Who qualifies
- Can restoreA parent, grandparent or great-grandparent who was a Lithuanian citizen before June 15, 1940June 15, 1940 is the date of the Soviet occupation. The right has no deadline, and applies whether you live in Lithuania or abroad.
- Keep your passportIf that ancestor left or was exiled before March 11, 1990Then you don’t have to give up your other citizenship. March 11, 1990 is the date Lithuania restored its independence.
- Usually notAncestors who left before 1918Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire then. Emigrants who left before independence, and never held Lithuanian citizenship, usually don’t give you this right.
How to apply
- Find proof your ancestor was a Lithuanian citizen before 1940For example a Lithuanian passport, internal ID, or records from the Lithuanian archives.
- Find proof they left before 1990Emigration, travel or exile records, needed to keep your current passport.
- Gather the family certificatesBirth certificates linking each generation to you, and marriage certificates or court decisions for any change of name.
- Translate and apostilleAll foreign documents except passports need an official translation into Lithuanian and an apostille.
- Apply online in MIGRISLithuania’s Migration Department system. It checks your documents first, then tells you to bring the originals to your nearest Lithuanian embassy or consulate within 4 months.
What a Lithuanian passport gives you
The right to live, work, study and retire across all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. See what an EU passport lets you do.
Living there
A Lithuanian passport lets you live and work in any EU country, and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Not eligible? The long way round
If descent doesn’t work for you, you can still become a citizen by living in Lithuania and applying to naturalize. It takes longer, but it’s open to anyone who meets the conditions.
- Time living there first
- 10 years’ permanent residence.
- Language and tests
- Exams on the Lithuanian language and the constitution.
- Keep your current passport?
- No. You must give up your other citizenship.
- Main ways to get residence
- Work, business and study.
Already have, or able to get, a passport from an EU country through another family line? Then you can live and work in Lithuania without a visa. See what an EU passport lets you do.
General information, not immigration advice. Residence rules change often, so check the official source before you plan a move. Sources: Migration Law Center: naturalisation in Lithuania (secondary source).