The citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania is the permanent legal relationship of a person with the Republic of Lithuania based on mutual rights and responsibilities.
The following persons are citizens of the Republic of Lithuania:
A person who held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940 or a person whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents had Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940, has a right to reinstate citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, provided he is not a citizen of another state or renounces his present citizenship.
With the growing extent of emigration, the question of whether a Lithuanian citizen can hold dual (multiple) citizenship is recurring. In fact, dual citizenship is not a common case in Lithuania, as in our country dual citizenship is possible only in exceptionally rare cases.
The requirement to renounce citizenship of another state is not applicable to an individual who according to Clause 2, 3 or 4 of Article 7 of the Republic of Lithuania Law on Citizenship may be a citizen of both the Republic of Lithuania and another state at the same time:
There are a few options how to acquire citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania: Lithuanian citizenship is acquired by birth; Lithuanian citizenship is granted through naturalisation; Lithuanian citizenship is acquired by way of exception; Lithuanian citizenship is granted under the simplified procedure; citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania is reinstated; Lithuanian citizenship is restored.
Yes, but such cases are rare enough. There are several exceptions, when a dual citizenship is allowed in Lithuania: a person was exiled from the occupied Lithuania before 11 March 1990 or is a descendant of such person (child, grandchild or great-grandchild); a person fled or departed from Lithuania before 11 March 1990 or is a descendant of such person (child, grandchild or great-grandchild); a child has acquired dual (multiple) citizenship by birth; cases of adoption and marriage, as well as by way of exception or while holding refugee status.
In such cases when a person has lost citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, a person may have it restored, but it is vitally important that a citizenship may be restored only once. If the held Lithuanian citizenship was granted by way of exception, then it cannot be restored. A person who has filed an application to restore his Lithuanian citizenship must meet certain conditions.
There are certain cases when the Lithuanian citizenship can be lost. Such cases are as follows: when a person himself renounces Lithuanian citizenship; when a person acquires citizenship of another state, subject to certain exceptions; where citizenship is lost on the grounds established by international treaties to which the Republic of Lithuania is a party; where a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania is in the service of another state without authorisation of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania; if the Lithuanian citizenship was acquired in illegal ways; when circumstances are discovered, by reason of which citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania could not have been granted; when it transpires that a decision on citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania in respect of the person concerned has been taken in breach of laws; where a person concerned fails to provide evidence that he renounces citizenship of another state.
If you have any questions regarding Lithuanian citizenship or should you require more information or help, please contact us by e-mail: info@migration.lt or tel.: + 370 6 1861886. We will gladly help you.
Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania may be reinstated to a person who already held citizenship of this country before 15 June 1940. Also, reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship is possible for descendants of persons who held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940. The Lithuanian citizenship can be acquired by the descendants of the specified persons up to the fourth line of kinship, i.e., children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Acquisition of the Lithuanian citizenship is possible irrespective of the country in which a person is currently residing.
In order for Lithuanian citizenship to be reinstated, a person will either have to renounce the citizenship of another state that he currently holds or have dual citizenship. However, dual citizenship in Lithuania is possible only in exceptional cases (presented below in the text).
A dual (multiple) citizenship is allowed in the Republic of Lithuania only in exceptional cases.
Exceptions of dual citizenship in Lithuania: what are they?
• A person was exiled from the occupied Lithuania before 11 March 1990 or is a descendant of a person who was exiled from the occupied Lithuania before 11 March 1990 (child, grandchild or great-grandchild);
• A person fled or departed from Lithuania before 11 March 1990 or is a descendant (child, grandchild or great-grandchild) of a person who fled or departed from Lithuania before 11 March 1990;
• A child has acquired dual (multiple) citizenship by birth;
• Cases of adoption;
• Cases of marriage;
• Acquisition of Lithuanian citizenship by way of exception or while holding refugee status in the Republic of Lithuania.
Persons who have never held Lithuanian citizenship, but are of Lithuanian descent, can acquire citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania under the simplified procedure, regardless of whether they reside in Lithuania or in another state. These persons avoid the requirement to have resided in Lithuania for a certain period of time and to pass examinations of the fundamentals of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and of the state Lithuanian language.
Acquisition of the Lithuanian citizenship is usually not an easy and very urgent process. Obtaining Lithuanian citizenship can take six months, a year or even longer. However, in some cases it is possible to grant Lithuanian citizenship under the simplified procedure. What is this process and when is it possible?
This is a document that approves Lithuanian descent of an individual and makes easier the process of acquiring Lithuanian citizenship under a simplified procedure or issuing a permanent or temporary residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania. In order to acquire Lithuanian citizenship under a simplified procedure or obtain a residence permit in Lithuania on this basis, a person must prove his Lithuanian origin. When having a certificate of Lithuanian descent, a process of evidencing becomes much easier and faster.
A certificate of Lithuanian descent is issued for indefinite period of time; therefore, a person may enjoy privileges granted by such certificate both immediately and after a longer period of time.
It is a document that confirms the existence of the facts forming the basis for reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship and which grants a person the right to reinstate Lithuanian citizenship. Holding this document greatly facilitates reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship – the process is faster and easier. This certificate is issued for an indefinite period of time, therefore, the person receiving it can apply for reinstatement of citizenship forthwith or later within an indefinite period of time.
If a person was a citizen of Lithuania and lost the Lithuanian citizenship, it may be restored. If a person acquired a citizenship of Lithuania at birth, or his (her) citizenship of Lithuania was restored or granted according to the simplified procedure, or the person acquired the citizenship of Lithuania according to the procedure of naturalization and then lost it for certain circumstances (such as acquisition of a citizenship of another state), such a person may apply for restoration of the lost citizenship of Lithuania.
If Lithuania is a place of lawful permanent residence of a person for over 10 years and such a person satisfies other requirements provided in legal norms, the person acquires a right to be granted the citizenship of Lithuania according to the procedure of naturalization.
Permanent residence of a person in the country means that the person resides in Lithuania without breaks for at least six months per year. If a person strives for recognition of his (her) residence in Lithuania permanent, such a person should not leave Lithuania for staying in another state for a period over six months.
The increasingly growing number of mixed families (where a husband or a wife of a citizen of Lithuania is an alien) as well as intensive emigration from Lithuania cause the problems of a citizenship of children, including the problem of dual citizenship, that become more and more important.
The legal norms of Lithuania regulate the problems of the citizenship of children on the base of filiation, i.e. a child acquires the citizenship of Lithuania by birth. Granting the citizenship of Lithuania by birth is the principal way for acquiring the citizenship of Lithuania.
In course of increasingly growing number of mixed families (when citizens of Lithuania get married with citizens of foreign states), the problem of a dual citizenship and the opportunities for acquiring the citizenship of Lithuania by a spouse of a citizen of Lithuania becomes important.
If a citizen of Lithuania registers a marriage with a citizen of a foreign state, the latter (husband or a wife of a citizen of Lithuania) may be granted the citizenship of Lithuania after 7 years of the permanent residence in Lithuania with the citizen of Lithuania.
Legal norms of Lithuania provide the possible cases of losing the citizenship of Lithuania by a person.
A person shall lose the citizenship of Lithuania:
1. If the person acquires the citizenship of another state and no circumstances provide him (her) a right for dual citizenship;
2. If the person renounces the citizenship of Lithuania;
Renouncing the citizenship of Lithuania is one of the ways of losing the citizenship of Lithuania.
Any citizen of Lithuania has a right to renounce the citizenship of Lithuania and this right should not be restricted, except of certain cases provided in laws.
The cases when renouncing the citizenship of Lithuania is impossible:
It is required that documents issued by institutions of foreign states or their copies should be legalized or certified by an Apostille prior to their submission to state institutions of Lithuania.
The procedure of legalization is more complicated. A document issued by an institution of a foreign state should be legalized in the foreign state and then in Lithuania. The process of certification of a document by an Apostille is simpler and shorter; however, certification of a document by an Apostille is not available in all states.
Both the process of acquisition of the citizenship of Lithuania and the process of obtaining a Residence Permit often starts from search and collection of the required data and documents. Usually, this process is bound with preparation of requests to archives of Lithuania. This initial phase is very important both for acquisition of the citizenship of Lithuania (its reinstatement, granting according to the simplified procedure etc.) and an issue a Residence Permit to a person (when the base of issue a Residence Permit is Lithuanian descent or a right of a person for reinstatement of the citizenship of Lithuania) and the further run of the process and its success depend on it.
A frequent problem arising on submission of an application for reinstatement or acquisition of citizenship of Lithuania is discrepancy between names n/or surnames in documents of the applicant and his father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather or great-grandmother. Sometimes, examination of the case may be suspended because of several different letters in a first name or a surname.
In certain cases, a person may lack some documents required for supporting the circumstances important in the process of reinstatement of the citizenship of Lithuania or its acquisition in other ways as well as in the process of issue a Residence Permit, such as the documents supporting the family connections, proving that a certain person (a citizen of Lithuania) was a father, a mother, a grandmother, a grandfather, a great-grandmother or a great-grandfather of an applicant. Or proving that persons mentioned in several documents whose first names and/or surnames differ are the same person.
Sometimes, extracts from a civil status record (such as related to birth, marriage, death etc.) required for the process of reinstatement of the citizenship of Lithuania or its acquisition in other ways as well as in the process of issue a Residence Permit is not available or is incorrect. For example, the first name or the surname of the father or mother of the person is not specified in the Certificate of Birth of the person or the entry is made unduly, so the person cannot prove the family connections, so he (she) cannot prove that his (her) father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, great-grandmother or great-grandfather was of Lithuanian origin or a citizen of Lithuania.
The grandmother of the applicant was of Jewish origin; she was born in 1919 in Lithuania and was the citizenship of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940. The grandmother of the person left Lithuania in 1938 because of suspicion of the forthcoming World War II and possible dangers bound with it, such as anti-Semitism and hard situation of Jews in Lithuania. The person applied for reinstatement of the citizenship of Lithuania upon preservation of the current citizenship of Slovenia. After examination of the submitted documents, the Migration Department of Lithuania passed a positive decision on a reinstatement of the citizenship of Lithuania upon preservation of the current citizenship (a dual citizenship).