How to apply for Lithuanian citizenship?
Did you know that if you have Lithuanian ancestry, you might be eligible for Lithuanian citizenship and an EU passport? This means you can live, work and study in any of the 28 EU member countries with no restrictions.
Do you have any ancestors from Lithuanian descent? Perhaps a grandparent, parent or other relatives in your direct bloodline? Lithuanian citizenship may be acquired on certain bases provided in the Law of Republic of Lithuania on citizenship.
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Lithuanian immigration has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people with Lithuanian ancestry living outside Lithuania. Large waves of Lithuanians migration occurred during the 19th and 20th century. Communities in the United States, Australia, South Africa and Canada make up the largest part of this diaspora,
People of Lithuanian descent who have never been citizens of Lithuania may be entitled to acquire citizenship under a simplified procedure, regardless of their current permanent residence. You can prove Lithuanian descent by submitting documents that establish that one of your parents or grandparents is/was a Lithuanian.
How do I know if I qualify?
1. Exiles (those who were forced to leave Lithuania between June 17, 1940 and May 4, 1990 due to foreign occupation) and their descendants who were born by October 1, 2014
2. Your ancestor was a Lithuanian citizen between 1918 and 1940;
3. A child acquires dual citizenship at birth;
4. Child-adoption cases;
5. Acquisition of citizenship of Lithuanian in exceptional cases or by a person having a status of a refugee.
The process of claiming Lithuanian dual citizenship
Claiming a Lithuanian dual citizenship isn’t easy, like any citizenship by descent program.
Before applying for Lithuanian citizenship by descent, it is recommended to pay close attention to the documents, which are going to be submitted to substantiate the application. It is very common that archive documents regarding the ancestor of an applicant contain contradictory information. The procedures for obtaining Lithuanian dual citizenship can be complex and there are many details that often get overlooked. One of the most common failures is not having the right documents from the beginning. This can be a costly and time-consuming mistake to fix. In fact, if you don’t have the right documents, your application will be denied. For instance, one of the most common situations is when the birth year indicated on the birth certificate does not correspond with the year on some other archive documentation. This will definitely cause some difficulties for the applicant and starting a court case may be required to overcome the issue.
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 Lithuanian or legal norms of the European Union.
The principal documents to be submitted for a reinstatement of citizenship of Lithuanian:
1. The application completed in Lithuanian;
2. The passport;
3. The documents certifying that the person was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 17 June 1940 or is a descendant of a person who was a citizen of Lithuania prior to 17 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.
What are the Benefits?
There are huge benefits to having Lithuanian citizenship by descent and a Lithuanian passport, especially if you are a non-EU citizen. And those benefits aren’t just for you – they extend to your entire family. You can pass Lithuanian/EU Citizenship to your children, grandchildren and beyond. Think about it: You will receive all the benefits of a EU citizen. Free university for your kids in Europe. The right to work, study, retire, reside in any EU country for as long as you want, without any restrictions. Affordable health care. And much more. Here are some of our favorite benefits: Since Lithuania is a part of the European Union, all Lithuanian citizens are automatically European Union (EU) citizens. This means that after you confirm your Lithuanian citizenship, you will receive all the benefits and rights of an EU citizen. By obtaining your Lithuanian Citizenship by descent you can live, work, travel, study, buy property and operate businesses in any of the 28 EU countries with no restrictions. After you obtain your Lithuanian dual citizenship and Lithuanian passport, eligibility is then passed onto all your children and their descendants!
How can Baltic Migration help me?
We offer a free and confidential eligibility assessment. If you are eligible, we can provide you with a no-obligation quote. Should you decide to proceed with us, we 'provide you with linguistic, administrative and legal support and navigate through regulations on your behalf.