Acquiring Hungarian citizenship: all you need to know about the citizenship exam
Acquiring Hungarian citizenship is not easy, but the advantages far outweigh the difficulties. For example, you can travel freely in the Schengen Zone, you can get a Hungarian passport, one of the world’s strongest travel documents, allowing you to access 187 visa-free destinations. Those who would like to become a Hungarian citizen but are not children of Hungarian citizens, married to Hungarian citizens or able to prove their Hungarian ancestry, must take a citizenship exam in the final stages of the process. We’ll show you what you have to know to pass that easily.
Three “easy” pathways to get Hungarian citizenship
In THIS article, we summed up the main pathways a foreigner can acquire Hungarian citizenship. We wrote about five main avenues: naturalisation, simplified naturalisation, by descent, by marriage and buying a Golden Visa (which is the investment route). Only foreigners who can speak Hungarian and prove their Hungarian descent are eligible for simplified naturalisation. This route is mainly for those who live in the former territories of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Carpathian Basin or are descendants of the Hungarian expats who left the country in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Being a child or spouse of a Hungarian citizen also makes you eligible for Hungarian citizenship easily. In the former case, you do not have to take any exams, in the latter, you only have to prove that you can speak and understand Hungarian.
The other two routes are much more difficult since they include exams, and you have to prove a good command of the Hungarian language to pass them. We summed up in THIS article how you can buy a Golden Visa and acquire temporary residency in Hungary for 10 years, which can be extended by another 10 years. If you spend enough time in the country, you become eligible to get permanent residency, which allows you to apply for Hungarian citizenship after 8 years spent in the country. HERE you may read more about this pathway.
Passing a citizenship exam is mandatory
However, even if you bought a Golden Visa or “just” became eligible for citizenship after living long enough in Hungary, you have to take a so-called citizenship exam to win Hungarian citizenship. The relevant laws exempt only a few people from this obligation: children or persons with limited legal capacity, persons educated in Hungarian, those over 60 years old at application, or those with medical conditions preventing the exam.
The exam is conducted in Hungarian and consists of a written and an oral part before an examination committee. The exam is a comprehensive test of constitutional, historical, cultural, and civic knowledge concerning Hungary. Passing the exam requires a good command of the Hungarian language, as the exam tests constitutional knowledge in Hungarian.
Key topics of the exam
- Hungary’s place in the Carpathian Basin, Europe, and international organisations (UN, NATO, EU);
- National symbols and holidays (coat of arms, flag, crown, anthem, national holidays);
- Key historical turning points (e.g., Hungarian conquest, Ottoman rule, 1848-49 revolution, 1956 revolution, 1989-1990 regime change);
- Prominent figures in Hungarian art, music, literature, and science;
- Basic institutions of the Hungarian democracy (Parliament, President, government, Constitutional Court, judiciary);
- Structure of public administration (central, regional, local government);
- Fundamental citizen rights and obligations;
- Hungarian citizenship law.
What happens if you fail the exam?
You may be aware that this exam can only be taken at government offices. In Budapest, that is the Budapest Capital Government Office (Budapest Főváros Kormányhivatala). You can submit your application via email.
If you fail the exam, nothing catastrophic happens since you can submit your application again. The exam’s cost is 50% of the Hungarian gross minimum wage, which is currently HUF 145,500 (EUR 360). If you fail, the cost of the additional exams is half of that price, currently EUR 180. Theoretically, the exam is not intended to fail many people. Individual experience may, however, differ.
The candidate who passes the exam receives a certificate, which is an attachment to the naturalisation application.
Do you think you’d pass the exam? Try a mock exam (in Hungarian) HERE!
HERE is the book to help, but you can also participate in one-day preparatory courses.
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