Immigration to Lithuania

Annually, many persons come for residence in Lithuania from various states of the world. Some of them come to study, to work or to develop their business here, other intend to join their families and so on. The principal bases of immigration to Lithuania include: family reunification, employment, business, studies and so on.

Latterly, Immigration of high qualification professionals to Lithuania from other countries for employment at Lithuanian enterprises and organizations started. The principal immigration-related requirements set for such persons include high qualification, based on a diploma of higher education, and the agreed salary that should be no less that the salary established in the legal norms. 

In certain cases of employment immigration, the requirements to work experience are set in addition to the requirements to the qualification and the size of salary.

A complexity of procedures for an employment migration depends on the qualification of the person, the size of the agreed salary and other circumstances. The process may continue approximately from 1 to 6 months.

One of the principal bases for immigration to Lithuania is family reunification, when a citizen of a foreign state comes to Lithuania for living with a member of his (her) family who is a citizen of Lithuania or a citizen of a foreign state having a Residence Permit in Lithuania. On this base, a Permit for residence in Lithuania may be issued to a citizen of a foreign state that comes to Lithuania together with a member of his (her) family who is a citizen of Lithuania or a citizen of a foreign state having a Permit for residence in Lithuania for living in Lithuania,  if such a person applies for issue a Residence Permit in Lithuania. Family reunification is possible between parents and their children, between spouses, i.e. a husband and a wife, between persons having signed a partnership agreement, and other persons.  In certain cases, a reunification with a foreigner residing in Lithuania is possible not earlier than after 2 years of residence of the foreigner in Lithuania.  On certain bases, for example, when a person running a business in Lithuania immigrates to Lithuania and intends to continue it there, when an immigrating person is an employee of an enterprise of a foreign state sent for working at a representative office or a branch of the said enterprise of a foreign state, or an immigrating person is a high qualification professional, a family reunification is possible upon an ignorance of the requirement related to 2-year residence in the country. In case of family reunification with a citizen of Lithuania, no supplemental limitations are applied.

Regulation of business immigration in Lithuania has changed and is dynamic enough. A particular attention is paid to real business running, involvement in business running and enterprise ostensibility control. The principal requirements set in the case of business immigration are related to the size of the net worth of the enterprise (it should be no less than 28’000 EUR), the share of the funds invested by the alien (no less than 14’ 000 EUR), the composition of the staff, the sizes of their salaries, the working time and execution of the activities.

In Lithuania, immigration of persons of Lithuanian origin is possible as well Immigration of persons having a right for restoration of Lithuanian citizenship is possible, too. A person of Lithuanian origin is a person whose parents or grandparents or at least one of them were of Lithuanian origin and who self-identifies him(her)self as a Lithuanian and declares the same in a written declaration. A person has a right for restoration of Lithuanian citizenship, if the person or the person’s parents, grandparents, forefathers or one of them were citizens of Lithuania before 15 June 1940. To persons of Lithuanian origin and persons having a right for restoration of Lithuanian citizenship, a Residence Permit may be issued for 5-year period. In addition, a document certifying their Lithuanian origin or a certificate confirming their right for restoration of Lithuanian citizenship may be issued to such persons. The said documents facilitate the process of acquisition of citizenship of Lithuania and provide a right to obtain a Schengen visa.