Hungarian passport ranked among most beautiful in the world

One of the most beautiful passports

Most recently, the Hungarian passport was included in the review of Visa Guide among the 10 most beautiful passports. However, the Hungarian passport regularly features in similar reviews (e.g. by Dezeen, Hypebeast, or The Travel Intern) thanks to its elegant design.

The Hungarian passport has a burgundy red cover, with the Hungarian coat of arms embossed on it in gold. The most prominent image in the booklet is a view of the Chain Bridge, which was the first bridge built to connect Buda and Pest over the river Danube. The two cities were later merged to create Budapest, the current capital of Hungary. Behind the bridge, Buda Castle is seen, home to many kings of Hungary.

On the page with the holder’s personal data, you can feel embossed the national anthem of Hungary. Under a UV light, additional features become visible on the individual pages, such as the coat of arms of Hungary, the 12 stars of the EU flag, and the scoresheet of Appeal (“Szózat”), a patriotic song that is like a second national anthem to Hungarians.

Check out some close-ups at the website of the Hungarian Banknote Printing Company, which produces not only our money but also our official documents.

A modern travel document

The embossing and the images that become visible under a blacklight are just some of the features that double as safety measures to prevent forgery. Another important one is the chip embedded in the document, which holds personal information as well as the fingerprint of the owner. This makes the Hungarian passport a biometric passport, which is also a requirement for every EU member state since 2009.

Henley Passport Index

Besides being remarkably beautiful, in 2025 the Hungarian passport ranks 7^th on the Henley Passport index. It provides visa-free travel to 185 countries around the world including not only the EU member states and the Schengen zone, but also countries like the U.S., Canada, or the U.K. Thanks to this, Hungary consistently ranks among the top passports not only at Henley, but also at other prestigious ranking platforms, such as Visa Guide or Passport Index.

Get your own Hungarian passport

In order to obtain your own Hungarian passport, you will need to become a Hungarian citizen. The easiest method is to apply for citizenship based on your Hungarian ancestry – and there are millions around the world who are eligible, most notably due to emigrations over the 20^th century.

If you don’t have any Hungarian ancestors, you can still become a Hungarian citizen based on your Hungarian residency if you hold a Hungarian address card for at least 8 years (or fewer if you are married to a Hungarian citizen, even fewer if you have children too).

At the same time, you can just as easily become a Hungarian resident based on various activities in Hungary. The Hungarian residence permit is almost as good as the passport as it gives you visa-free access to the EU and the Schengen zone. The easiest way to Hungarian residency is the golden visa program, where you can gain residency for 10+10 years for yourself and your close family members.

Do you want to travel in Europe without a visa? Then contact us and talk to one of our experts about your options. Let us help you make Europe your second home.

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