Russians, Ukrainians procuring Hungarian passports should provide photo ID, says opposition MP

Budapest, February 22 (MTI) – Applicants for Hungarian passport from abroad should be required to provide photographic ID when supplying naturalisation documentation, an opposition lawmaker said on Wednesday.

Dialogue co-leader Tímea Szabó was commenting on reports that criminals in Ukraine were able to secure the passport data of thousands of ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine by taking advantage of the fact that there are no photos printed on personal identification and residency cards there.

The party’s spokesman, Bence Tordai, told a press conference that whereas Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government had pledged to protect the country from a “non-existent threat”, for the past seven years, several thousand mostly Russian and Ukrainian citizens had got hold of Hungarian passports through criminal networks thanks to the loophole.

Under the law, ethnic Hungarians living beyond Hungary’s borders can apply for citizenship.

Photo: Daily News Hungary

Source: MTI