Eligibility quiz
Did one of your great-grandparents have Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in Lithuania
You can live in Lithuania until your temporary residence permit expires.
Your permit is also evidence of your identity and residence.
Permits normally last 1, 2 or 3 years, although some are shorter.
People of Lithuanian origin and people who retained the right to Lithuanian citizenship can receive 5-year permits.
Visit Schengen countries
With a valid permit and travel document, you can enter Lithuania and generally make short visits to other Schengen countries.
Visits to the other Schengen countries are generally limited to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Your permit does not replace your passport or another recognised travel document.
How to apply
Applying from outside LithuaniaApplying from outside Lithuania
Find a service provider
Find a designated external service provider where you can apply. The office must be in a permitted country of which you are a citizen, unless an exception applies.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Lithuanian Migration Department external service provider near your city accepts national visa applications?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the external service provider.
See required documentsFill in the application online
Create an account or sign in to the Lithuanian Migration Information System, MIGRIS. Fill in the national visa application and select the right-to-restore-citizenship basis.
Fill in the applicationSubmit your application
Upload your supporting documents and submit the application in MIGRIS. You do not pay the national visa state fee when applying on this basis.
Submit your applicationWait for booking status
Follow your application in MIGRIS until its status says “Submitted to the external service provider.”
Track your applicationBook an appointment
In MIGRIS, select “Book a visit” and choose your permitted service provider office and an appointment time. Confirm your booking.
Book an appointmentGo to your appointment
Bring your passport or travel document and the originals and copies of your supporting documents to the service provider. Submit the documents and give your fingerprints and other required biometric information.
Prepare for your appointmentSearches DuckDuckGo for “What do I bring to a Lithuanian national visa appointment with an external service provider?”
Wait for the decision
Follow your application in MIGRIS and respond to any requests for more information or a remote interview.
Track your applicationCollect your visa
If your application is approved, collect your passport and visa as the service provider instructs you. You can then use the visa to travel to Lithuania.
Find collection instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect my Lithuanian national visa from the Migration Department external service provider?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get birth certificates showing each link from your Lithuanian great-grandparent through your grandparent and parent to you. If someone in that chain was adopted, add the adoption decision.
Great-grandparent's citizenship records
Bring a record showing that your Lithuanian great-grandparent held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940: a Lithuanian passport issued before then, a later passport issued by a Lithuanian embassy or consulate, a record of Lithuanian military or civil service, a birth certificate or other record stating their citizenship, or a qualifying personal certificate. If none is available, bring records of their studies, work or life in Lithuania before that date, together with a foreign passport and other records. If the office says the records do not establish citizenship or your family link, a court can establish the missing fact.
Marriage certificates *
Get the marriage certificates needed to connect your Lithuanian great-grandparent, grandparent and parent to you. Add any divorce or name-change records needed to explain differences in their names.
* Only if a marriage record is needed to show a family link or explain a relative's name change.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Keeping your permit
You must keep a valid travel document and continue to meet the conditions and purpose of your permit.
You must report relevant changes, and a new application may be needed if your reason for staying, employer or other important circumstances change.
Your permit does not renew automatically, and you can request a change up to 4 months before it expires.
Applying late can leave you without a lawful right to stay.
Limits on work
Your permit does not by itself allow unrestricted work: you must have the required permission for your situation.
Work permits may have employment conditions, including permission to change employer when required.
Students and family members must follow the work rules for their particular permits.
Permit can end
Your permit ends when it expires unless it is validly changed or extended.
You must leave or obtain valid permission to stay; applying after expiry does not make the time since expiry lawful.
It can also be cancelled or withdrawn if your reason for staying ends or you no longer meet the conditions.
Fraud, security or public-order concerns, breaches of immigration rules and other legal grounds can also lead to cancellation.
Long absences may affect your permit’s validity, depending on your reason for staying.
Cancellation can affect family members whose permits depend on your status or family relationship.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Expats & Foreigners in Lithuania
English Facebook group for people living in Lithuania interested in Lithuanian visas
Join on Facebookr/AnchorLessEurope
English Reddit group for people living in Europe interested in visas
Join on RedditForeigners in Kaunas
English Facebook group for people living in Lithuania interested in Lithuanian local life
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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