Hi everyone,
I've requested several vital records from Hungary. Let me pass along the expensive and time-consuming lesson I've learned:
As you may know, the Hungarian government started requiring registration of births, etc. in late 1895. For records after that date, I got formal government documents like I would have expected. (I requested them through the nearest consulate.) That process was a bit time-consuming -- four or five months -- but smooth.
For events before late 1895 only church records exist. I expected the authorities in Budapest to send me some formal government document reflecting the information from church records, but they didn't. They sent me xerox copies of exactly the same microfiche that the LDS archives have. That cost me $80 per document and more than 6 months waiting for Budapest. I could have gotten exactly the same thing through the LDS family center in two weeks for $8.
Worse, I have been waiting for almost a year for one document from Budapest, with no reply and no response to my follow-up. It appears that I'm getting no response because the church record for that date is missing. I know that because I looked in the LDS microfiche. The Budapest authorities and the consulate are both silent and ignoring my follow-ups -- with no document and no refund of my $80.
I would encourage anyone looking for Hungarian documents before 1895 to go straight to the LDS archives. I wish I had known. I could have saved almost a year and hundreds of dollars.
Good luck!