Who can initiate the registration and how?
The first step in proving the Hungarian citizenship of a minor child is the registration of the child’s foreign birth.
Due to certain legal declarations - e.g. determination of the child's name and place of residence - the presence of both parents is mandatory, and at least one of the parents must prove his or her Hungarian citizenship.
Please note that appointments are required for all consular and visa matters. We cannot accept walk-in applications.
Appointments can be booked directly through our online booking system. https://konzinfobooking.mfa.gov.hu
The application can only be submitted in person. Mailed-in applications will be sent back without further consideration.
If one of the parents has sole legal custody, they must be prepared to credibly prove this fact.
What forms do I need to fill out?
You can find the necessary application forms, with complementary English translations, at the bottom of this page. Only the Hungarian forms will be accepted.
When filling out the forms, please use a blue ink pen, all CAPITAL letters, and do not sign anything in advance. You may also fill out the form electronically.
Full names must be written everywhere, in the Hungarian name order (Last name, First name, Middle name). Example: John T. Smith must be written as Smith John Thomas.
When referring to cities in the United States, please also specify the state. Do not use abbreviations.
Select option a) (mailing to Consulate) as the place of delivery of the certificate and write "Consulate General of Hungary, New York." This will allow the consular office to mail you the issued birth certificate to the U.S. address you provided.
What fees are involved?
Birth registration is free of charge.
What other supporting documents do I need to submit?
For the application, both parents must present a government-issued valid picture ID, preferably passport.
The consular office cannot accept the application if the child’s original, foreign birth certificate is not presented. Please note that we do not keep any original documents; we just merely have to see them.
If a certificate was not originally issued in Hungarian, English, German, or French, we will require an official Hungarian translation by the Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation. We also accept translations authenticated by other Hungarian consuls.
Occasionally, US birth certificates are handwritten. In such cases, a Hungarian translation may be required.
The parents also must prove that the child was born in wedlock. Therefore, a Hungarian marriage certificate must be presented with the application. If the parents got married abroad and their marriage is not yet registered in Hungary, this registration must also be initiated. More information can be found here.
If the child was born out of wedlock, a paternity acknowledgment must be made. You can find the fee for this procedure here.
What given name(s) can I request for my child?
If your child has multiple first and middle names, then - as a general rule - you can only choose two. For example: Emma Olivia Sophia Smith -> Hungarian name can be either Smith Emma Olivia or Smith Olivia Sophia or Smith Emma Sophia). If no choice is made, then the first two given names will be registered (Emma Olivia)
If the name has a Hungarian equivalent suitable for registration, this can be registered upon special request. For example: the equivalent of George is György. This can be requested even if the child has a Hungarian name in the foreign birth certificate, but without an accent mark. For example: Istvan can be requested as István.
Why is it necessary to indicate my child's address in the application?
With a birth registration, a child is automatically registered into the Hungarian Civil Registry based on the Hungarian or foreign address provided by the parent. The child’s address must be the same as one or both of the parents’ registered addresses. If a parent is registered under a Hungarian address but wishes to register the child under a foreign address, then they must first initiate an address change request.
If you provide a foreign address, then the consular office can mail the residential address card (lakcímkártya) to your U.S. address. If you provide a Hungarian address, the competent authority will mail the residential address card to that address.
Forms
