Reinstatement of Citizenship (Atkurimas) - the Article 9 institute / Article 38 procedure

LT-RIN-01 documents the Reinstatement of Citizenship (Atkurimas) institute itself — the Article 9 institute / Article 38 procedure — as distinct from the ancestry-eligibility client journeys that run through it (LT-DSC-01 pre-1940 descent; LT-HIS-01/02/03 historical cohorts). Reinstatement (atkurimas) under Article 9 of Law XI-1196 (2024-01-01 edition) is the operative INSTITUTE through which the pre-1940-descent corridor is exercised. Persons who held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940 and their descendants to the great-grandchild generation (Art 2(7)), who had not acquired Lithuanian citizenship before 2011-04-01, have an INDEFINITE, once-only (Art 9(4)) right to reinstate, irrespective of country of permanent residence. No residence requirement, no state-language examination, no Constitution-fundamentals examination. The Minister of the Interior decides (Art 32(2) power; Art 38 procedure); the Article 23 oath of allegiance does NOT apply to reinstatement. Dual citizenship is conferred ONLY where the applicant also satisfies an Article 7(2), (3) or (4) ground; otherwise Art 9(2) requires the applicant not to hold, or to renounce, the foreign citizenship. Art 9(3) applies the Article 22(1)-(2) disqualification bars ONLY (not Art 22(3)-(4)). Distinguished from: LT-RST-01 (restoration/grazinimas, Art 21 — a DIFFERENT institute: President by decree, oath required); the continuity-recognition doctrine (pripazinimas — the doctrinal backdrop, NOT the procedure name). As of 2026-05-31. [, ]

Eligibility criteria for LT-RIN-01 (the reinstatement institute): RIN-EL-1 (PRE-1940 HOLDING ROOT): the applicant personally held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before 15 June 1940 (at any time within 1918-02-16 to 1940-06-15), OR is a descendant (Art 2(7): child, grandchild or great-grandchild) of a person who so held it. Mandatory. [, ] RIN-EL-2 (NOT ALREADY ACQUIRED POST-2011): the applicant had not acquired citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before 2011-04-01. Mandatory. RIN-EL-3 (NO RESIDENCE/LANGUAGE/CONSTITUTION CONDITIONS): there is NO requirement of legal permanent residence in Lithuania, NO state-language (CEFR) examination, and NO Constitution-fundamentals examination — the right exists irrespective of the applicant's country of permanent residence (Art 9(1) express 'irrespective of.. permanently resident'). RIN-EL-4 (DUAL-CITIZENSHIP CONDITION): reinstatement is available to a person who is NOT a citizen of another state, OR who is willing to renounce the other citizenship. The renunciation requirement is WAIVED (dual citizenship permitted) ONLY where the applicant qualifies under Art 7(2) (exiled before 11 March 1990), Art 7(3) (left/fled before 11 March 1990 with permanent residence outside Lithuania), or Art 7(4) (descendant). This is the DOUBLE-DATE gate: pre-15-Jun-1940 holding (eligibility) PLUS pre-11-Mar-1990 exile/flight (dual key). [, ] RIN-EL-5 (NO DISQUALIFICATION BAR): Art 22(1)-(2) ONLY (not Art 22(3)-(4)) via Art 9(3). Mandatory. [, ] RIN-EL-6 (ONCE-ONLY): may be exercised once; Art 9(4). Mandatory.

Document requirements for LT-RIN-01 (the reinstatement institute): (1) Application for reinstatement of citizenship (completed in Lithuanian or English via MIGRIS), addressed to the Minister of the Interior. [, ] (2) Valid identity/travel document (national passport). (3) Document(s) certifying the root person held Lithuanian citizenship before 15 June 1940 — one or more of: (i) LT internal/travel passports issued before 15 June 1940; (ii) foreign passports issued after 15 June 1940 by LT diplomatic missions; (iii) military/civil-service records referencing citizenship; (iv) period birth certificates or other documents directly referencing Lithuanian citizenship; (v) personal certificates issued before 1940 in Lithuania (or on the basis of pre-1940 documents); supplementary studies/work/life records may support where primary evidence is unavailable. [, ] (4) Documents proving the kinship chain through each generation linking applicant to the pre-1940 holder (birth/marriage certificates for each link). (5) Documents evidencing name/surname changes across the chain, where transliteration or marriage changed the name. (6) Evidence of an Art 7(2)/(3)/(4) ground (exile/flight before 11 March 1990 + descent), where the applicant seeks reinstatement WITHOUT renouncing the foreign citizenship. [, ] (7) Two passport photographs; legalisation/Apostille and certified Lithuanian translation of foreign documents. [, ]

LT-RIN-01 procedure (Art 38 reinstatement track): Step 1 — Collect documents: prove the pre-1940 root holding and the full kinship chain; obtain legalisation/Apostille and certified Lithuanian translations. [, ] Step 2 — (Optional but common) Apply for the 'certificate of the right to reinstate citizenship' (teise atkurti pilietybe patvirtinantis pazymejimas). It is issued for an UNLIMITED period and confirms eligibility, allowing the holder to apply for reinstatement at any time. Application is filed in person (not via a representative; parents may file for minors); decision within 6 months. [, ] Step 3 — File the reinstatement application via MIGRIS (Lithuanian or English), addressed to the Minister of the Interior, through the Migration Department or a consular post; submit physical originals within 4 months. [, ] Step 4 — Migration Department examines the file; if documents/data suffice, it provides an 'offering' (teikimas) to the Minister of the Interior within 5 months of receipt. Step 5 — Minister of the Interior decides on reinstatement (or non-reinstatement) within 1 month of receiving the offering. NO oath is taken (Art 23 excludes reinstatement). [, ] Step 6 — On a positive decision, where the applicant holds a foreign citizenship and does NOT qualify for an Art 7(2)/(3)/(4) dual ground, they must not hold/must renounce it; otherwise dual citizenship is retained. Lithuanian passport issued. Refusal: appealable to Vilnius Regional Administrative Court (Art 29(5), XIV-1602, in force 2024-01-01).

TIMELINE for LT-RIN-01: Statutory ceiling: a decision on reinstatement shall be passed no later than 6 months after the Migration Department/consular post receives the application. Administrative split (from migration.lt 'Restoration of Lithuanian Citizenship in 2024', retrieved 2026-05-31): the Migration Department, within 5 months of receiving the application/documents, provides an 'offering' (teikimas) to the Minister of the Interior; the Minister, within 1 month of receiving that offering, decides. PRACTICAL DURATION: the official Migration Department reinstatement page states the process 'may last for about 6-12 months and even longer in certain cases' — typically approximately 9-12 months once genealogical reconstruction and archive retrieval are factored in. The 6-month statutory ceiling is the controlling deadline for the Migration-Department-to-Minister decision; the 6-12-months-and-longer band is the real-world expectation driven by document-completeness/genealogy complexity. Physical original documents must reach the Migration Department within 4 months of MIGRIS submission. [, ] COST: State fee (valstybes rinkliava) for reinstatement: EUR 120.00. Certificate of the right to reinstate: EUR 50.00; certificate change EUR 25.00. RESOLVED 2026-05-31 against the official Migration Department fee table 'New Fees of the Migration Department as of 28 July 2023' (T1; Gov Res Nr. 597/2023, in force 2023-07-28). [, ]

Primary institute article: Law XI-1196 (2024-01-01), Article 9 (Reinstatement of Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania). Art 9(1) verbatim (EN render TAIS.395555, retrieved 2026-05-31): 'Persons who held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before 15 June 1940 and their descendants, who have not acquired citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before the entry into force of this Law, shall have an indefinite right to reinstate citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, irrespective of whether they are permanently resident in the Republic of Lithuania or in any other state.' Art 9(2) verbatim: 'Persons referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article may reinstate citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, provided they are not citizens of another state. The requirement to renounce citizenship of another state shall not apply to persons who, pursuant to subparagraph 2, 3 or 4 of Article 7 of this Law, may be citizens of both the Republic of Lithuania and another state at the same time.' Art 9(3) verbatim: 'Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania shall not be reinstated if there are any circumstances specified in subparagraph 1 or 2 of Article 22 of this Law.' Procedure article: Art 38 + Art 32(2) (Minister decides) + Art 37(2) (filing channels). Descendant scope: Art 2(7). Continuity basis: Art 3(1) + KT 2006-11-13 byla Nr. 45/03-36/04. Dual cross-reference: Art 9(2) -> Art 7(2)/(3)/(4); Art 2(3) USSR carve-out. Oath exclusion: Art 23 oath does NOT apply to reinstatement. Sub-instruments: Gov Res 280/2013 as amended by 761/2021 (MIGRIS); Gov Res Nr. 597/2023 (fee schedule). Lithuania NON-party to ECN (CETS 166), ETS 043, CETS 200. [, ]