From November 8, 2021, citizens of the European Union are free to enter the United States again. Restrictions previously imposed due to the coronavirus have been lifted, but the visa application has been made more difficult for Hungarians not born in Hungary.

For Hungarians: USD 14, for Hungarians from beyond the border: USD 160

According to Magyar Hang, under the new regulations, only Hungarian citizens whose passport includes a place of birth within the current Hungarian borders can apply for an online visa called ESTA, automatically issued for only $14.

However, the application of Hungarian citizens born beyond the borders of today’s Hungary will be automatically denied, leaving them with a traditional visa application that costs $160. This also requires a personal interview at the local U.S. embassy, ​​which can take months due to the appointment system during the pandemic.

The decision regarding the entry of Hungarian citizens was made back in February 2021, but due to the travel restrictions imposed, this was only revealed when the restrictions were lifted, and the USA allowed travellers to once again enter the country, after almost 2 years of a pause.We wrote an article about the changes:

The US Embassy of Budapest replied

Based on information confirmed from various sources, the United States made the decision because there have been so many abuses in recent years in connection with the facilitated acquisition of Hungarian citizenship. The paper asked the US Embassy in Budapest about the matter, and the embassy’s response pointed out that the process of giving Hungarian nationality to the people of Hungarian descent in neighbouring countries was “vulnerable and questionable”. These vulnerabilities made it possible for criminals and fraudsters to obtain a valid Hungarian passport, which is the embassy’s justification for the tightening of rules.

HVG.hu asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the matter, but they have not responded to the request yet.