Filipina-Hungarian Wedding in Hungary

Planning a marriage between a Filipina and a Hungarian in Hungary can feel overwhelming — from collecting the right documents to navigating translations and appointments. As a mom and someone who has been through this journey myself, I want to share a step-by-step guide based on our personal experience, so you can confidently prepare your marriage application and focus on the joy of your special day.

Disclaimer: This blog is intented to give information and ideas to Filipina-Hungarian couple who wish to get married (Civil Wedding) in Hungary. I based the information on this page on our personal experience. There may be some changes as time goes by or modifications on a case-by-case basis. Please call the hotline number of your city’s Anyakönyvezető hivatal (Mayor’s Office or Civil Office) or visit them in person, or if you have your lawyer, better to ask their opinion.

Quick Overview: Filipina–Hungarian Civil Wedding in Hungary

– Marriage type: Civil Wedding
– Timeline: ~5 months
– Interpreter needed: Yes
– Fees: Free to 30,000 HUF
– Documents: Apostilled in Philippines, OFFI-translated

Required Documents

Required Documents for Groom (Hungarian)

– Original Birth Certificate
– Hungarian ID
– Address Card (Lakcím kártya)

Required Documents for the Interpreter and Witnesses

Interpreter (Tolmács):

1. Hungarian ID
2. Diploma or Certificate of eligibility to interpret Hungarian to English

Two Witnesses (Tanú):

1. For the groom’s witness, we only asked a copy of the best man’s Hungarian ID. His Address Card may also be requested, just be ready for additional request of documents.
2. For the bride’s witness, we only asked a copy of my maid of honor’s ID. She is a Filipina and living in different EU country. She only presented her ID and Address Card.

Required Documents for Bride (Filipina)

Please read the details of each document after the list.

– PSA Birth Certificate (apostilled and translated to Hungarian)
– PSA CeNoMar (apostilled and translated to Hungarian)
– Philippine Passport
– Residence Permit Card
– Address Card/Accomodation Reporting Form
– NBI Clearance (not necessary, but they checked)
– Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (CLCCM)

Once I gathered my PSA Birth Certificate and CENOMAR while I was still in the Philippines, I immediately set an appointment to the DFA Apostille website for apostille documents before I applied for visa.

1. Original Birth Certificate from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that should be Apostilled from the DFA with Hungarian translations by the OFFI
2. Original Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) from the PSA that should also be Apostilled from the DFA with Hungarian translations by the OFFI
   * 4 pages of documents in total, we paid 53,299 HUF to the OFFI for Hungarian translations.
   ** The Anyakönyvi office still accepted my CENOMAR even if it was 7 months old already. Make sure you clarify the validity of your document to the officer, it really depends on their instructions to you.
3. Passport, not necessarily translated to Hungarian. However, if you will apply for residence permit (e.g. family reunification, work permit), the Immigration will require the translated from OFFI. Better to have both, original and translated.
4. Residence Permit Card
5. Address Card/Accommodation Reporting Form for Third Country Nationals released by the Immigration Office of the city you are living in
6. NBI Clearance (apostilled) I was just bringing this document, but the Anyakönyvi officer only checked it and returned it to me immediately, I think this was not needed. But at least they saw that I have clean criminal record from my home country.
7. Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage issued by the Philippine Embassy in Budapest. Visit Philippine Embassy in Budapest for more information

Marriage Application Fee

FREE OF CHARGE! We married on the same city where my husband was born, so they did not ask for any fee for their service which excludes the accessories in the wedding (e.g. music, candles, champagne, marriage certificate holder). There may be other cities/municipalities will require fee ranges from 5.000 to 30.000 HUF.

Notes

• Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda (OFFI) is the only official and certified translating office that the Immigration Office of Hungary accepts. Find an OFFI near your area, they are everywhere in the country.
• Apostilled Birth Certificate, Apostilled Certificate of No Marriage, and Apostilled NBI Clearance should be translated into the Hungarian Language by the official translating office of Hungary – the OFFI (Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda) ONLY.
• All documents should be original. The vezető (person in charge in the office) made a copy by herself and returned the original documents to us, except for the translated with original birth certificate and certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR) of the bride (Filipina).
• Abbreviations (Visit these offices for issuance of the document):
  • PSA– Philippine Statistics Authority
  • DFA– Department of Affairs
  • OFFI– Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda
  • CENOMAR– Certificate of No Marriage/Certificate of Singleness
  • BUDAPEST PE – Budapest Philippine Embassy

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is CENOMAR still valid after 6 months?
   – It depends on the city and the officer. In our experience, the Anyakönyvezető office still accepted it even after 7 months. To be safe, check with the office where you plan to apply or request a fresh one.
2. Is NBI clearance required?
   – No, it is not mandatory. I presented it, and the officer only checked it and returned it immediately. It can be helpful to show proof of a clean record, but it’s not officially required.
3. Do all cities charge a marriage fee?
   – Yes. Offices provide a list of fees, including optional extras such as music, champagne, candles, or the marriage certificate holder. Fees can range from free (in the groom’s home city) or more than 30,000 HUF, depending on your city/municipality.
4. Is an interpreter mandatory?
   – Absolutely. For foreigners, the Anyakönyvezető office requires an official interpreter who is certified to translate Hungarian to your language during the signing process.
5. What type of Visa did I apply for?
   – I applied for Student Visa (long-term) prior to my arrival in Hungary.
6. After the wedding, did I apply for another residence permit?
   – Yes. After marriage, I applied for a family reunification residence permit and a work permit since I had a job lined up.
7. Do you know someone who married in the church in Hungary?
   – Not personally, but there are other Filipina–Hungarian couples in Hungary. We have a Fil-Hun Couples group chat on Messenger where you can ask questions and connect with others who have gone through the process. Send me a message via my Contact Page to get connected and added to the group.
8. What are the benefits of marrying in Hungary?
   – For me, this is a very personal experience and it depends on each couple’s situation. In our case, the entire process felt smooth, and the office where we applied was very helpful and supportive. We also chose to have a very simple wedding and a small reception with fewer than 30 people. It was fun, meaningful, and affordable for us compared to our wedding in the Philippines.

Timeline of Our Marriage

June 2021 – Officially engaged 💍

July 2021 – I applied for visa and requested the documents CENOMAR and NBI Clearance. My husband inquired the Anyakönyvezető for the requirements. I also apostilled my documents in DFA Manila.

August 2021 – Visa approved! ✈️ And arrived in Hungary 🇭🇺

September 2021 – Translated all the documents at OFFI

October 2021 – Visited the Anyakönyvezető hivatal (Registry office) and started our marriage application with interview

December 2021 – Marriage Application approved and Wedding Announcement to our family

January 2022 – Wedding gown hunting and made appointments for all the wedding preparations

February 2022 – Wedding Day!!! 💒👰‍♀🤵‍♂️

Our Personal Experience (Story)

Preparing Documents Before Arriving in Hungary

The whole process of our marriage application in Hungary took us around five months, from October 2021 to February 2022, the month of our wedding. It took us so long to prepare because my documents needed to be translated into the Hungarian language by the official translating office of Hungary. A few months earlier of my arrival in Hungary, I had already searched the internet for some information or documents needed in marrying a foreigner, and my (now) husband called the Anyakönyvezető hivatal (Mayor’s Office or Civil Office of the city where he is living) for the documents to prepare in applying for marriage in their office.

We started to gather both of our documents. Before I arrived in Hungary, I requested my Birth Certificate and CENOMAR from the PSA office near us. Then, I brought the documents to Manila DFA (the same time I applied for my Visa) to have my documents Apostilled.

Translation Process with OFFI

Upon my arrival in Hungary, we visited the OFFI to discuss the process of translating my documents into the Hungarian language. We handed my PSA Birth Certificate and CENOMAR to the OFFI officer who returned us back with another paper that shows how many characters were to be translated and the possible or tentative amount to pay.

After two weeks, they called us informing us that my translated documents are ready for release. We immediately headed to their office and paid the necessary amount of balance, and it turned out that we had to pay a little bit less than the tentative amount previously.

Filing the Application and Interview

Right after receiving the full translated documents, we set an appointment with the Anyakönyvi office for our plan to apply for marriage. Accordingly, their office was fully-booked at that time, so they gave us a schedule after one month. <phew> So, you really have to arrange appointments efficiently. And also, grab the chance to ask for the documents they require. In my case, we had to come back twice for the missing documents.

On the day of our appointment with the Anyakönyvi office, we handed all the original documents (seen above) to the officer-in-charge or they are called “vezető”. They interviewed us a little about our relationship and commitment to each other. They also asked us to come back again with our Interpreter (who interprets from Hungarian to English, with a diploma or certificate of doing so). The interpreter will be interpreting all the documents for the bride for the signing documents on the wedding day. They also asked us to bring the missing documents for our two witnesses. Our witnesses were the friend of my husband and my sister (a Filipina as well) with a Belgian citizen.

The week after, we made some pre-signing of papers together with the interpreter who interpreted everything into English (double-checking our names and other information, date of the wedding, and plan to have children or not).

Approval and Wedding Preparation

After two weeks, we got a call from the Anyakönyvi office, telling us that our application was approved! YEHEEEYYY! They scheduled another appointment for us, and on that day, they gave us a piece of paper covering the details or options of how our wedding would be. Choices are wedding in the hall or outdoors (e.g. Garden Wedding, Lake Wedding, etc.). We chose the basic option, which is for FREE! Since my husband was born and living in the same city, we are free to use the wedding hall and free of their wedding service. We just only had to pay for some extras like the candles, champagne, music, and marriage certificate holder.

Congratulations to you and to your Hungarian partner! I hope this helps you get prepared for your most awaited wedding day. Once again, all of the information stated here is only based on my own experience. Please contact the Anyakönyvi office near you for the assurance of the documents to be submitted. God bless and good luck with your journey here in Hungary!

Photos