For people living in the US who want to connect with their roots, citizenship in both countries is possible. In order to be eligible for Lithuanian dual citizenship, (citizenship in Lithuania, and the U. S), one must prove they have the right documents How is this done? It is necessary to perform genealogical research into your ancestors to know if you have Lithuanian relatives. If you had an aunt, uncle, parent, or grandparent who held Lithuanian citizenship you may be able to qualify for citizenship. There are some things you will need to know for your research such as:
1. When your ancestor was born, when they came to America, and whether or not they had gone through the process of nationalization. If they were nationalized and how they were naturalized, this can affect whether you qualify and the steps that follow.
2. You will need to know whether your ancestor was naturalized before the birth of their child that would be your closest relative linking you to Lithuania through your family. Naturalization (if they were or not) needs to be confirmed in order to determine if you qualify for Lithuanian citizenship based on Lithuanian law.
Naturalization is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country
If your ancestor did not go through naturalization, it can be even more difficult to prove non-naturalization. There might not be any records at all to confirm their status as an immigrant. The laws on citizenship are very complicated and confusing.
In order to be naturalized, a person would have to declare their intention to be naturalized, followed by a petition to be naturalized. The petitioner would then take an oath of allegiance to the United States. You may be able to find the date of naturalization on the back of the petition form.
It may be difficult to prove your lineage and you will need all the documentation you can find. You will need to look in many different places such as family records, census records, birth certificates, draft cards, naturalization papers, ship manifests, and more.
Getting documents for your application can be difficult
Searching for and obtaining documents in Lithuania that are relevant to your application may be difficult. Unless you speak fluent Lithuanian, you may not be able to fully communicate what you are looking for to those working records in Lithuania. Also, the records would be in Lithuanian, and you may not be able to read or understand them unless you had a translator.
If your ancestor doesn’t have such document as a birth certificate (people born before a certain year wouldn’t have one), then an alternate document such as a baptism record may be acceptable.
The biggest problem in locating documentation of ancestry documents for Lithuanian citizenship is that there is no centralized record system. Records are kept in different provinces for the people living in that area. It can take a lot of time and energy to find personal records.
Searching the documents
To begin the search for documentation, you will need to search through all of your family documents and records of birth, marriage, death certificates, military records, and any records that may contain information that can prove Lithuanian heritage. Don’t forget to check the U.S. census records as well. These records can provide valuable information including an individual's country of origin, the year they were born, their citizenship status, their address, and their marital status.
Another suggestion may be to hire a lawyer to help you. Having lawyers who can help with the process of finding records in Lithuania and other locations can be very helpful. They may be able to find records in places that you wouldn’t think to look.
Getting help from the professionals
It can be very difficult to find all of this information on your own, there are many sites to check and sources to investigate. Applying for Lithuanian dual citizenship is not easy and will require a lot of work on your part. However, to make the process quicker and easier, contact one of our Lithuanian citizenship professionals who will be able to take care of the entire process for you from start to finish.
How can Baltic Migration help me?
Does your grandfather, grandmother or any other relative left Lithuania during before or after WW2? Claim your Lithuanian citizenship now.
We offer a free and confidential eligibility assessment.
If you are eligible, we can provide you with a no-obligation quote.
We hope this article has provided you with a useful insight into the application process of claiming Lithuanian citizenship.
To find out more about citizenship in Lithuania, please contact us at anna@balticmigration.com.
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