Lithuanian citizenship by repatriation

Legal basis

The Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania gives the right to restore citizenship to people who were citizens of Lithuania before 15 June 1940 and to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. What matters is citizenship of the pre-war Republic of Lithuania, not just birth or residence on its territory.

Who can apply

• Descendants of Lithuanian citizens before 15 June 1940, up to the third generation.
• Descendants of people exiled, deported or imprisoned during the occupation.
• Descendants of Lithuanian Jews who fled the Holocaust and other persecution.
• Separately, people of Lithuanian descent: if at least one parent or grandparent was ethnically Lithuanian, you can obtain a certificate of Lithuanian descent.

Who will not qualify

• The ancestor lived in the Vilnius region in 1920-1939: it was then Polish territory, and most residents were Polish citizens, not Lithuanian.
• The ancestor was born in Lithuania in the Soviet period.
• The ancestor was a Lithuanian citizen, but the link cannot be proven with documents.

When you can keep your first citizenship

Lithuania allows dual citizenship only in the cases listed in the law. On restoration, it is kept only in exceptional cases:

• The ancestor was exiled - deported, imprisoned or sent to forced labour during the occupation. Descendants down to great-grandchildren keep their citizenship.
• The ancestor left Lithuania before 11 March 1990, but not for the territory of the Soviet Union after 15 June 1940. For example, they emigrated to the US, Argentina or Brazil in the 1920s-1930s or fled west during the war.

If the ancestor moved voluntarily to another Soviet republic after 1940, for example to Russia, the exception does not apply. You can restore citizenship, but you will have to give up the first one.

The 2019 and 2024 referendums on wider dual citizenship failed: 73-74% of voters said yes, but turnout fell short of half the electorate. So the rules are unchanged in 2026.

The Lithuanian descent route

If your ancestor was not a citizen of pre-war Lithuania but was ethnically Lithuanian, a certificate of Lithuanian descent fits. The Migration Department issues it if at least one parent or grandparent was Lithuanian and you consider yourself Lithuanian.

• The certificate gives the right to a residence permit in Lithuania without other grounds, work or study.
• It opens citizenship by a simplified procedure, without a residence period.
• Dual citizenship is kept only under the same exceptions as for restoration.
• The ancestor's ethnicity is proven by parish records, Soviet passports, military records, questionnaires.

This route suits people whose ancestor's documents state Lithuanian nationality but who have no pre-war Lithuanian passport.

How to find your ancestor's documents

1. Collect family papers - old passports, military records, employment books, letters, inscribed photos. Exact name, year and place of birth matter.
2. Pin down where they lived before 1940. This decides which archive and district to search, and whether it was Polish territory.
3. Request Lithuanian archives. Pre-war passports and resident cards are in the central archive, parish records in the historical one. Requests can be sent by post or through a representative.
4. Rebuild the chain of generations through civil registries: birth certificates of parents and grandparents, marriages and name changes.
5. Check discrepancies. Different spellings of a surname in Lithuanian, Polish and Russian are a frequent reason for queries. We prepare explanations or a court ruling establishing the fact.

A search without exact data can take several months, so we start it before collecting the other documents.

What it costs in 2026

Dollar amounts use the market rate of 20 October 2026, 1.1229 dollars per euro, rounded up.

• Application fee - around $135 (120 euros).
• Archive certificates in Lithuania - from a few dozen euros each; searches without exact data cost more.
• Civil registry and archive certificates in your country - at local rates.
• Apostilles - for each document issued abroad.
• Translation into Lithuanian - of each document, certified.
• Passport or ID card - a few dozen euros each, more for urgent issue.
• Our support - quoted after a consultation, depending on the archive search and number of applicants.

We work out the total for your family in the chat.

Compare with all programs: second passport cost in 2026

Documents and where to get them

• Proof of the ancestor's citizenship before 15 June 1940 - a pre-war Lithuanian passport, resident card, military record, census documents. We search the Lithuanian Central State Archives and the Lithuanian State Historical Archives.
• Parish records of the ancestor's birth and marriage, kept in Lithuanian historical archives.
• Birth and marriage certificates along the whole chain from the ancestor to you, from civil registries, with duplicates if lost. Apostille required.
• Proof of departure or deportation - to keep your first citizenship: deportation certificates, emigration papers, passenger lists.
• Applicant's passport and photo.
• Police certificate - if requested, from your countries of citizenship and residence.
• Translations into Lithuanian of all documents in other languages.

If surnames changed or records conflict, you need extra documents on the name change or a court ruling establishing the fact.

Requirements and how to get approved

• The ancestor was not a Lithuanian citizen - lived on the territory but citizenship is not proven, or lived in the Vilnius region under Polish rule.
• A gap in the document chain - a certificate for one generation is missing, names and dates conflict.
• The ancestor moved to the USSR after 1940, while the applicant expects to keep the first citizenship.
• A security threat - based on intelligence, police and international databases. Russian and Belarusian citizens are checked for longer.
• Documents without an apostille or translation.

Taxes

Citizenship itself creates no tax: Lithuania taxes its tax residents, not all citizens. You become resident by spending 183 days a year in Lithuania or having your centre of vital interests there.

• Personal income tax from 2026 - 20% on annual income up to $93,500 (83,237 euros), 25% up to $156,000 (138,729 euros) and 32% above.
• Dividends - 15%.
• The double tax treaty with Russia has not applied since 1 January 2026.

More in Lithuanian taxes.

What changes in 2026

• Dual citizenship remains limited to the exceptions: the 2024 referendum failed on turnout.
• Since 2023 Russian and Belarusian citizens do not get Lithuanian visas or residence permits on general grounds, but these restrictions do not apply to people of Lithuanian descent or to restoration of citizenship.
• Security checks for Russian and Belarusian citizens take longer, with no official deadline.
• From 2026 new income tax rates apply, and the tax treaty with Russia no longer applies.

The applicant's family

Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of a Lithuanian citizen each file their own application if they have their own right. Minor children are included at their parents' request. A spouse without Lithuanian roots gets a residence permit through family reunification and citizenship under the general naturalisation rules, with language and constitution exams.

What a Lithuanian passport gives you

• Living and working in any European Union country, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, without visas or permits.
• Study at European universities on European Union citizen terms, often free or discounted.
• Consular protection from any European Union country abroad if there is no Lithuanian consulate nearby.
• Citizenship for children. Children of a Lithuanian citizen are citizens by birth wherever they are born.
• Banking and business. Accounts, companies and investments in the European Union with fewer extra checks than foreigners face.
• Pension and healthcare under the rules of the European Union country where you live and pay contributions.

For Russian citizens a Lithuanian passport is especially valuable: it removes visa restrictions and makes banking in Europe easier.

Alternatives to compare

• Latvian citizenship by repatriation - a similar route for descendants of pre-war Latvian citizens.
• Greek citizenship by descent - for descendants of Greeks, also a European Union passport.
• Bulgarian citizenship by descent - for people of Bulgarian origin.

How we work

1. We review your family history and decide whether you can keep your first citizenship.
2. We search the archives in Lithuania and your country.
3. We prepare apostilles, translations and the application.
4. We file the documents and answer Migration Department requests.
5. We help with the passport and a residence permit for your spouse.

We fix our fee in writing after a consultation.

Benefits of Lithuanian citizenship

How to get citizenship: step by step

FAQ

186 visa-free countries with a Lithuanian passport