Citizenship of Lithuania

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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. Documents that should be submitted to the Embassy of Lithuania in order to start the process of Reinstatement of Citizenship and their approval.

5. The list of the documents that must be submitted by/for every individual to the Lithuanian Embassy in Israel or Migration Department under the Lithuanian Ministry of Interior in order to reinstate his/her Lithuanian citizenship is provided herewith:

5.1. Apllication form complited and uploaded on MIGRIS system;
5.2. Document (documents) proving that a person (one of his parents, grandparents or great-grandparents) held Lithuanian citizenship prior to 15 June 1940;
5.3. Document (documents) proving that a person (one of his parents, grandparents or great-grandparents) fled Lithuania before 11 March 1990 and acquired citizenship of another state or was exiled from the occupied Republic of Lithuania in the period of 15 June 1940 to 11 March 1990 and acquired citizenship of another state.
5.4. All the documents indicating relation between the applicant and the person who held Lithuanian citizenship prior to 15 June 1940;
5.5. Documents attesting the change/modification of name or surname if a person’s or ancestors' name or surname were modified after coming to Israel;
5.6. Birth certificate;
5.7. Marriage certificate (if any);
5.8. Original personal identification document (valid Israeli passport and any other available valid passport);

6. Original Israeli documents indicated in the paragraphs 5.2.-5.7. (except those issued in Lithuania) must be authenticated with an “Apostille” at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.

6.1. In order to submit certified copy instead of original Apostillised Israeli document, signature of the Israeli Notary Public must be authenticated with an Apostille at the competent Israeli Court of Law;

7. If original documents issued in Lithuania are submitted, their copies will be certified at the Embassy and “Apostille” will not be needed.

8. If submitted copies of the documents issued in Lithuania are certified by Lithuanian Notary Public, “Apostille” will not be needed.

9. According to the legislation documents confirming previously held Lithuanian citizenship are:

9.1. Internal or foreign passports of the Republic of Lithuania issued before 15 June 1940;
9.2. Foreign passports of the Republic of Lithuania issued by diplomatic missions or consular institutions of the Republic of Lithuania abroad in the very first period after 15 June 1940;
9.3. Documents relating to service in the Lithuanian Armed Forces or employment in public service;
9.4. Birth certificates (if the birth took place in the territory of Republic of Lithuania within period  1918-1940) issued by Lithuanian authorities or other documents issued by Lithuanian authorities and having direct reference to previously held Lithuanian citizenship;
9.5. Identity cards issued on the basis of documents issued in Republic of Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940.

10. In the absence of the above documents the following documents may be submitted:

10.1. Documents issued by Lithuanian authorities relating to studies, work and residence in Lithuania prior to 15 June 1940.

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

11. 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 exists a possibility to find such information in Lithuanian archives. Therefore the applicant has to contact directly.

11.1. Lithuanian Central State Archives (e-mail: lcva@archyvai.lt) for documents confirming held Lithuanian citizenship;
11.2. Lithuanian State Historical Archives (e-mail: istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt) for vital records (birth, marriage and death) up to 1940.
11.3. Lithuanian Special Archives (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.

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

12. 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.

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

V. Submission of applications and Consular fee

14. Personally at the Embassy of Lithuania in Tel Aviv (Israel), see Chapter VI, how to register for an appointment. Consular fee for acceptance and handover of the documents listed above to the Migration Department under the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania is 100 EUR per application. Payment for consular services at the Embassy of Lithuania to the State of Israel is accepted by Visa and MasterCard only.

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

You may register for an appointment to submit originals ONLY after receiving a written notice about successful preliminary assessment.

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

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

VI. Appointments

16. 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. Take one 15 min. time slot to each applicant or application.

16.1. Children under 18 years old may not be present at the Embassy.
16.2. Register for consular appointment at E-REGISTRATION.

17. Please always carry along and present on request your original, valid Israeli or other passport(s) in order to prove your citizenship(s) during the appointment at the Embassy.