Lithuanian passport

Lithuanian passport is a document attesting Lithuanian citizenship of a person, his or hers legal relationship with the state of Lithuania. A Lithuanian passport is issued to a person when he or she acquires Lithuanian citizenship in one of the following ways of acquiring of Lithuanian citizenship: by birth, by restoration of Lithuanian citizenship, by granting of Lithuanian citizenship to a person under simplified procedure, by naturalization or by other way. 

Lithuanian citizenship might be restored to a person if he or her or his or hers parents, grandparents or ancestors were Lithuanian citizens before 15/06/1940. The following documents might be used to attest Lithuanian citizenship had before 15/06/1940: Lithuanian passports issued before 15/06/1940, certificates, birth certificates and other documents which indicate Lithuanian citizenship, documents attesting a person’s military service in the Lithuanian army or work in public service or documents attesting living in Lithuania until 15/06/1940.

A person’s Lithuanian citizenship might be restored in two ways: by refusing the current citizenship or by keeping the current citizenship (double citizenship). In order to obtain a double citizenship it is not enough to prove having had Lithuanian citizenship before 15/06/1940. Additional conditions granting a person the right to be Lithuanian citizen and a citizen of another state are necessary. The following might be attributed to such conditions: forcible deportations and emigration to another state before 11/03/1990, except for emigration to the territory of the former Soviet Union after 15/06/1940.

Other conditions of acquiring a double citizenship also exist which are indicated in the Republic of Lithuania Law on Citizenship, such as acquiring of a citizenship of a foreign state by birth, cases of adoption, marriage and other cases.

So, speaking of acquiring of a double citizenship, in cases of forcible deportation from Lithuania or emigration before 11/03/1990, the following conditions of acquiring of a double citizenship might be distinguished: 
1. Having of Lithuanian citizenship before 15/06/1940: a person or his or hers father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather, great-grandmother were a Lithuanian citizen before 15/06/1940;
2. Fact of forcible deportation: a person or his or hers father, mother, grandfather, grandmother or great-grandfather, great-grandmother were forcibly deported from Lithuania; 
or 
3. The fact of emigration from Lithuania before 11/03/1990: a person or his or hers father, mother, grandfather, grandmother or great-grandfather, great-grandmother emigrated from Lithuania before 11/03/1990 to reside permanently in another state except for emigration after 15/06/1940 to the territory of the former Soviet Union, and their residence on 11/03/1990 was not in Lithuania.

In addition to these circumstances, the documents attesting these circumstances are necessary. Documents attesting Lithuanian citizenship before 15/06/1940, documents attesting forcible deportation or emigration from Lithuania before 11/03/1990, documents attesting family links, documents attesting changing of first name and (or) surname might be attributed to the principle documents. In absence of the aforementioned documents, their search might be performed in Lithuanian archives. The following personal data are necessary to perform search in one of the Lithuanian archives: first name, surname, date of birth, place of birth, place of residence in Lithuania.

If a person is of Lithuanian descent, Lithuanian citizenship might be granted to him or her under simplified procedure. A person of Lithuanian descent is a person whose parents or grandparents (or one of them) are or were Lithuanian and who considers himself or herself Lithuanian. In this case a person’s citizenship, ethnicity are assessed rather than the fact of having Lithuanian citizenship. Most common documents attesting a person’s Lithuanian descent are official documents of public institutions which indicate that a person’s father, mother, grandfather or grandmother are or were Lithuanian (birth certificate or other documents). In case of granting of Lithuanian citizenship under simplified procedure, a citizenship of a foreign state must be refused.

A person shall address to Lithuanian Migration Service or to Lithuanian Embassy, or a consular institution abroad in order to obtain a Lithuanian passport.

MIGRATION LAW CENTER 

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.