Citizenship

Citizenship

I. Reinstatement of citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania

In accordance with the Article 7, paragraphs 2, 3 and 4; Article 9, paragraph 1 of the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania No. XI-1196 Reinstatement of Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania means the exercise of the right to reinstate citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania on the grounds and in accordance with the procedure laid down by this Law.

1. Persons who held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before 15 June 1940 and their descendants, who have not acquired citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before the entry into force of this Law, shall have an indefinite right to reinstate citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, irrespective of whether they are permanently resident in the Republic of Lithuania or in any other state.

2. The requirement to renounce citizenship of another state shall not apply to:

2.1. Persons who were exiled from the occupied Republic of Lithuania before 11 March 1990 and acquired citizenship of another state and their descendants;
2.2. Persons who fled the Republic of Lithuania before 11 March 1990 and acquired citizenship of another state and their descendants.
2.3. “Person exiled from the occupied Republic of Lithuania before 11 March 1990” means a person who held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before 15 June 1940 or his descendant, who were forcibly expelled from Lithuania by decisions of institutions or courts of occupation regimes in the period from 15 June 1940 to 11 March 1990 for reasons of resistance to occupation regimes, political or social reasons or reasons of origin.
2.4. “Person who fled Lithuania before 11 March 1990” means a person who held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before 15 June 1940 or his descendant, who left the current territory of the Republic of Lithuania before 11 March 1990 to reside permanently in another state, if their permanent residence on 11 March 1990 was outside Lithuania.

3. Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania may be reinstated only once.

4. Article 8 of the Law on Citizenship stipulates: “A citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is a citizen of another state at the same time shall be considered by the State of Lithuania to be only a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania. The possession of citizenship of another state shall not relieve him of the responsibilities as a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania under the Constitution, laws and other legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania.”

II. If there documents confirming previously held Lithuanian citizenship missing?

5. If the applicant has no documents confirming the fact that he/she (his/her parents, grandparents or great grandparents) held Lithuanian citizenship prior to 15 June 1940, there is a possibility to find such information in Lithuanian archives or various genealogical societies, operating worlwide.

Applicant may contact directly.

5.1. Lithuanian Central State Archives (fax: + 370 5 276 5318, e-mail: lcva@archyvai.lt) for documents confirming previuosly held Lithuanian citizenship;
5.2. Lithuanian State Historical Archives (fax: + 370 5 213 7612, e-mail: istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt) for vital records (birth, marriage and death) up to 1940.
5.3. Lithuanian Special Archives (fax: +370 5 251 4211, e-mail: lya@archyvai.lt) for records of the former Lithuanian SSR division of KGB, USSR, dating 1940-1991, records of the Lithuanian SSR Ministry of Interior dating 1944-1990 and records of communist and socialist organizations, dating from the 19th c. until 1991, that witness the genocide of the Lithuanian people.

III. Translations of the documents issued in language other than Lithuanian

6. All the documents indicated in the paragraphs from 5.2. to 5.7., except those issued in Lithuanian language, should be translated into Lithuanian, official state language, by the sworn translator, who should certify translation’s accuracy with regard to the original document.

7. Please find contacts of official translation bureaus in Lithuania providing services of translating documents. Translations into Lithuanian language by other official translators are possible as well.

IV. Submission of applications and Consular fee

IMPORTANT: It is OBLIGATORY to submit the application and documents regarding Lithuanian citizenship via the MIGRIS system.

8. Consular fee for verification of the documents submitted to MIGRIS system of the Migration Department under the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania is 100 EUR per application, payable in ZAR by credit card only. Payment for consular services at the Embassy of Lithuania to South Africa is accepted by Visa and MasterCard only.

You may register for an appointment to submit originals ONLY after receiving a written notice about successful preliminary assessment by email kons.za@urm.lt

More information regarding the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania can be found here; information regarding document submission via MIGRIS system─ here.

9. For additional information regarding Lithuanian citizenship, please visit migracija.lt.

V. Appointments

10. In order to submit all the required documents that are prepared precisely as clarified in this description, each applicant should register for an appointment at the Embassy.

10.1. Children from 14 to 18 years old who are applying for the citizenship must appear at the Embassy;
10.2. Children under 14 years old may not come.
11. Please always carry along and present on request your original, valid South African and/or other passport(s) in order to prove your citizenship(s) during the appointment at the Embassy.