Update

As a general rule, a person holding citizenship of another state and wishing to acquire the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania by way of its restoration, must first renounce its citizenship of that another state. However, laws of the Republic of Lithuania provide for exceptions to this rule when dual citizenship is allowed. 

As provided for in Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article 7 of the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, a citizen of Lithuania may also be a citizen of another state if:

1. A person was exiled from the occupied Republic of Lithuania before 1990 March 11; or

2. A person left Lithuania before 11 March 1990 (except for persons who left the territory of Lithuania and moved to the territory of the former Soviet Union); or

3. A person is a descendant of any of the abovementioned persons.

A person who seeks to acquire citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania by way of restoration while also maintaining nationality of another state must pay special attention to the following:

Application requirements:

1. An application for the restoration of citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania must be filled in a special form as approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 3 April 2013 "Approval of the Description of Rules of Preparing the Documents for Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania " No. 280, Annex No. 1.

2. An application must be submitted in the national language of the Republic of Lithuania.

List of the documents to be submitted with application:

1. Identity document.

2. Documents proving that a person held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940 or he / she is the descendant of a person who held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940, i.e.:

• Internal or foreign Lithuanian passports issued before15 June 1940;
• Foreign Lithuanian passports issued by Lithuanian diplomatic representations and consular offices after 15 June 1940;
• Documents verifying person’s service to Lithuanian Armed Forces or work in the public service;
• Birth certificates or other documents directly indicating that a person held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania;
• Personal identity cards issued before 15 June 1940 in the Republic of Lithuania or personal identity cards issued in accordance with the documents issued before 15 June 1940;
• In the absence of above-mentioned documents, documents related to person’s studies, work, living in Lithuania before 15 June 1940 should be submitted, as well as a passport issued by authorities of a foreign country and other documents.

3. Documents confirming the change of name if this personal data has been changed.

4. Documents proving that at least one of the following conditions are met:

• the applicant is a person exiled from the occupied Republic of Lithuania before 1990 March 11; or
• the applicant is a person who left Lithuania before 11 March 1990; or
• the applicant is the descendant of any of the abovementioned persons.

Requirements for documents that must be submitted with an application form:

1. If documents that must be submitted with an application form are not written in Lithuanian, they must be accompanied by a translation. This requirement does not apply to applicant’s travel documents (a passport or other travel document).

2. If the applicant submits copies of documents, their authenticity must be certified by a notary public.

3. If documents that must be submitted with an application form are issued by foreign states, they must be legalized or certified with an Apostille, unless such requirement is abolished by legal acts of EU or international treaties. 

Therefore, if a person satisfies all requirements for the restoration of citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania and at least one of the conditions provided for in Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 of Article 7 of the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, and submits proper documents proving the same, such person may not only acquire citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, but also maintain the citizenship of another foreign state, i.e. acquire dual citizenship.

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