01.
- Government fee
- HUF 0
- Renunciation
- Not required
Who qualifies
The §4(1) conditions are conjunctive (all must be met): (a) 8 years' continuous Hungarian residence (lakóhely) immediately preceding the application; (b) clean Hungarian criminal record and no pending criminal proceeding; (c) secured livelihood and housing in Hungary; (d) no harm to Hungary's public/national security; (e) for adults, a passed §4/A constitutional-basics exam in Hungarian (or exemption).
Requirements
§4(1)(a) residence: eight years' continuous lakóhely immediately preceding the application — the longest residence track in Act LV. The reduced (§4(2) 3-year, §4(4) 5-year) and zero-residency preferential (§4(3)/(3a)) tracks are exceptions to this 8-year baseline.
How to apply
Filing: in person, in Hungarian, on the prescribed form, before the registrar (anyakönyvvezető) of the applicant's local (district-in-Budapest) municipality, at kormányablak / Kormányhivatal territorial organs, or — for applicants abroad — before the competent Hungarian consul (125/1993. (IX. 22.) Korm. rendelet §13(1)).
Timeline
No statutory maximum timeline for the standard §4(1) track appears in the primary text; duration is governed by general administrative-procedure rules and practice. The ~8–12 month embassy estimate pertains to the simplified §4(3)/(3a) tracks, not necessarily the standard 8-year track. Statutory: oath within 1 year of notification (§7(1)).
Fees & cost
The frequently-cited 'HUF 133,400' standard-naturalisation fee is SUPERSEDED (pre-2021 figure). Only consular translation fees may apply in practice. Both standard and simplified honosítás/visszahonosítás are now illetékmentes per multiple T1 mfa.gov.hu embassy pages.
Legal basis
Operative law is Act LV/1993, consolidated hatály 2025.XII.23. §4/A exam regime in force since 2001-07-01 (2001:XXXII), detailed by 119/2005. Fee-free regime from 2021-01-01. Age-exemption §4/A(2)(c) = 60 (current text; 65 superseded). No enacted change to §4(1) as of 2026-05-31.
Competent authority
The application is examined and the decision-proposal prepared by the citizenship-matters organ (állampolgársági ügyekben eljáró szerv) — operationally Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala (BFKH) per 125/1993 §13/B. This is NOT OIF (Országos Idegenrendészeti Főigazgatóság), which handles only immigration/asylum and the Guest Investor residence permit (2023:XC). P1 correction applied.
Exceptions & edge cases
Guest Investor path to citizenship: a Guest Investor residence permit (2023:XC, OIF competence, residence not citizenship, no CBI) gives no investor fast-track; a Guest Investor may reach citizenship only via this ordinary §4(1) 8-year standard naturalisation (or a §4(2)/§4(4) reduced track if independently qualifying). FATAL trap if treated as citizenship-by-investment.
Example scenarios
Sarah (8-year resident, standard naturalisation) · age 38
Canadian national who moved to Budapest for work and has held continuous lawful residence for 8 years. She has stable income and housing and clean records, but no Hungarian ancestry, spouse, or special category.
Standard honosítás under §4(1): 8 years' continuous residence + clean record + secured livelihood/housing + no security harm + passed §4/A constitutional-basics exam in Hungarian (NAT-04). NAT-08 covers filing → ministerial proposal → Presidential grant; NAT-09 the oath within one year. Illetékmentes (free) since 2021-01-01.
Gábor (the §4/A exam exemption by age 60) · age 61
A 61-year-old long-term resident pursuing standard naturalisation who wants to avoid the written constitutional-basics exam.
NAT-05 (§4/A(2)) exempts from the constitutional-basics exam persons who turned SIXTY at filing (plus incapacity, HU-language-institution qualification, lasting health inability). He combines the standard 8-year track (NAT-01) with the age-60 exam exemption.
Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-06-01.
Track changes to this route
Descent and naturalization rules change. We'll email you in plain English when anything affecting Hungary updates — no spam.