After all these years, could your great-great-great-grandparents (may they rest in peace) be about to hand you citizenship in Hungary, and, with it, the legal freedom to live and do business in any of the 27 countries of the European Union?
A new Hungarian nationality law took effect in January 2011 that confers citizenship on any person who was formerly a Hungarian citizen or, more importantly, anyone who is a descendant of a person who was a Hungarian citizen before 1920. The law does not require that the applicant live in Hungary, but they must show they can speak Hungarian.
In the first six months after the law took effect, more than 120,000 applications were filed and 20,000 people were granted citizenship, mostly from neighboring countries Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.
The new law is consistent with Hungarian nationality law that is based on the principles of jus sanguinis, or the blood of ancestors. Citizenship is acquired mainly on the basis of a Hungarian parent or by naturalization.
This Hungarian law demonstrates that sometimes the easiest path to gaining a second passport and second citizenship ? and all the benefits that come with those ? is a matter of knowing your family history.
Opening the Doors to Many More Potential Applicants
Hungary is a beautiful country, as I discovered sailing the Danube and exploring Budapest. It was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive Russian military intervention by Moscow.
Under the communist leadership of Janos Kadar in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called ?Goulash Communism.? Hungary held its first multi-party elections in 1990 and initiated a free-market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.
There are around 10 million Hungarian citizens living today, and you may be eligible to become one of them.
Significant groups of people with Hungarian ancestry live across the world, over 1.6 million of them in the United States, others in Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Canada and Australia.
U.S. Census records show that from 1890 to 1920, over 18.2 million immigrants from Europe came to America. In the first decade of that period, 14.5% of those folks were from Hungary, in the second decade it was 24.4% and from 1910 to 1920, 18.2%. By 1920, 3.1% of all the U.S. urban population was Hungarian.
Those numbers mean that, today, many Americans may be eligible for Hungarian citizenship ? if they will take the time to research and find proof of their ancestors? origins. The American Hungarian Federation of Washington, D.C. this year praised ?the mother country who has at last bravely reached out to her descendants offering a path to naturalization.?
The 2011 Hungarian Citizenship law allows a simplified naturalization for those able to prove knowledge of the Hungarian language and evidence of Hungarian ancestry such as the birth certificate of a Hungarian parent or grandparent. But, as non-residents, they will not be entitled to vote in Hungarian elections. Dual citizenship is permitted. The Office of Immigration and Nationality will handle applications. The Embassy of Hungary (email: was.missions@kum.hu) can also provide information.
The Easiest Path to Second Citizenship
The new Hungarian law highlights what has always been the easiest and quickest path towards second citizenship and a second passport ? using rights established by countries with laws that grant citizenship based on your parents, grandparents or other ancestors.
For example, 40 million U.S. citizens, nearly 12% of the population, can trace their ancestry to Ireland. If they can prove that a parent or grandparent was an Irish citizen, they too can obtain an Irish passport and citizenship ? and thousands have. Likewise, of the 31.8 million Americans of Mexican origin, many are eligible for dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship.
Other countries with citizenship laws based on ancestry include Poland, Italy, Lithuania, Greece, Canada and the United Kingdom. The latter two are the most restrictive and depend on historic dates. I?ve written about the specific requirements of all of these countries ? and many more ? in the new edition of The Passport Book.
A second passport is solid insurance against tyrannical government. A second passport can give you access to residency options, business opportunities and investment channels not available to U.S. citizens. And with the uncertain trends in American government and politics, even members of the U.S. Congress may someday need an escape route.
Your family tree may hold the key to opening a path to second citizenship for you and your family. Know your family roots, and understand the laws of your ancestral origins to see if you may qualify for citizenship.
Faithfully yours,
Bob Bauman JD
P.S. Hungary and its recently amended citizenship laws is just one path to finding a new future offshore. For years, I?ve been researching the easiest paths to citizenship around the world, the best offshore havens in the world and safe, legal ways to reduce your U.S. tax exposure. I?ve gathered my knowledge in The Passport Book, and I believe it?s your go-to guide for living and traveling internationally. To find out how you can get a copy today, click here.
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Tags: citizenship, Second citizenship, second passport
Source: http://sovereign-investor.com/2012/10/09/are-you-eligible-for-second-passport/
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