Family tree research in Hungary

When do you need family tree research?

Family tree research, or more officially, genealogy research, is the procedure of recovering official documents from archives. While you can usually start this on your own, asking questions, reading memoirs, digging through old papers, contacting local archives, at one point you might need to enlist professional help.

This is especially true if you need family documents for specific purposes, where official documentation is required. One example is applying for citizenship based on ancestry, where you need to provide tangible proof for your eligibility. That would require combing through archives in a foreign country, where you might not even speak the language well enough to make sense of all the documents.

Of course, you might have other reasons too. However, Hungarian citizenship is what most of our clients are interested in when contacting us, so this is what we are specialized in.

Where to start

Hungarian citizenship application with Helpers starts with a Citizenship Consultation that can be purchased individually or as part of a full application package (if purchased individually, its price can be deducted from the full package later). During the consultation, an expert colleague will review your case and your supporting documents, and together you can decide on the best course of action.

If it turns out your available documents are not enough to confirm your eligibility, you will be advised to order the family tree research service. For this purpose, our partners will conduct a preliminary survey to see whether your case is researchable. This is free of charge, and in the end you will get a clearer picture of where you stand.

Please note: even if the preliminary survey suggests that your case is researchable, once you order the service, upon further investigation it might turn out that no appropriate supporting documents can be recovered. 

What you provide

To get the best results, you need to provide all the information you have about your family tree. Whether it is actual documents or just information, it will make the investigation easier. We are often provided with results found at ancestry.com; while they do not usually qualify as official verification, they can still supply excellent input.

The best sources to work with include:

• Birth / marriage / death certificates
• Baptism certificates
• Petitions for naturalization (in the country to where your ancestors emigrated)
• Ship manifests
• Emigration papers
• Army documents

What to expect

Our partners will review all available archives based on your input, and look for documents that can verify that your ancestors were Hungarian citizens and that you are related to them. Conclusive evidence might include:

• Birth / marriage / death certificates
• Baptism certificates
• News articles featuring your ancestor
• Electoral rolls (since only citizens are allowed to vote in general elections)

We conduct research not only in Hungary, but also in the neighboring countries where there used to be Hungarian communities, namely in the territory of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy: Austria, Slovakia, Serbia, and Romania. (Normally the research includes Ukraine as well, but not since the outbreak of the war in early 2022.)

Research takes time. If only Hungarian and Slovakian archives are involved, you can expect results in already 3-6 months. If we need to look in other countries, to procedure may take up to 6-12 months, or in some cases even more.

When the family tree research is done, you will receive the evidence to do with it as you please. You get both a scanned version and the original copies; if you purchased genealogy research together with the Hungarian Citizenship Application package, you get the research results couriered to you together with your application documents.

Can we help you?

The Helpers Team provides immigration related assistance to foreigners in Hungary since 2005. Over the last 5 years, we have had more than 200 successful cases of family tree research, with results ready to be processed in a Hungarian citizenship application. We would be happy to help you realize your goals too. Contact us today!

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