Hungary: ordinary naturalisation

Eight years of qualifying residence

The ordinary route requires eight continuous years living in Hungary before applying. Section 23 counts residence from address registration for people with long-term residence rights, recognised refugee or subsidiary-protection status, or exercised free-movement residence rights with the required notification. This is not eight years on any temporary permit.

Hungarian and constitutional knowledge

Applicants must pass the constitutional-basics examination in Hungarian, or qualify for a statutory examination exemption and prove Hungarian-language knowledge. The current statute does not assign a CEFR level to this ordinary-route requirement.

Examination and language exceptions differ

Examination exemptions cover specified restricted legal-capacity or incapacity categories, Hungarian-medium educational qualifications, applicants aged at least 60 when applying, and proven lasting, irreversible health deterioration preventing examination. These are not automatically language exemptions: section 4(8) separately permits waiver of language proof for legally incapacitated applicants.

Conduct, support and acquisition

Applicants need subsistence and housing in Hungary, must meet the clean-record requirement under Hungarian law and have no criminal proceedings pending before a Hungarian court at decision, and must present no public-security or national-security harm. The President decides on the minister's proposal. Citizenship normally takes effect on taking the oath or equivalent pledge; the statute provides incapacity-related arrangements.

Dual nationality and security restrictions

Hungarian law permits dual nationality. Retention is not unconditional: sections 9/A–9/B allow proportionate security-based suspension for a defined Hungarian/non-EEA dual-national cohort without another EEA-equivalent nationality; the definition also treats EU candidate-country nationality as equivalent. The other country's retention rules still require separate checking.