Eligibility quiz
Was one of your grandparents a Lithuanian citizen before 15 June 1940?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Lithuanian passport and ID
A Lithuanian passport is valid for 10 years over age 16, 5 years at ages 5–16 and 2 years under age 5.
An identity card can be used for travel where accepted.
It is normally valid for 10 years at ages 16–70 and 30 years from age 70, with shorter periods for children.
Live in Lithuania for life
Lithuanian citizens can live in Lithuania indefinitely and return to settle at any time.
Citizenship does not expire, and there is no minimum time you must live in Lithuania to keep it.
Work in Lithuania
Lithuanian citizens can choose a job or start a business in Lithuania without immigration restrictions on their right to work.
Get help abroad
Lithuanian citizens can seek consular help abroad, including a return certificate or temporary passport if a document is lost.
Where Lithuania has no embassy or consulate outside the EU, another EU country's embassy or consulate can help with emergencies, including lost documents, arrest or serious illness.
Vote and run for office
Lithuanian citizens can vote from age 18, unless a court has declared them legally incapable.
Citizens can also take part in government and stand for office, with separate eligibility rules for each office.
Use public healthcare
People with compulsory health insurance can use covered healthcare in Lithuania; people without the required insurance generally pay for treatment.
Permanent residents are entitled to emergency medical help.
In other EU countries, access depends on eligibility and insurance rules.
Get social support
Lithuanian citizens can qualify for pensions and support for old age, disability, unemployment, sickness, widowhood, loss of a breadwinner and other circumstances.
Payments depend on the conditions for each benefit.
Social-security rules can also coordinate support across EU countries.
How to apply
Applying at a consulateApplying at a consulate
Find your consulate
Find the Lithuanian embassy or consulate that serves the area where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Lithuanian consulate serves your city for citizenship restoration applications?”
Get the application form
Get the application form for restoration of Lithuanian citizenship.
Find the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I get the Lithuanian citizenship restoration application form?”
Fill in the form
Fill in and sign the application form. A representative applies for a child under 18.
Find form guidanceSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Lithuanian citizenship restoration application form?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate.
See required documentsPay the state fee
Pay the €159 state fee using payment code 5740. Use the payment instructions to find out how to pay.
Find payment instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the Lithuanian citizenship restoration state fee using payment code 5740?”
Hand in your application
Hand in your signed application and required documents at the consulate, or have a representative hand them in for you. If a representative submits them, your signature must be notarised; if the application itself is not notarised, include a notarised written request for citizenship restoration.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Lithuanian citizenship restoration application at the Lithuanian consulate serving your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for a decision on your application and respond if the authorities ask you for more information or documents.
See decision informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a Lithuanian citizenship restoration decision take?”
Get your citizenship document
After approval, you can request a document confirming your Lithuanian citizenship. You can use it to show that you are a Lithuanian citizen.
Find citizenship documentSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get a document confirming Lithuanian citizenship after citizenship restoration?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates *
Provide your birth certificate and the birth records of your parent and Lithuanian grandparent to show how you are related. The records should connect you to your Lithuanian grandparent.
* Only if you do not already have a document confirming your right to restore Lithuanian citizenship.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationName change records *
Provide records explaining any changes of name or surname in the family records connecting you to your Lithuanian grandparent. These may include marriage certificates or other official name change records.
* Only if a name in your family records changed and you do not already have a document confirming your right to restore Lithuanian citizenship.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationGrandparent's citizenship records *
Provide records showing that your Lithuanian grandparent held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940. These can include a Lithuanian passport, records of service in the Lithuanian army or state service, a birth certificate or other record stating Lithuanian citizenship, or an identity certificate issued in Lithuania before that date or based on earlier documents. If those records are unavailable, provide records of your grandparent's education, work or residence in Lithuania before that date, together with a foreign passport and other supporting records.
* Only if you do not already have a document confirming your right to restore Lithuanian citizenship.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Reporting another citizenship
If you acquire another citizenship, you generally must notify Lithuania within two months, unless an exception applies.
You can notify the responsible Lithuanian office, embassy or consulate.
Tax on public income
In certain circumstances, Lithuanian citizens receiving Lithuanian public funding or pay may be treated as Lithuanian tax residents, including when abroad.
Tax residents are generally taxed on income from Lithuania and abroad, with tax agreements taken into account.
Military and defence duties
Lithuanian citizens may have to perform military or alternative service or other defence duties, including when living abroad.
Who is called depends on the rules, including age, health, exemptions and postponements.
Women are not subject to the same universal peacetime call-up rule as men.
Citizenship can be lost
Citizenship can end if you give it up, gain another without an exception, or fail to give up another by 21 when required.
It can also end through unauthorised service for another state, a treaty, fraud, forged documents, unmet conditions or an unlawful decision.
A child may lose it when a parent does, but generally not if acquired at birth, or if this leaves the child without any citizenship.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
r/LithuanianCitizenship
English Reddit group for people interested in Lithuanian citizenship
Join on RedditExpats & Foreigners in Lithuania
English Facebook group for people living in Lithuania interested in Lithuanian local life
Join on FacebookForeigners 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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