August 1, 2023 – 11:56 am
“The United States of America has asked Hungary for data on Hungarians abroad who have dual citizenship. Hungary does not disclose this to anyone, because the safety of Hungarians abroad is at stake. That is why the government of President Joe Biden is now taking revenge on Hungarians!” The Hungarian government’s Interior Ministry, led by Sándor Pinter, was the first to respond to the Americans’ announcement on Tuesday morning in a three-sentence statement.
The United States has restricted visa-exempt status for arrivals from Hungary because, according to it, nearly one million people acquired Hungarian citizenship between 2011 and 2020 under simplified naturalization procedures without adequate security checks.
According to David Pressman, the US ambassador to Budapest, the US government has been dealing with this “security vulnerability” for years, but the Hungarian government decided not to address the concerns raised and did not do anything to meet the requirements of the program. From all aspects.
From August 1, the so-called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA, Electronic System for Travel Authorization) will be reduced from two years to one year for Hungarian passport holders, and will be valid for one use only.
