Certificate of Lithuanian descent

A certificate of Lithuanian descent shall be issued to persons of Lithuanian origin. It is a document usable as an evidence of Lithuanian origin of the person that facilitates accessibility to granting the citizenship of Lithuania according to the simplified procedure or issue a Permanent (Temporarily) Residence Permit. If a person strives to be granted the citizenship of Lithuania according to the simplified procedure or issue a Permanent (Temporarily) Residence Permit on the base of his (her) Lithuanian origin, he (she) should prove to be of Lithuanian origin. If a person has a certificate of Lithuanian descent, the process of proving becomes considerably easier and the process of granting the citizenship of Lithuania or issue a Residence Permit becomes shorter.

The period of validity of a certificate of Lithuanian descent is termless, so the person may use the advantages provided by the document in later periods as well.

A person of Lithuanian descent is a person who believes to be a Lithuanian and declares the same in writing and whose parents and/or grandparents or at least one of them was of Lithuanian origin. 

In the process of issuing a certificate of Lithuanian descent, documents certifying Lithuanian descent of the person are required, so the process should be started from collection of such documents. Documents certifying Lithuanian descent of a person are legal documents certifying that parents and/or grandparents of the person or at least one of them was of Lithuanian descent  (such as passports, Certificates of Birth, Certificates of Marriage and so on).

In addition to the above-mentioned documents, some other documents shall be submitted on applying for issue a certificate of Lithuanian descent. The list of such documents is provided below.

On applying for issue a certificate of Lithuanian descent, the person shall submit the following documents: 

1. The application;
2. The passport;
3. Two photos 40x60 mm;
4. The evidences of Lithuanian descent of the Applicant;
5. The declaration that the person believes to be Lithuanian;
6. The documents certifying the family connections;
7. A document evidencing the change of name or surname where such personal data have been changed.

If documents are executed in a language other than Lithuanian they shall be translated into Lithuanian. Copies of the documents shall be certified according to the procedure provided in laws. Documents issued in foreign states shall be certified by Apostille or legalized.

A person shall submit the documents for issue a certificate of Lithuanian descent to a diplomatic mission or a consular institution in a foreign state or to the Migration Department in Lithuania; alternatively, they may be sent by mail or through a courier.

According to Lithuanian legal norms, the duration of examination of the documents by the Migration Department shall be 3 months from the date of their submission.

The applicant may take the certificate of Lithuanian descent at the Migration Department, the diplomatic mission or the consular institution of the foreign state or at the territorial police office. The certificate may be also taken by a representative of the applicant (Under a power of attorney).