Translation of Residence and Family Documents for Hungary

The official translation monopoly shapes the process

The most concrete fact setting Hungary apart from other countries in this field is that the power to produce certified official translations belongs for the most part to a single body, OFFI. In the majority of civil registry, marriage and residence procedures a certified translation issued by that body is what is expected, and translations from private agencies may not be accepted by every authority. This means that a translation made in Türkiye may have to be made again in Hungary. Allowing for that possibility while the file is still being planned prevents both double expense and delay.

Residence and family reunification, for their part, are dealt with by the immigration authority. The application is made either at a mission abroad or in the country; once it is approved a residence card is issued and an address registration is opened. The list of documents the immigration authority asks for is not identical to the list kept by the civil registry office; the two have to be read separately.

What the documents do

The marriage record establishes the basis of the family tie; the birth certificate shows the parentage of the children; the civil registry extract sets out the family relationships together in one place. Housing and income documents are asked for in order to show that the household can support itself. Health insurance cover is proved separately. If you are to marry in Hungary, the document showing that there is no impediment to the marriage sits at the centre of the file opened at the civil registry office, and a limited period of validity applies to it.

Procedure	Translation expected
Residence permit	Certified official translation
Marriage file	Certified official translation and a recently issued document
Recognition of a marriage	Apostilled original and certified translation

The point where files stick most often

The commonest reason for a file being sent back in Hungary is that the translation does not carry the accepted form of certification. A translation made abroad may not be regarded as sufficient by some authorities even when it bears an apostille. The second frequent problem is the validity period of the documents; a recently issued copy is expected for civil registry and marital status documents. The third is that income and housing conditions fall short of what the size of the household calls for. Taken together, these three points mean that in Hungarian files the preparation has to begin early while the documents themselves have to be obtained late.

The order of translation and apostille

The right order is to obtain the document with a current date, have the apostille added in Türkiye and have the translation made last of all. Since a certified translation is expected for documents to be submitted in Hungary, where the translation is to be made needs to be settled before the application. Asking the authority concerned which procedures will accept a translation made in Türkiye is the safest course. For detail document by document see our documents page, and for a comparison with the countries that do accept translations from private agencies see our country guide.

Children, school and registration on both sides

When children are brought to Hungary the birth certificate shows parentage, but the examination centres on custody. A parent coming alone is asked for a document showing that the other parent consents to the child settling abroad; where there has been a divorce, the court judgment governing custody is submitted in full, with the annotation of finality, in certified translation. Because of the monopoly on certification, where these translations are to be made has to be planned from the start.

School enrolment runs as a separate chain. To decide the class the child will be placed in, the school management asks for the previous education documents and the birth certificate; a certified Hungarian translation is expected at this stage as well. Since enrolment periods open on set dates, it is sensible to prepare these documents at the same time as the immigration file.

Reporting children born in Hungary, and a marriage solemnised there, to the Turkish civil registry is a separate procedure and generally runs through the Turkish consulate. Where no such report is made, the person continues to appear in Turkish records with their former marital status, and this raises obstacles in title deed, inheritance and power of attorney matters. At this step the Hungarian document has to be translated into Turkish.

The spelling of names calls for care as well. In Hungarian records the order of forename and surname may be written differently; taking the spelling in the passport as the basis and keeping to it on every document reduces the corrections that have to be applied for later. Once an entry has been created it takes a long time to put right, because a correction request calls in its turn for a new document and a new certified translation. Making a note of the spelling used in the first file is recommended for that reason.

Steps after the card

Once the residence card has been obtained the address registration is made, and an identity number and a health record are opened. The certified translation of the birth certificate may be asked for again when children are enrolled at school. At renewals it is shown that the family tie subsists and that the conditions have been maintained.

In the longer term, the stages of permanent residence and citizenship call for examinations in the language and in constitutional knowledge and for uninterrupted residence; at those stages new documents with current dates are asked for from Türkiye. Keeping the spelling of the name used in the first file reduces the discrepancies that can arise in Hungarian records. To upload your documents and plan together which translation will be needed where, you can obtain a quotation, and you can see the per-page cost on our pricing page.

The information on this page gives the general framework; the authority you apply to may ask for further documents or for a different format. It is worth looking at the institution’s own publication before you decide.