Procedural rules
As a general rule, applications for a Hungarian passport must be made in person.
Giving fingerprints is compulsory for applicants over the age of 12 at the time of application.
Hungarian citizens may apply for a Hungarian passport. Proof of Hungarian citizenship may be certified by a valid identity card; a valid Hungarian passport or a Hungarian passport that has been expired not more than one year; a naturalisation document or a Hungarian citizenship certificate issued within three years. If the client does not have any of these, but is listed in the Register of Personal Data and Addresses (Register), it also proves her/his citizenship. If none of the above is presented, the competent Hungarian authority will conduct a citizenship test.
Naturalised Hungarian citizens should bring their naturalisation document or a copy of it with them for the application procedure.
With the amendment of Act LV of 1992 (27 July 2019), in the case of passport applications from citizens whose data is missing from the Register - i.e. who do not have a Hungarian address card - the consulate is obliged to start the registration process.
In case you don't have an address card, please note the following:
- Both foreign and Hungarian addresses can be registered. The registration of a foreign address is based on a declaration. When registering a Hungarian address and the property is not owned by the applicant, an authentic document will be required from the owner authorising the applicant to register for that address.
- For minors the place of residence of the parent or, in the absence of a parent, the legal guardian must be declared.
- Given that the register must also contain accurate information on marital status, you will need Hungarian birth and marriage certificates, which you are requested to bring with you to the registration office.
Applications from minors or persons under guardianship may be submitted by their legal guardian. When applying for a passport for a minor child, both parents must declare in writing on the passport application form that they consent to the issue of their child's passport.
In order to facilitate the issuing of passports to newborns, it is possible to have the passport issued before the birth is registered in the home country.
For newborns, parents are requested to bring a good quality passport photograph.
If one parent is not present in person when the minor applies for a passport, a written consent of the absent parent is required for the application and may be accepted by the consular officer within 15 days of issuance.
Validity of the passport
Normally, the period of validity of a passport depends on the age of the applicant at the time of application*:
For a private passport with a fingerprint:
- Between 12 and 18 years of age: 5 years
- Older than 18 years: 5 or 10 years*
(* = the 10-year period is counted from the month and date of the client's birthday before the document is issued, so in practice, the validity of the document may actually be less)
For a private passport without a fingerprint:
- Until the age of 6: 3 years
- Between 6 and 12 years of age: 5 years
*In cases other than those mentioned above (e.g.: giving fingerprints is physically impossible, the applicant is temporarily physically unable to provide a fingerprint, or the applicant is unable to appear in person due to her/his medical condition, as certified by a doctor), the consulate will provide extra information.
Cost of issuing a passport
The current fees are set out in the table of fees (see the link on our website). Only card payment is possible in our consulate.
Time needed to obtain a passport
The consular office can make an appointment for submitting an application basically without any waiting time.
The passport is produced in Hungary and will be sent to the consulate by the next courier. As there is no courier service on a weekly basis, you should expect to receive your passport in 4-5 weeks from the date of application.
Temporary passports
In case there is no time to wait for the passport to be produced in Hungary, it is possible to apply for a temporary passport. Such a passport is valid for returning to Hungary, or in extremely justified cases, for onward travel to another country.
The citizen must hand in the temporary passport within five working days upon his/her return to the passport authority of general competence, e.g. at the border or at a government office ('okmányiroda'). The passport issued for onward travel must be returned within 5 days of return to the consulate of the place of normal residence.
Useful documents (in Hungarian)
Declaration for a passport application for a minor under 6
Parent's written consent to the issuance of a passport for a minor
