Dual Citizenship in Lithuania

Dual (double) citizenship can be allowed in Lithuania in exceptional cases only.

The cases when dual citizenship is allowed in Lithuania include:

1. A person was deported from occupied Lithuania prior to 11 March 1990 or is a descendant (a child, a grandchild or a great-grandchild) of a person deported from occupied Lithuania prior to 11 March 1990;
2. A person left Lithuania prior to 11 March 1990 or is a descendant (a child, a grandchild or a great-grandchild) of a person having left Lithuania prior to 11 March 1990;
3. A child acquires dual citizenship at birth;
4. Child-adoption cases;
5. Marriage cases;
6. Acquisition of citizenship of Lithuania in exceptional cases or by a person having a status of a refugee.

A person deported from occupied Lithuania prior to 11 March 1990 is a person compulsorily at a decision of a court or other institutions deported from Lithuania (sent to a concentration camp, imprisoned or deported for forced labour etc.) for resistance to the occupation regimes or because of political, social or origin-related reasons (or a descendant of such a person); the said provisions are applicable to a descendant of such a person. If such a person was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940 or is a descendant (a child, a grandchild or a great-grandchild) of a person who was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940, he (she) may be allowed to be provided a dual citizenship.

A person (who was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940) having left Lithuania prior to 11 March 1990, or his (her) descendents having left the territory of today Lithuania for another state prior to 11 March 1990, if their country of permanent residence was out of Lithuania on 11 March 1990. This definition is not related to persons having left the territory of Lithuania for the territory of the formed Soviet Union after 15 June 1940.

In course of growing of migration flows from Lithuania and the number of marriages concluded by and between citizens of Lithuania and citizens of foreign states, the number of children with dual citizenship is growing as well. According to the current legislation of Lithuania, a child has the right to be a citizen of Lithuania and a citizen of another state if he or she acquired Lithuanian citizenship by birth (one or both parents were citizens of Lithuania at birth) and the citizenship of another state was acquired by birth or the citizenship of another state was acquired under 18 years old not by birth.

In case of a marriage, a person got married to an alien may have a dual citizenship, if the person was automatically granted a citizenship of the state of residence of the spouse after registration of the marriage with the citizen of the foreign state. Such practice of naturalization is more typical for Islamic states where no supplemental formalities are required for granting the citizenship and the only fact of registration of marriage is sufficient. Such persons are not required to renounce the citizenship of another country.

A person (being a citizen of Lithuania) may be adopted by a citizen or citizens of a foreign state and acquire a citizenship of the foreign state. A citizen or citizens of Lithuania may adopt a person that is a citizen of a foreign state. A citizen of Lithuania can also be a citizen of another state if he:
1. a person who is adopted by a citizens (citizen) of Lithuania under the age of 18 and as a result has acquired Lithuanian citizenship;
or
2. a person is a citizen of Lithuania if he was adopted by citizens (citizen) of another state before reaching the age of 18 and as a result acquired the citizenship of another state.

More rare cases of dual citizenship in Lithuania are related to exceptional granting the citizenship of Lithuania to some persons for certain merits for Lithuania or to those provided a status of a refugee.

The process of preparation of the documents for dual citizenship in case of reinstatement of citizenship of Lithuania shall be started from collection of the required documents and search for the lacking ones. Such a search is often carried out at archives of Lithuania. The search for documents at Lithuanian archives may continue for from 5 to 30 workdays. After collection of the required documents, they shall be certified according to the procedure provided in laws and their translation shall be carried out, if the language of the documents is other than Lithuanian. Documents issued in foreign states shall be certified by Apostille or legalized, unless otherwise is provided by international treaties of Lithuania or legal norms of the European Union.

The principal documents to be submitted for a reinstatement of citizenship of Lithuania:

1. The application completed in Lithuanian;
2. The passport;
3. The documents certifying that the person was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940 or is a descendant of a person who was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940;
4. The evidences of the circumstances proving the person to be eligible for dual citizenship;
5. The documents certifying the family connections;
6. A document evidencing the change of name or surname where such personal data have been changed.

The documents certifying that the person was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940 may be following:

1. Lithuanian passports issued before 15 June 1940;
2. Documents certifying military service of the person in Lithuanian army or civil service in Lithuania;
3. Certificates of Birth or other documents where the citizenship is specified;
4. Any certificates issued in Lithuania before 15 June 1940 or certificates issued on the base of documents issued before 15 June 1940.
If the above-listed documents are absent, documents on education, employment or living in Lithuania issued before 15 June 1940 shall be provided.

The documents shall be submitted to a diplomatic mission or a consular institution in a foreign state or to the Migration department in Lithuania. 

According to the relevant norms of Lithuania, a decision on reinstatement of citizenship of Lithuania shall be passed no later than within 6 months; in practice, the process may last for about 6-12 months and even longer in certain cases.

FREE analysis of your options for obtaining Lithuanian citizenship

The lawyers of MIGRATION LAW CENTER offer a free legal analysis of your options for obtaining Lithuanian citizenship. To receive a detailed analysis, please complete an application form by clicking this link – FORM.

Following a thorough legal analysis of your options that would allow to obtain Lithuanian citizenship, our lawyers will provide you with a written response (analytical results) regarding your options of obtaining Lithuanian citizenship and further requirements as well as procedure processes.

Read more:  

Reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship
Granting the citizenship of Lithuania according to the simplified procedure
Certificate of Lithuanian descents
A certificate certifying a right for reinstatement of the citizenship of Lithuania
A citizenship of children
Dual children citizenship
The citizen of a spouse (a husband or a wife)
Lithuanian citizenship through the ethnic descent
Lithuanian Citizenship for Persons Having Lithuanian Ancestry. Lithuanian Citizenship for Descendants of Lithuanians
Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania for those exiled from Lithuania. Dual citizenship in Lithuania
Lithuanian citizenship. Reinstatement of Lithuanian Citizenship without renouncing existing one (Dual Citizenship)
Lithuanian passport. Order of issuing and deadlines
Retention of dual citizenship in the case of the departure from Lithuania after 11 March 1990
Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of Lithuania
Reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship and service in Lithuanian armed forces. Military service in Lithuania
For reinstatement of citizenship of Lithuania, it is necessary to retain citizenship of Lithuania on 1940 06 15
The Jews (Litvaks) and other emigrants who left Lithuania during the interwar period and their descendants will be able to reinstate Lithuanian citizenship or acquire double citizenship without bureaucratic obstacles

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 phone: + 370 6 1861886. We will gladly help you.