Foreign nationals with no genuine ties to Hungary may have been able to obtain Hungarian citizenship for tens of thousands of dollars, according to György László Velkey, parliamentary state secretary and deputy minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He claims the evidence suggests that former deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjén, as well as ministers Péter Szijjártó and Gergely Gulyás, either supported or were aware of the fraudulent naturalisations.
Wealthy Canadians may have bought their way in
Velkey has raised suspicions of serious abuses, stating that internal investigations within the ministry have uncovered cases in which Canadian citizens acquired Hungarian citizenship in exchange for money. According to him, the legal mechanism of “naturalisation in the national interest” may have been used to grant passports to individuals who would otherwise have failed to meet the criteria, lacking both verifiable Hungarian ancestry and knowledge of the language.
He added that some applicants had no meaningful connection to Hungary whatsoever, yet may have paid substantial sums to secure citizenship. For them, a Hungarian passport chiefly offered easier access to European travel, business opportunities, and broader international mobility.
Alleged backing from Semjén
Velkey suggested that recommendations and letters of support from diaspora organisations played a pivotal role in establishing the system. He claims that Semjén sent supportive signals to diaspora leaders on several occasions, and that these endorsements were cited when Hungarian diplomatic missions accepted certain applications.
According to the state secretary, this gave rise to an institutional network through which individuals who did not meet standard naturalisation requirements could nevertheless obtain citizenship. Some applicants, he said, were not even fully aware of the nature of the process when they appeared at consulates, while others treated it as though they were purchasing a premium service.
Private firm with political links
One of the most sensitive aspects of the investigation concerns an alleged conflict of interest. Velkey stated that a Canadian private company under Hungarian ownership, Hungarian Citizenship Consulting, may have assisted foreign clients in securing Hungarian citizenship.
He further claimed that one of the firm’s executives was also the official responsible for the state naturalisation programme, while its co-director was a diaspora leader who signed recommendation letters. In effect, the same actors appeared to operate simultaneously within the state system and on the commercial side.
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Not an isolated case
The ministry believes intermediary fees may have been exceptionally high. Velkey said some Canadian clients may have paid between 30,000 and 50,000 Canadian dollars—up to around 10 million forints at current exchange rates—for assistance with the process.
He indicated that the Canadian cases were unlikely to be isolated, suggesting that similar arrangements may have emerged in other countries, involving cooperation between state officials and intermediary firms. The ministry has promised further investigations and will also examine whether citizenships obtained under disputed circumstances can be revoked. Under Hungarian law, the President has the authority to withdraw citizenship if it was acquired fraudulently.
Velkey added that many conscientious officials within the foreign ministry had flagged the issue, but their concerns were overridden by the political leadership.
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