You can claim Lithuanian citizenship by descent if a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent held Lithuanian citizenship before June 15, 1940, and left the country before March 11, 1990. The process is called reinstatement, it runs through Lithuania’s Migration Department, and it ends with an EU passport that lets you live and work anywhere in the European Union.
Who Qualifies
Two dates govern eligibility. The first is June 15, 1940, the start of the Soviet occupation. Your ancestor must have held Lithuanian citizenship before that date, during the interwar republic. The right to reinstate is indefinite and can pass through one generation or several, so a great-grandparent counts just as a parent does.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship
The second date is March 11, 1990, when Lithuania declared independence. Your ancestor (or you, if you were the original citizen) must have left before then. Acceptable proof of departure includes a U.S. naturalization certificate, refugee camp documents, or a foreign passport issued before that date.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship
Certain criminal history bars reinstatement regardless of ancestry: international crimes, criminal acts against Lithuania, or imprisonment for a serious intentional crime under Lithuanian law. People otherwise ineligible for permanent residence in Lithuania are also excluded.
Whether You Can Keep Your Current Citizenship
Lithuania generally prohibits dual citizenship, but there is a carve-out for people reinstating citizenship by descent. If your ancestor was exiled from or left occupied Lithuania before March 11, 1990, you keep your current citizenship and gain Lithuanian citizenship alongside it.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship
If your ancestor stayed in Lithuania past that date, reinstatement is still possible, but you would generally have to renounce your other citizenship to complete it.2Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America. Reinstatement of the Lithuanian Citizenship Confirm which side of the 1990 line your family falls on before you spend months on paperwork.
What About Your Spouse and Children
A foreign spouse does not gain citizenship through your reinstatement. Marriage-based naturalization is a separate process requiring seven years of permanent residence in Lithuania together with the Lithuanian spouse, plus language and constitution exams.
Children are handled with the parent’s application. Children under 14 generally acquire citizenship when their parent reinstates. Children between 14 and 18 can acquire it too, but they must give written consent. Raise this at the start of your application so the paperwork for minors is included from day one.
The Documents You Need
The application rests on a documentary chain that proves two things: that your ancestor was a Lithuanian citizen before June 15, 1940, and that you descend from that person in an unbroken line.
Proof of Your Ancestor’s Citizenship
The strongest evidence is a Lithuanian passport or internal identity document issued before June 15, 1940. If those don’t survive, the consulate will also accept military service records, census entries, or other documents showing your ancestor studied, worked, or lived in Lithuania before that date.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship Include anything that documents a name or surname change (marriage certificates, court orders) so the trail holds together when names shift between generations.
Proof of Lineage
You need a birth certificate, marriage certificate, and (where applicable) death certificate for every person between you and your Lithuanian ancestor. If the ancestor is a great-grandparent, that means records for the great-grandparent, the grandparent, the parent, and you. Gaps in this chain are one of the most common reasons applications stall.
Proof of Departure Before 1990
If you’re relying on the dual citizenship exception, you also need evidence that your ancestor or family left Lithuania before March 11, 1990. A U.S. naturalization certificate, refugee camp records, or a foreign passport issued before that date all work.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship For families deported during the Soviet occupation, the Lithuanian Special Archives can issue certificates confirming forced removal.
Translations and Apostilles
Every foreign document except passports must be officially translated into Lithuanian by a certified translator.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship Foreign documents also need an Apostille to confirm authenticity. In the United States, Apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State in the state where the document originated, typically for $10 to $20 per document.
Finding Missing Records in Lithuanian Archives
Most applicants find they’re missing something, usually proof of the ancestor’s pre-1940 citizenship. Lithuanian archives can fill the gaps, but requests take time, so start early.
The Lithuanian Central State Archives (LCVA) is the main repository for pre-1940 citizenship records. Submit a written request by mail or email with as much identifying information as you have: full names including maiden names, dates and places of birth, marriage, or death (approximate dates help), and any known addresses in Lithuania. The archives quote search and copy fees after receiving your request. Contact the LCVA at lcva@archyvai.lt or O. Milašiaus 21, LT-10102 Vilnius, Lithuania.3Lietuvos vyriausiojo archyvaro tarnyba. Access and Service
For pre-1940 vital records like birth and marriage certificates, the Los Angeles consulate recommends the Lithuanian State Historical Archives at istorijos.archyvas@archyvai.lt.1Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in Los Angeles. Lithuanian Citizenship If your family was deported, imprisoned, or involved in resistance during the Soviet or Nazi occupations, the Lithuanian Special Archives holds KGB records, interior ministry files, and resistance documents that can prove both citizenship and forced departure.
Fees to Budget For
The Lithuanian state fee for examining a reinstatement application is €120.4Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania. Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania – State Fees If you file through a Lithuanian embassy or consulate in the United States instead of traveling to Lithuania, there is an additional $117 consular fee for receiving and transmitting the paperwork.5Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America. Consular Fees
The government fees are usually the smaller part of the cost. Certified translations of every foreign document, Apostilles from each relevant state, archive search fees in Lithuania, and certified copies of U.S. vital records can easily add up to more than the state fee, especially when your chain of descent covers three or four generations.
How to File Through MIGRIS
All reinstatement applications go through the Lithuanian Migration Information System (MIGRIS), the Migration Department’s online portal. Create an account at migracija.lt, fill out the application, and upload scanned copies of your supporting documents.6Migracijos departamentas. E-Migris – Electronic Migration Services
After you submit online, book an in-person appointment through the same system. The appointment can be at the Migration Department in Vilnius or at a Lithuanian embassy or consulate abroad.6Migracijos departamentas. E-Migris – Electronic Migration Services Bring the originals of every document you uploaded. The officer verifies each one against your digital submission, and any mismatch or missing item can delay the case for months.
Timeline and What Can Go Wrong
The Migration Department’s initial review period is up to three months, but the full process from submission through Presidential decree and oath realistically runs up to 12 months. Complicated cases with hard-to-verify or incomplete records take longer. During the review, the department may ask for additional documents or clarification through your MIGRIS account, so check the portal regularly.
If your application is denied, you can appeal to the Lithuanian Administrative Dispute Commission or the Regional Administrative Court in Vilnius within one month of receiving the denial.7Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York. Procedure for Appealing Decisions of Consular Officers Most denials come down to missing documents or an incomplete chain of proof, so the practical fix is usually to obtain the missing record and resubmit rather than fight the denial.
The Oath and Your Passport
Approval comes as a Presidential decree granting citizenship. You then have to take an oath of allegiance to the Republic of Lithuania within two years of the decree.8European Migration Network. Pathways to Citizenship for Third-Country Nationals in the Republic of Lithuania That deadline is hard: miss it and the grant does not take effect. The oath can be taken at the Migration Department in Lithuania or at a Lithuanian diplomatic mission abroad.
After the oath, you receive a Certificate of Lithuanian Citizenship, which lets you apply for a Lithuanian passport. As an EU passport, it gives you the right to live, work, and study in any European Union member state without a separate visa or work permit.