Update on Verification of Citizenship Case

Sorry to hear this.
Not surprised though.
I had some issues with immigration with just getting a resident permit because of marriage.
Don't get too down however. They may contact you soon out of the blue with new info.
Happened to me. Thinks looked bleak and then my card came in the mail.
Perhaps a consultation with a immigration lawyer may help if nothing positive happens soon.

bande11 wrote:

Quick recap: Applied for Verification of Citizenship (jus sanguinis) in May 2016, was advised it was forwarded for Registration of Birth in August 2017.
...snip...

this was the consulate’s response:

“Dear Brittany,

I am so sorry to tell you but I do not have any update about your case. And unfortunately you cannot apply for a Hungarian passport whilst the Hungarian Authority confirms your citizenship. Additionally – because the registration of your birth is a complicated case – it might take extra long time.

Kind regards”


Bear in mind it has already taken (close) to two years. “Extra long time” - how much longer could this possibly be?

From my (extensive and painful) experience with Hungarian bureaucracy I can suggest a "just so story" what might have happened:  The first office had no clue how to deal with your application. So "sat on it", till someone decided to forward it to the second office in August 2017. From that, later, date I would start to count. The earlier date is simply, and otherwise, a complete muddle against you (a.k.a. a f--- up which they will never admit to).

bande11 wrote:

They advised my case was difficult because my grandparents never married... however what would this matter if they were BOTH born in Budapest?

Yes. Imagine. The law says right of blood. But.... The bureaucracy loves paperwork. No paperwork (i.e. a marriage license since it is a "conservative nation" now), and they becomes rapidly befuddled and confused at times to the point of paralysis. Seen it happen. Often. When someone's issue falls outside the "norm" not included in their standard form.

That is why you may have problems.

klsallee wrote:

From my (extensive and painful) experience with Hungarian bureaucracy I can suggest a "just so story" what might have happened:  The first office had no clue how to deal with your application. So "sat on it", till someone decided to forward it to the second office in August 2017. From that, later, date I would start to count. The earlier date is simply, and otherwise, a complete muddle against you (a.k.a. a f--- up which they will never admit to).

Imagine that. Having a case sat in front of you for 15 months and not bothering to address it! Wow - if that is the case... speechless. What I would give to do no work for fifteen months! Infuriating. The whole thing is actually really beginning to grind my gears. At first I was patient (for the first 18 months), then became inquisitive, then sad - now I am becoming angry.

klsallee wrote:

Yes. Imagine. The law says right of blood. But.... The bureaucracy loves paperwork. No paperwork (i.e. a marriage license since it is a "conservative nation" now), and they becomes rapidly befuddled and confused at times to the point of paralysis. Seen it happen. Often. When someone's issue falls outside the "norm" not included in their standard form.

That is why you may have problems.

Classic - I do really appreciate your honesty, though. Unfortunately "the norm" isn't how I roll in life - so I have come to learn. Must be a genetic thing (because clearly my grandparents didn't do things by the book). I don't know whether to wait it out (because let's face it, a decade will pass). My aunt who helped me with my application is determined to find my grandparent's marriage cert. which was lost when they migrated during the uprising. Due to the loss of this document - the Government officials have decided to conclusively suggest they never married, and in turn that's where the issue lies.

I am telling you, I am going to need a drink after all of this. Thanks again!

Fingers crossed for you. I applied in August 2017 and waiting but don't actually expect to hear anything until March or even April at the earliest. In my case, my father is a living HU citizen and I had the plenty of supporting paperwork going back to my grandparents but who knows. Bureaucracy has a funny way of making even the mildly complex even more so!

Sad to say but yes, someone probably was sitting on it.
I submitted my actual marriage license after a huge hassle of getting it mailed from the US.
I had paid for fast service but it got "misplaced" or slowed down in the mail, took about 6 weeks to arrive.
During the wait for it to arrive, I was asked to leave Hungary, had to get a extension visa, more stamps to buy to stay here.
My original copy of the certificate of marriage was not good enough for the office in Hungary.They wanted to see the long form which no one ever asks for in the US for anything legal.
Oh well.
So had to get married again in Hungary on paper and submit that to a office within the immigration center.
The women opened the books and noticed my son was registered as both a HU citizen and his marriage to a HU citizen was right there on their own books, my name also down as his mother.
But still, they didn't except my marriage certificate, had to actually have the long form and then only after paying out the nose for it to be translated into HU.
Yes, I know the feeling of having your blood boiling, hope it works out in the end for you.
Not saying things may be a set up but then again a little push from a lawyer may speed things up if you give up waiting. Like they say , money talks and you know what walks...
Games, everywhere, everyone wants a piece of the action ...
My cousin is coming back to the US soon from a 10 year stay in SE Asia, he is married to a Asian women. He just shelled out $1,200 for her visa and that's probably just the beginning of paying.
My DIL is going for her US citizenship in the spring, time to dip into the savings account for that too.

bande11 wrote:

Unfortunately "the norm" isn't how I roll in life - so I have come to learn.

You and me both. One must learn to become agile with other's..... um...... limitations. 

"My aunt who helped me with my application is determined to find my grandparent's marriage cert. which was lost when they migrated during the uprising. Due to the loss of this document - the Government officials have decided to conclusively suggest they never married, and in turn that's where the issue lies."

That additional bit of information goes some way towards explaining the delay. Bureaucrats don't like to deal with gray in matters like this. Either your grandparents were married, or they weren't. There's no room for a "maybe."

Keep in mind that illegitimacy is still a mark of shame in some societies. I suspect officials do not want to produce any official paperwork branding your father as illegitimate unless they are certain that is the case.

marklivesinla wrote:

Fingers crossed for you. I applied in August 2017 and waiting but don't actually expect to hear anything until March or even April at the earliest. In my case, my father is a living HU citizen and I had the plenty of supporting paperwork going back to my grandparents but who knows. Bureaucracy has a funny way of making even the mildly complex even more so!

Hey Mark,

Hopefully because, as you suggested, your application is quite straightforward - it doesn't take you an extended period of time! I'm sure it helps with your father still being a living HU citizen. As (unfortunately) my relatives are deceased, any further information asked of me is quite challenging to obtain!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Sad to say but yes, someone probably was sitting on it.
I submitted my actual marriage license after a huge hassle of getting it mailed from the US.
I had paid for fast service but it got "misplaced" or slowed down in the mail, took about 6 weeks to arrive.
During the wait for it to arrive, I was asked to leave Hungary, had to get a extension visa, more stamps to buy to stay here.
My original copy of the certificate of marriage was not good enough for the office in Hungary.They wanted to see the long form which no one ever asks for in the US for anything legal.
Oh well.
So had to get married again in Hungary on paper and submit that to a office within the immigration center.
The women opened the books and noticed my son was registered as both a HU citizen and his marriage to a HU citizen was right there on their own books, my name also down as his mother.
But still, they didn't except my marriage certificate, had to actually have the long form and then only after paying out the nose for it to be translated into HU.
Yes, I know the feeling of having your blood boiling, hope it works out in the end for you.
Not saying things may be a set up but then again a little push from a lawyer may speed things up if you give up waiting. Like they say , money talks and you know what walks...
Games, everywhere, everyone wants a piece of the action ...
My cousin is coming back to the US soon from a 10 year stay in SE Asia, he is married to a Asian women. He just shelled out $1,200 for her visa and that's probably just the beginning of paying.
My DIL is going for her US citizenship in the spring, time to dip into the savings account for that too.

So, I had a minor breakdown last night. I decided to take to my own devices and write to the officials in the Registration department in Budapest. They received my case in August 2017, and no doubt are too 'sitting' on my case.

The painful reality is that they would be competent in addressing and processing these applications - it's more just a matter of if and when they want to. I wrote to them last night with a heartfelt email (essentially explaining the importance this matter is to me). I was very polite, but also got the message across. Whether they have any compassion or not, well, we will soon find out...

The lengths you went to are ridiculous, yet still not shocking. The process makes you quite bitter, doesn't it? I am a very understanding and cooperative individual, and sometimes forget that others do not operate in the same way.

I will continue to *TRY* and remain optimistic. But naturally there is always that ounce of pessimism that can control the way I feel toward my case being approved within the very near future.


For the record I just want to thank each of you on these forums who contribute and help ease my concerns. I always appreciate honest opinions and personal experiences!

zif wrote:

That additional bit of information goes some way towards explaining the delay. Bureaucrats don't like to deal with gray in matters like this. Either your grandparents were married, or they weren't. There's no room for a "maybe."

Keep in mind that illegitimacy is still a mark of shame in some societies. I suspect officials do not want to produce any official paperwork branding your father as illegitimate unless they are certain that is the case.

Letting out a long sighhhh right now. You are probably right. It's like 'hey, let's just dodge this application because it seems a tad too difficult, and less straight-forward than others which have only just been submit.'

I understand respectfully that HU citizens like to keep by the books and do things the old-fashioned way, and I do genuinely appreciate that! It's just disheartening when I am a legitimate descendant of Hungarian citizens, who's most important life goal is to have this recognised; meanwhile they would rather not act on it because it's perhaps more strain or work for them.

What can one do? I am fighting a lost cause. I want to push however I don't want to annoy - but in fact I am the one becoming annoyed.

I am taking a time out from this site but your story is important enough to break my own rules.
Think it is a good idea to write the "officials' whoever they may be, easy to hide behind a desk and act like they don't know anything.
Keep pushing, at this point what does it matter if you ruffle a few feathers.
They may just need a awake up call.

Don't want to fuel your fire and upset you but I read on a daily HU news site that immigration took in something like 635,000 applicants for HU citizenship recently from places like the Ukraine and over 80% of these people don't have any HU roots. They each paid 15,000 Euros for the papers which now allow them to move and work in any EU country.
They also didn't have to pass the language test.

You again may need to speak to a immigration lawyer and perhaps it can be enough to give your papers the attention they should be getting.
I know it's not right to have to pay extra for something that should be your birth right but these days these things don't seem to matter, sadly.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I am taking a time out from this site but your story is important enough to break my own rules.
Think it is a good idea to write the "officials' whoever they may be, easy to hide behind a desk and act like they don't know anything.
Keep pushing, at this point what does it matter if you ruffle a few feathers.
They may just need a awake up call.

Don't want to fuel your fire and upset you but I read on a daily HU news site that immigration took in something like 635,000 applicants for HU citizenship recently from places like the Ukraine and over 80% of these people don't have any HU roots. They each paid 15,000 Euros for the papers which now allow them to move and work in any EU country.
They also didn't have to pass the language test.

You again may need to speak to a immigration lawyer and perhaps it can be enough to give your papers the attention they should be getting.
I know it's not right to have to pay extra for something that should be your birth right but these days these things don't seem to matter, sadly.

Marilyn Tassy, how very kind of you - I sincerely appreciate you to say. I feel like the most annoying person on earth at the moment if I’m to be honest.

Ruffle a few feathers I will - after all I am merely following up on something which is my birthright. When it comes to all of those other individuals buying their way into the country for freedom of movement within the EU... I think my head could implode. Let’s just say for their sake I hope I never meet one.

I will begin looking into potentially hiring an immigration lawyer. If that’s sadly what it may take...

Once again thank you kindly for your advice/thoughtful response!

Just found out today that I too received verification of Hungarian citizenship! Took 11 months of patiently waiting and making enquiries but it came through! I have my passport appointment at the local Consulate in September!

Hey , nice to meet you all , Tamir , 35 yo
i had similar case ,i could use language assistance 

i am an israeli national ,  my German birth certificate had different full name of mine , and only none biological mom if written in it .
i had to update birth certificate and add my dad which is Hungarian , made an submitted DNA test.

overhaul 40 official document translated  in 3 languages . last year i gave Fingerprints in Budapest ,
i cannot speak Magyar very well yet , and i wish to know if the passport is ready , to relocate at last.

Simplified Naturalization applications are handled by a supposedly streamlined bureaucracy which seems to be taking nine to twelve months.

Other applications, like yours, are handled by the traditional bureaucracy, which can take twice as long. So it's not surprising you haven't heard back after just a year. Indeed, as you describe it, your situation sounds more complicated than normal, so your application may be under review at the longer end of the spectrum.

(But remember that in return for having to wait a bit longer, you don't have to learn Hungarian!)