If your husband or wife is a citizen of Lithuania and you are a citizen of a foreign state, you may obtain a Temporary Residence Permit or a Permanent Residence Permit for Lithuania. In addition, you may acquire the citizenship of Lithuania after 7 years of permanent residence in Lithuania with your husband (wife). A Temporary Residence Permit is issued for a period of 1 year and shall be renewed annually. After 5 years of permanent residence in Lithuania or in some other cases, a person may apply for a Permanent Residence Permit and after 7 years – for granting the citizenship of Lithuania.
An alien whose spouse is a citizen of Lithuania may apply for issue a Temporary Residence Permit, if he (she) plans residing with the spouse in Lithuania. The principal conditions to be satisfied before applying for issue a Temporary Residence Permit in Lithuania include: registration of the marriage, declaration of the spouse that his/her place of residence is in Lithuania, having sufficient means of subsistence, and having a dwelling-place.
Prior to applying for issue a Temporary Residence Permit, your husband or wife (who is a citizen of Lithuania) shall declare his (her) address of permanent residence in Lithuania. Usually, such a declaration is provided at the administration of the territory where the applicant plans declaring his (her) address of residence in Lithuania. Alternatively, a declaration on the address of residence may be provided at another municipal subdivision or by internet.
A marriage of an alien with a citizen of Lithuania should be legally registered. If the marriage was registered in a foreign state, the certifying document shall be translated into Lithuanian; in addition, it shall be legalized or certified by an Apostille, unless otherwise is provided by international treaties of Lithuania or legal norms of the European Union.
The alien having registered a marriage with a citizen of Lithuania should have sufficient means of subsistence in Lithuania. The minimum means of subsistence should be equal to the minimum monthly wage in Lithuania approved by the Government. The submitted documents should attest that the person has sufficient means of subsistence for the next 12 months.
In addition, a person shall provide documents certifying that his (her) family has a dwelling-place. According to the provisions of legal norms of Lithuania, person should have living space of at least 7 sq m. The flat, the house or the room may be a property of the family or possessed by it on the base of rent, gratuitous use or otherwise. If the flat, the house or the room where the spouses plan declaring their place of residence are owned by another person, an approval of such a person for declaring their place of residence there is required; alternatively, a contract on lease or gratuitous use of the real estate should be registered in the Real Estate Register.
After collection of documents required for issue a Temporary Residence Permit, the alien, shall apply to a Migration Service or a diplomatic mission a consular institution of Lithuania in a foreign state.
The documents to be submitted on applying for issue a Temporary Residence Permit on the base of the family reunification:
Documents issued by institutions of foreign states shall be translated into Lithuanian. They shall be certified by Apostille or legalized, unless otherwise is provided by international treaties of Lithuania or legal norms of the European Union.
The application and the enclosed documents shall be submitted to the Migration Department. It shall examine them and pass a decision within 2 months (on an urgent basis) or within 4 months (according to the usual procedure).
When the decision on issue a Temporary Residence Permit in Lithuania to the spouse of a citizen of Lithuania is passed, the latter shall apply for issue a Temporary Residence Permit in Lithuania (a card) to the spouse. In such a case, the application and the enclosed documents shall be submitted to a Migration Service. The card shall be produced within up to 5-10 workdays. After the execution of the Temporary Residence in Lithuania, the person shall declare the address of his (her) residence in Lithuania.
A Permanent Residence Permit in Lithuania may be issued to an alien who is a spouse of a citizen of Lithuania, if the alien came from a foreign state together with the spouse for residing in Lithuania. In such a case, additional evidences of residence with the spouse (who is an alien) in a foreign state prior to coming to Lithuania should be provided. A Permanent Residence Permit in Lithuania may be issued to an alien whose spouse is a citizen of Lithuania also after 5-year residence of Lithuania.
A person should apply for issue a Permanent Residence Permit in Lithuania on the base of family reunification to a Migration Service or the Migration Department in Lithuania.
The documents to be submitted on applying for a Permanent Residence Permit in Lithuania include:
The application and the submitted documents shall be examined within 4 months (according to the usual procedure) or within 2 months (on an urgent basis) from the date of their reception by the Migration Department.
When the decision on issue a Permanent Residence Permit in Lithuania is passed, the person shall apply for the Permit (card) to the Migration Service. The card shall be produced within up to 5-10 workdays.