Glossary
Key terms used throughout this knowledge base, including Hungarian administrative terms, historical place names, and legal concepts.
A
Állampolgárság igazolása Verification of citizenship. The procedure by which a person confirms that they already hold Hungarian citizenship — as opposed to applying for new citizenship through naturalization. No language requirement. See Verification of Citizenship.
Állampolgársági eskü Oath of citizenship. The formal oath taken at the consulate upon approval of a naturalization application. Marks the official moment citizenship is granted. A separate process begins after the oath to obtain Hungarian documents.
Anyakönyv Civil registry. The official record of births, marriages, and deaths. Hungary introduced civil registration on 1 October 1895. Records before that date are church records (egyházi anyakönyv).
Anyakönyvi kivonat Civil registry extract — the official certified document issued from an anyakönyv. When people refer to a "Hungarian birth certificate," this is what they mean. After naturalization abroad, a Hungarian anyakönyvi kivonat is issued and sent to the new citizen, often with a wait of several months to over a year.
Apostille An international certification under the Hague Convention (1961) that authenticates a public document for use in another country. Not all documents require an apostille — requirements depend on the consulate and the country of origin. See Archives Overview.
D
DAZO Державний архів Закарпатської області — the State Archive of Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine. Holds civil and church records from historical Subcarpathia (Kárpátalja). Known for very slow responses and difficulty with remote requests. See Ukraine.
Délvidék Historical Hungarian term for the southern territories of the Kingdom of Hungary, corresponding roughly to present-day Vojvodina (Serbia). Records from this region are held in Serbian municipal archives.
E
Egyházi anyakönyv Church registry. Before 1895, vital records (births, marriages, deaths) in Hungary were kept exclusively by religious parishes. The denomination (Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, Jewish, Orthodox, Greek Catholic) determines which archive holds the records. Many have been digitized on Matricula Online or FamilySearch.
Egyszerűsített honosítás Simplified naturalization — the formal Hungarian legal term for the citizenship-by-descent procedure. Requires proof of Hungarian ancestry and a Hungarian language interview.
Erdély Transylvania — historical Hungarian term for the region now in Romania. A major source of ancestry for Hungarian citizenship applicants. Records are held in Romanian county archives (județean archives).
F
Felvidék Upper Hungary — historical Hungarian term for the region now forming Slovakia. Records from this area are held in Slovak State Archives, most commonly the branch in Košice (Štátny archív v Košiciach).
FamilySearch Free online genealogy database (familysearch.org) operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contains a large collection of digitized Hungarian, Slovak, Transylvanian, and other Central European church records. Useful for identifying records before requesting official copies from archives.
H
Hiteles másolat Certified copy — an official copy of a document bearing the stamp and signature of the issuing authority. Required for citizenship applications; online scans and photographs are not accepted as substitutes.
Honosítás Naturalization. The legal process of granting citizenship. Egyszerűsített honosítás (simplified naturalization) is the specific form relevant to citizenship by descent.
K
Kárpátalja Subcarpathian Ruthenia — historical Hungarian term for the region now in western Ukraine (Zakarpattia Oblast). Records are held at DAZO. Cities: Ungvár (Uzhhorod), Munkács (Mukachevo), Beregszász (Berehove).
Kormányablak Literally "government window" — Hungary's unified government service centers where citizens can handle a wide range of administrative tasks, including address registration (lakcím), TAJ-szám applications, and document submissions. Relevant for applicants who are in Hungary.
L
Lakcímkártya Address registration card. A Hungarian document confirming a registered address in Hungary. Required for accessing many Hungarian services — healthcare enrollment, school registration, banking. Can be obtained at a kormányablak. Community experience shows it can be obtained without waiting for the Hungarian birth certificate to arrive. See Lakcímkártya.
M
Matricula Online Free online database (matricula-online.eu) of digitized church records from Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and other Central European countries. Particularly strong for Catholic records. Useful for identifying records before requesting official certified copies.
MNL Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár — the Hungarian National Archives. Holds civil registry records from Hungary and copies of many church registers. Post-1895 Hungarian records can often be requested through the MNL, sometimes via the consulate at no charge.
N
NEAK Nemzeti Egészségbiztosítási Alapkezelő — the National Health Insurance Fund. Issues TAJ-szám numbers and administers public health insurance enrollment in Hungary.
O
OATS One and the Same declaration. A notarized statement declaring that two different names (or dates) appearing in two different documents refer to the same person. Used to resolve name inconsistencies between historical documents. May require an apostille. See Inconsistencies.
OFFI Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda — Hungary's official state translation office in Budapest. Produces translations with a state seal, which are accepted by all Hungarian authorities. More expensive than private translators and subject to long queues (closed in December). Private translators accredited by consulates are often a faster and cheaper alternative.
Önéletrajz CV or autobiographical statement. Some consulates (notably Los Angeles) ask applicants to write a brief önéletrajz in Hungarian at the appointment itself. Practicing writing a short self-introduction in Hungarian is part of interview preparation.
S
Személyazonosító igazolvány Hungarian national ID card. Can be used for travel within the EU instead of a passport. Applied for separately from the passport, typically at a consulate or kormányablak.
T
TAJ-szám Társadalombiztosítási azonosító jel — the Hungarian social insurance identification number, equivalent to a social security or national insurance number. Required for accessing the public healthcare system and social services in Hungary. Issued by NEAK after establishing residency. See TAJ-szám.
Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (1920), signed after World War I, by which Hungary lost approximately two-thirds of its pre-war territory and population. As a result, large regions of historical Hungary became part of Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, and other countries. The primary reason why Hungarian ancestry records are now distributed across multiple successor states.
V
Verification See Állampolgárság igazolása.
Volksdeutsche Ethnic Germans who were citizens of Hungary. In the post-WWII period, many Volksdeutsche were expelled from Hungary or lost citizenship under specific legislation. Cases involving Volksdeutsche ancestors require careful legal analysis, as the citizenship status may have been affected by these historical events.