The United States has recently tightened its entry rules for Hungarians participating in the visa-waiver program. The move comes in response to concerns over a fast-track naturalization plan implemented by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for individuals residing outside of Hungary's borders. The US government has decided to limit the number of visits Hungarians can make under the program to once a year, instead of allowing multiple visits. Additionally, the validity period of electronic authorizations under the ESTA program will be reduced from two years to one.
The US embassy stated that these restrictions will be effective immediately and will remain in place until the underlying security concerns have been addressed. It is important to note that these new rules only apply to new ESTA approvals and do not prohibit travel to the US. Hungarians still have the option to submit regular visa applications.
While the US has been critical of Hungary in the past, particularly regarding its stance on Ukraine and concerns about the erosion of the rule of law under Orban's leadership, these entry restrictions are separate from those issues. According to a senior US government official, the timing of the announcement is unrelated to recent events.
The naturalization program implemented by Hungary, which is currently under scrutiny by the US, was in operation from 2011 to 2020 and aimed to grant citizenship to individuals, predominantly ethnic Hungarians, living outside of Hungary. However, the US official revealed that the background checks during this program were deemed inadequate, resulting in some individuals obtaining passports with alleged criminal records or under false identities. This raised significant security vulnerabilities.
The US government has expressed its concerns to Hungarian authorities, but they have failed to address the issue during years of bilateral talks, even under the previous administration led by former President Donald Trump.
The Hungarian government responded by stating that its refusal to share data on its dual citizens was the reason behind the US restrictions. Some of Hungary's neighboring countries do not allow dual citizenship, putting Hungarian passport holders residing there in a potentially precarious situation. The Interior Ministry of Hungary emphasized that their priority is ensuring the safety of Hungarians living abroad and therefore they do not share such information.
The ESTA program, which grants citizens of 40 countries access to travel to the US for business or tourism for a period of up to 90 days without a visa, includes most of Hungary's European Union allies. It is important for Hungarian citizens to be aware of these tightened entry regulations and the potential impact on their travel plans.