Path to citizenship
- Apply180-365 days
- Citizenshipgranted
Overview
- Country
- Lithuania
- Program
- Lithuanian Citizenship Restoration (Pre-1940 Descendants)
- Local name
- Lietuvos Pilietybės Atkūrimas
- Type
- Citizenship Restoration
- Status
- Active
- Processing time
- 180-365 days
- Dual citizenship
- Allowed
- Visa-free countries
- 181 destinations
- Passport rank
- #10 (Henley Index)
Restoration of Lithuanian citizenship for persons who held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before June 15, 1940 (Soviet occupation), and their descendants up to three generations. The right to restore citizenship is indefinite (no deadline). Dual citizenship is permitted for descendants who qualify through this route. No language, residency, or civics test required.
Fees and costs
- Application fee
- $130
- Passport fee
- $50
Eligibility and requirements
- Police clearance not required
- Medical exam not required
- Oath required
Ancestry requirements
- Generational limit
- 3 generation(s)
- Ancestor citizenship
- Must have been citizen
Family
- Dependents
- Allowed
- Spouse
- Not included
- Max child age
- 18
Passport and mobility
- Passport rank
- #10 (Henley Index)
- Visa-free access
- 181 countries
- Passport validity
- 10 years
- EU citizenship
- Yes
- Schengen access
- Yes
- US E-2 treaty
- Yes — eligible for US investor visa
How to apply
- Method
- Both
- Apply from abroad
- Yes
- Application type
- Open
- Official website
- migracija.lrv.lt
- Legal basis
- Republic of Lithuania Law on Citizenship (Lietuvos Respublikos pilietybės įstatymas), Article 9
Notes and caveats
This is a RESTORATION (not acquisition) of citizenship — Lithuania considers the Soviet occupation illegal, so pre-1940 citizenship rights were never legally extinguished. The right to restore is indefinite (no deadline) but limited to descendants within three generations (parent, grandparent, great-grandparent). Dual citizenship is specifically permitted for qualifying pre-1940 citizen descendants and exiles, with important exceptions for ancestors who left to former Soviet territory after June 15, 1940. Processing takes 6-12 months depending on document complexity. Lithuanian archives (LCVA) may help locate ancestral records.