Registration of the asylum application

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There is no time limit for lodging an asylum application. Until March 2020, applications could only be lodged in the transit zones (except for those lawfully staying in the territory, and UaSCs below 14 years old) and asylum seekers entering the transit zone were asked immediately whether they wished to apply for asylum. If they did not wish to do so, they were immediately escorted back through the gate of the transit zone.

Since 26 May 2020, only those who receive a single-entry permit after submitting a statement of intent at the Embassy in Belgrade or Kyiv or belong to certain exceptions described in the section on the Embassy procedure are able to apply for asylum once they enter Hungary.

The application should be lodged in writing or orally and in person by the person seeking protection at the NDGAP.[1] The Asylum Act states that children between 14 and 18 years old have the capacity to exercise their rights in their own asylum procedure, even though, in general, they only have limited legal capacity. If a family lodges an asylum application together, children between 14-18 have to formally (in writing) agree to the joint application. According to this, children aged between 14-18 have the right to lodge an asylum application separately from their parents/responsible adults. The individualised risks can also be examined during the separate interviews (in general, children above 14 years old need to be interviewed separately from their family members). A humanitarian residence permit is issued to a person who applies for asylum. If the person staying in Hungary seeking protection, who is allowed to apply for asylum, appears before another authority to lodge an application for asylum, that authority should inform the asylum seeker about where to turn to with their application. If the asylum claim is made in the course of forced measures or measures or punishment affecting personal liberty, the proceeding authority must record the statement and forward it to the asylum authority without delay.

Numbers of applications for international protection are presented below:

Source: Former IAO and NDGAP

According to the Section 353/A of the Criminal Code, in force as of 1 January 2023, any person who provides contribution with the aim of aiding another person in initiating an asylum procedure or any other procedure for obtaining a title of residence in Hungary by means of making a false statement or suppressing known facts is guilty of a misdemeanour punishable by custodial arrest, insofar as the act did not result in a more serious criminal offense. For more information see section on Access to NGOs and UNHCR.

[1] Section 80/I(b) and 80/J(1) Asylum Act.