Okay so,

My great grandmother was from Hungary so apparently according to Hungary’s 2011 nationality law I’m entitled to citizenship if I can prove my ancestry and speak the Hungarian language.

That being said, it seems like most of the people who have taken advantage of this process are from nearby European countries.

I identify very strongly with home country and [the region I’m from](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England) but honestly…I have doubts about the long term stability of the US and want to protect myself in my family in any way possible should conflict break out or living conditions drastically change for any other reason.

Despite my complete disdain for the apparently popular Orban government and the intolerance of racial diversity and queer people (two things my home is know for being very accepting of) I wonder if Hungarian people all really have this like type of “conservative” thinking. I can’t stand intolerance like that so I really hope not.

Hungary is never going to be America, I get that. I think it couldn’t be any more different from my home country. But would it be comfortable enough as a backup plan in case things get really bad here in the US?

If anyone has actually been through this process, and even more so someone who is not from Europe, and can give me information that would be so helpful because I don’t wanna pay an arm and a leg to a stupid consultant for something I’m just very casually considering for the future.

Like would I have to live in Hungary for a certain amount of time to get the citizenship or can I simply be naturalized and then enjoy the EU’s freedom of movement and settle in the French countryside or something? Would my same-sex partner also be entitled to citizenship or just residency in the country?

I’d like to learn more about Hungarian culture because all I really know about is how much I don’t like the PM and that Hungary is typically always described as a conservative country. From what I do understand, I think I would be very uncomfortable holding Hungarian citizenship or ever living in Hungary but maybe I’m not seeing the full picture.

(Google fordítás)

Rendben, tehát,

Dédnagymamám magyar származású volt, így a 2011-es magyar állampolgársági törvény alapján úgy tűnik, akkor járok állampolgárságra, ha igazolni tudom a származásomat és tudok magyarul.

Ennek ellenére úgy tűnik, hogy a legtöbb ember, aki kihasználta ezt a folyamatot, a közeli európai országokból származik.

Nagyon erősen azonosulok az országgal és [a régióval, ahonnan származom](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England), de őszintén szólva… kétségeim vannak az Egyesült Államok hosszú távú stabilitását illetően minden lehetséges módon szeretném megvédeni magam a családomban, ha konfliktus törne ki, vagy az életkörülmények bármilyen más okból drasztikusan megváltoznának.

A látszólag népszerű Orbán-kormány iránti teljes megvetésem, valamint a faji sokféleséggel és a furcsa emberekkel szembeni intolerancia ellenére (két dolog, amit otthonomban nagyon elfogadnak), azon tűnődöm, vajon tényleg a magyar emberekben van-e ez a “konzervatív” gondolkodásmód. Nem bírom az ilyen intoleranciát, ezért nagyon remélem, hogy nem.

Magyarország soha nem lesz Amerika, ezt értem. Azt hiszem, ez már nem is különbözhetne jobban a hazámtól. De vajon elég kényelmes lenne tartalék tervként arra az esetre, ha a dolgok nagyon rosszra fordulnának itt az Egyesült Államokban?

Ha valaki valóban átesett ezen a folyamaton, és még inkább valaki, aki nem Európából származik, és tud nekem olyan információkat adni, amelyek nagyon hasznosak lehetnek, mert nem akarok fizetni egy hülye tanácsadónak valamiért, csak nagyon lazán gondolkodom a jövőn.

Mintha egy bizonyos ideig Magyarországon kellene élnem, hogy megkapjam az állampolgárságot, vagy egyszerűen honosíthatok, aztán élvezhetem az EU szabad mozgását és letelepedhetek a francia vidéken, vagy ilyesmi? Azonos nemű párom is jogosult lenne állampolgárságra vagy csak tartózkodásra az országban?

Szeretnék többet megtudni a magyar kultúráról, mert csak annyit tudok róla, hogy mennyire nem szeretem a miniszterelnököt, és hogy Magyarországot jellemzően mindig konzervatív országként írják le. Amennyire én megértem, azt hiszem, nagyon kényelmetlen lenne magyar állampolgársággal rendelkezni vagy valaha Magyarországon élni, de lehet, hogy nem látom a teljes képet.

15 comments

  1. Really really depends on where you go in Hungary. Budapest and other large cities are way better than smaller villages, and it’s not as bad as the media portrays it, but it is definitely not a cakewalk not just because of politics but because what they are currently doing to the economy as well.

    Learning the language for a citizenship is not an easy feat and I’d recommend you get on that way before you even move. (I can’t tell which language was Google translated, thus me writing in English.)

    I’m an ethnic minority and queer and have grown up in Hungary, it wasn’t all _that_ bad, but I do come from a privileged household and I’m a white jew, so I can be a wallflower easily.

    Unfortunately your same sex partner will not be entitled to any benefits from your prospective citizenship, as Hungary does not recognize same sex marriages. (Registered partnerships are available, but those aren’t the same in terms of rights and benefits.)

    However, in my everyday life, if you can overlook politics, Budapest was actually fine for me. (I don’t live there anymore because my entire family fled the country, but I actually do miss it.) Hope I was able to help, you can DM me if you have any questions.

  3. You lost me at *”I have doubts about the long term stability of the US”*. Could you please elaborate on that? In what aspect would Hungary, which is neighbouring a country where a war is going on, be more stable or safer than the US?

  4. >I wonder if Hungarian people all really have this like type of “conservative” thinking.

    We don’t. Hungarians are like Orban the same way Americans are like Trump.

    >But would it be comfortable enough as a backup plan in case things get really bad here in the US?

    Can’t really imagine a scenario where “things get really bad” in the US while everything’s fine in the EU, especially in Hungary. With that said our simplified naturalization process is – if you can pass the language test – an extremely quick way to gain EU citizenship so my answer would be a definite yes.

    >I don’t wanna pay an arm and a leg to a stupid consultant for something

    No need, the details are publicly available at our [consulates](https://washington.mfa.gov.hu/eng/page/simplified-naturalization) and I’m sure their staff will help you out with the details. AFAIK the process itself is free of charge but there might be additional costs for translating documents etc.

    >would I have to live in Hungary for a certain amount of time to get the citizenship

    No such requirements when applying for simplified naturalization.

    >Would my same-sex partner also be entitled to citizenship or just residency in the country?

    Hard no on citizenship, most likely not for residency but don’t quote me on that part.

  6. >Are Hungarian people really like Orban?

    Were american people all like Trump? Are they now all like Biden?

    ​

    >Would it be comfortable enough as a backup plan in case things get really bad here in the US?

    What trends make you think that it gets really bad in the US? Social polarization? Democratic backsliding? Weaking of rule of law? Growing intolerance, hatred and harrasment towards minorities? Economic crisis? Financial insecurity? These are all present in Hungary affecting everybody.

    Regarding your questions about citizenship: [here is the official site of the Office for Immigration](http://www.bmbah.hu/index.php?lang=en). Although I must warn you: the website is mostly useless if you need up to date and accurate information – at least that was my experience (helped a few fellow students with their permits a while ago). I recommend you get/hire some professional who knows the process really well and can help you through the application unless you want go mad with Hungarian bureaucracy. Seriously.

  9. If you want to settle in France, move to France. A lot of non-EU citizens come to the European Union, somehow they solve it. If you dislike Hungary and the Hungarians, then don’t ask for their citizenship for reasons of principle

  10. Well, this threasd is going to be a shit-show…

    Honestly, I can understand why you’d want to move to (Western) Europe from the US, so just get your Hungarian passport if you can and don’t worry about the rest.

    If I had to make a comparison to the US, Hungary is like a red state within the EU, quite conservative and backward overall, however far less religious and with a capital that is very liberal, so even if you move to Budapest, you’ll probably like it there. Still, as a gay person, some place like Ireland might be more appealing.

    There is a lot of misinformation and just outright misunderstanding of Hungary in the US media, so take that with a grain of salt.

    Hungary is not a dictatorship, despite the rhetoric and compared to other countries I’ve lived in, it is quite free and nobody will bother you. Economic opportunities are pretty thin on the ground though, so you’ll definitely be better off further West. With an EU passport, you can move pretty much anywhere, except the UK, since Brexit happened. As an English speaker, probably Ireland would be the best choice, or perhaps Malta. Ireland is particularly gay-friendly and very open and liberal in my experience.

  11. You remind me of the American trumpster I met on my plane back to Hungary. He was moving here with his family because of Ben Shapiro and Tucker.

    I spent the plane ride explaining to him that we have:

    Price caps on common goods and free market is in pieces

    About 10 usd a gallon for gas without price caps

    27% sales tax

    About 45% payroll tax with everything included

    He was quite mortified by the end. Oh but we dont have property taxes, so thats a plus I guess.. you actually own what you have here

  12. > Would my same-sex partner also be entitled to citizenship or just residency in the country?

    Lol, just… did you somehow miss all the rampant homophobia spouted? Take note that you cannot – as a ‘single’ parent, since your relationship is not recognised – adopt or get any benefits available to married couples. You are officially viewed – and quite frequently told – to be the same as a pedophile. Is this really the nationality you want?

     

    You won’t face an open pogrom, but you also won’t be welcomed. Unlike in the US, political propaganda has taken hold – or to be more precise, the country was never that liberal, so it mostly just regressed – because there are no alternative sources for media in many places. Only party TV, party radio and party newspapers.

     

    > intolerance of racial diversity

    Well, could be worse, at least your partner is Chinese. If he was Arab, he would probably be either seen as a local gypsy or a unwanted, possibly illegal migrant worker here ‘to steal our jerbs’.

    As for queers… [ watch this video, please.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL7e2IlY7UE)

  13. You are full of prejudice about a country you know next to nothing about. Intelligent people hate the current government here, I don’t say either that you’re all Trump fans just because you live in the USA. I’m glad that Hungary is not America, you have plenty of problems, which you don’t even notice. And we are tolerant, just do not like stupids.

  15. We all know why people from the US suddenly finding ancestors to obtain citizenship within th EU. It’s very telling that you do the same. Otherwise I don’t think you would have these kind of questions. Let me know if I am wrong…

    Also, of course, all Hungarian are the same as all US people are the same…

    What do you really want to know?

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