Lithuanian Citizenship by Descent (Restoration of Citizenship)
Lithuania
Lithuania allows persons of Lithuanian descent to restore or acquire Lithuanian citizenship based on the citizenship held by their ancestors prior to the Soviet occupation. The law covers individuals whose parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were Lithuanian citizens and who left Lithuania during the occupation period (broadly before March 11, 1990). As an EU member state, Lithuanian citizenship confers EU rights including freedom of movement across the European Union. A significant complication is Lithuania's general prohibition on dual citizenship: those acquiring citizenship by descent who do not already hold another citizenship can retain it without issue, but those who are already citizens of another country may face a requirement to renounce that citizenship. Lithuania has carved out exceptions for descendants of deportees and persecution victims. The Lithuanian diaspora in the United States, Israel, South Africa, and Australia has shown significant interest in this route.
Program Details
- Generation Limit
- Citizenship by descent is available to persons who themselves or whose parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were Lithuanian citizens who departed Lithuania before March 11, 1990 (the date of independence restoration) under occupation or persecution; effectively a three-generation limit from a Lithuanian-citizen ancestor who left before 1990
- Estimated Cost
- $500 – $5,000
- Processing Time
- 6–24 months
- Must Live in Country
- No
- Court Route Available
- No
Government fees are minimal (approximately €10–30 at the Migration Department). Primary costs are genealogical research, document gathering from Lithuanian State Historical Archives, certified translations, and legal assistance. Apostilles on foreign documents also add cost.
Common Barriers
- ⚠Lithuania generally does not permit dual citizenship — applicants who acquire Lithuanian citizenship by descent are expected to renounce their other citizenship(s); exceptions exist for those acquiring citizenship by descent who did not voluntarily acquire another citizenship
- ⚠The generational limit extends only to great-grandchildren of Lithuanian citizens who left before 1990
- ⚠Large numbers of Lithuanian Jews (and descendants of Jewish emigrants who fled persecution) may face documentation gaps due to WWII destruction of records
- ⚠Must demonstrate that the ancestor held Lithuanian citizenship, not merely residency or Soviet-era documentation
- ⚠Records are spread across the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, various municipal registries, and sometimes archives in Poland, Germany, or Israel
Documents Needed
- •Birth certificate of Lithuanian citizen ancestor
- •Marriage certificates for each generation
- •Evidence of Lithuanian citizenship of the ancestor (pre-1940 documents, birth registration records)
- •Evidence that ancestor left Lithuania before March 11, 1990
- •Applicant's own birth certificate and passport
- •Criminal background check
- •Application to the Migration Department of Lithuania or Lithuanian consulate
- •Certified Lithuanian translations of all foreign documents