Citizenship Restoration (Reinstatement)

To qualify for restoration, you must prove a direct bloodline to an ancestor who held Lithuanian citizenship during the interwar period.

• Ancestry: You must be the child, grandchild, or great-grandchild (up to the 3rd generation) of a person who was a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania between February 16, 1918, and June 15, 1940.
• The 1940 Threshold: Your ancestor must have held citizenship specifically before the Soviet occupation began on June 15, 1940. If your ancestor left the territory of Lithuania before 1918 (the date of modern independence), they were technically citizens of the Russian Empire, and you generally do not qualify for this specific pathway.
• Dual Citizenship Eligibility: You can only keep your current citizenship (dual nationality) if your ancestor meets one of these "Departure" criteria:
  • Exiles: The ancestor was forcibly deported from Lithuania during the occupations (1940–1990).
  • Departed Persons: The ancestor left Lithuania before March 11, 1990, and settled in another country.
• Post-1990 Departure: If your ancestor left Lithuania after March 11, 1990, you may still restore your citizenship, but you will generally be required to renounce your current citizenship unless you qualify under very narrow exceptions (such as being a victim of persecution).