Index wrote that tens of thousands of Ukrainians, Russians and Serbs have obtained Hungarian citizenship in recent years even though they do not meet the requirements of having Hungarian ancestry or a knowledge of the language.

A thriving mafia involving Ukrainian gangs and Hungarian law firms has reportedly grown up around the trade in dual citizenship by providing forged papers, Index reported.

Each application for citizenship allegedly costs €5,000-€30,000, with the bulk of that going to pay off a mayor, notary or registrar.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

This news item is one of many published daily by HATC, a premier subscription news service which distributes English-language info about Hungary via email or fax. For a free trial of HATC follow this link and click on 'Free Trial Subscription'.

MTI photo: Kászoni László

Related article:

Semjén: Hungarian Citizenship Procedure Under Strictest Authority Control