Restoration · Open
Lithuania citizenship by descent: who qualifies in 2026
Descendants of people who were citizens of the interwar Republic of Lithuania (before June 15, 1940) can reinstate citizenship and keep their US citizenship. The catch is proof: many families emigrated before 1918, when Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire.
- Route
- Reinstatement of Lithuanian citizenship
- How far back
- Unlimited, if the ancestor was a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania before June 15, 1940
- Language test
- No
- Dual citizenship
- Allowed for reinstatement when the ancestor left before March 11, 1990
- Government fee
- Check with the consulate
- Typical timeline
- The right-to-reinstate certificate: decision within 6 months; full process longer
The rules that decide eligibility
- Your ancestor must have held citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania before June 15, 1940. Lithuanian ethnicity alone is not enough.
- Ancestors who emigrated before Lithuania's 1918 independence often cannot show that they held Lithuanian citizenship. This is the most common reason claims fail.
- You apply online through the MIGRIS system, then bring the original documents to a consulate within 4 months of being invited to.
- Dual citizenship for reinstatement depends on the ancestor having left Lithuania before March 11, 1990.
What to watch
- Referendums to allow broader dual citizenship failed in 2019 and 2024 because turnout was too low.