Our legal services

 

Using our experience with foreigners and foreign companies we aim to provide a quality English-language introduction to Lithuanian laws.

Moreover, we offer our services:
*Private consultations on Lithuanian law.
*Establishing companies in Lithuania.
*Restoring Lithuanian nationality (including archive help).
*Litigation within Lithuania.
*Other legal procedures in Lithuanian institutions.


Contact us to order services


AUGUSTINAS ŽEMAITIS

augustinas.zemaitis@gmail.com

AISTĖ ŽEMAITIENĖ

aiste.zemaitiene@gmail.com


About us


Aistė Žemaitienė

E-mail: aiste.zemaitiene@gmail.com

Aistė Žemaitienė is a certified Lithuanian attorney able to represent her clients in all the Lithuanian institutions and courts of law. She specializes in citizenship law, residence law, civil law, and business law. An excellent speaker of English, she has a mostly foreign clientele from more than 30 countries. She is a member of the Lithuanian Bar Association. She has volunteered in numerous expeditions researching Lithuanian heritage abroad for the Encyclopedia of Lithuanian heritage abroad, helping her understand better the Lithuanian diaspora and migrant needs.

Aistė’s video explainers about the Lithuanian law:


 

Augustinas Žemaitis

augustinas.zemaitis@gmail.com

Augustinas Žemaitis is the founder and author of the largest English website about Lithuanian history and culture, as well as the Encyclopedia of Lithuanian heritage abroad. Augustinas is a certified guide in Lithuania and a Lithuanian archive researcher who is able to help clients trace their Lithuanian family histories. Augustinas has a Lithuanian Law University degree and, as a lawyer, specializes in citizenship, residence, intellectual property, and other spheres of law that foreigners often encounter in Lithuania. An avid traveler, he has visited over 110 countries, which helps him to understand clients of every culture better.

Some of Augustinas’s work about Lithuania and its law:


Clients’ comments


  • Citizenship Restoration Opinion

  42 Responses to “Our legal services”

  1. Hi there,
    I have a Lithuanian background and I am interested on getting the dual citizenship.
    What sort of documentation do you need and how much would the whole process costs?

    Best regards,

    • Hello,

      Generally, documents proving your forefathers’ relation to Lithuania and your descent from these forefathers are needed. Exact documentation may vary. Also, there are somewhat different legal paths if your forefathers were Lithuanian citizens and if they weren’t (but were still Lithuanians).

      As for the prices, they depend on the situation. There are several possibilities varying greatly in the amounts of legal and other work needed:

      a)Only a citizenship application will be needed (i.e. you already have the necessary documents).
      b)Additionally, archive search will be needed (i.e. you don’t have all the documents so we’d have to search them in Lithuanian archives).
      c)Additionally, translations into Lithuanian of some documents will be needed.
      d)Additionally, litigation will be needed (e.g. there are not enough documents even in the archives, so the fact that you are a descendent has to be established through courts; or the initial negative decision of Migration department has to be appealed).

      We will contact you by e-mail to know your situation better and then we could talk about the exact prices and ways to proceed in your case.

      • How long could someone go to jail for breech of contract

        • Im trying to find out that my friend went there to do a job and he just got taken to jail because he didnt fullfill his contract?

          • In Lithuania, it is impossible to go to jail for simply not fulfilling one’s contract. As such, I believe you don’t know the full story – i.e. what were the real crimes he was convicted for. Not knowing what are these crimes, it is impossible to tell how long is the sentence – you should ask your friend that.

            Also, if your friend is somebody you have just met online, and that person is requesting “help money” from you because of his misfortunes and claims he was imprisoned for not fulfilling a contract – it is most likely a scam. Such scams where somebody befriends somebody else (mostly) online and then a string of not-so-believable misfortunes start to happen (and the person is asking their online friend for money), are very common. Typically, all the misfortunes are invented and the person is often not even the person he/she claims to be.

  2. Are you still providing legal service to assist those of Lithuanian descent? I am interested in such service. My Mother’s family is from Lithuania as my Great grandfather migrated to USA In 1900. It is hard to document citizenship by passport as I haven’t found one as yet. I have researched USA records but I have issues when trying to obtain Lithuanian records. I imagine much has to do with the Anglican translations of names and phonetic spellings. I seek assistance in obtaining documents and status to be able to relocate to Lithuania. Thank you.

  3. My father and his family are of Lithuanian descent. My father was born in Troki in 1907 and left for South Africa in 1926. Can I forward you the available certificates in PDF by email to get some idea of what will be involved including approximate costs.

    Best regards

    Oscar Shub

    • Yes, you may send us the documents. In case he left in 1926, he likely had a Lithuanain citizenship and then you would be eligible to citizenship restoration with dual citizenship available.

  4. I am IT professional , working in multinational company in Pakistan and Dubai.
    married, with 2 kids.
    i just need the answer for following questions.

    01: what document do u require from me?
    02 : How long it will take ?
    03: what is the producer step by step?
    04: how much your fee?

  5. Hi there,

    Please can you email me a quote for dual Lithuanian citizenship, my great grandfather left Lithuania in the 1920 due to Jewish persecution. I don’t currently have his passport but I am actively searching for it. I may end up finding it or may require an archive search.

    Kind regards,
    Kayla

  6. Hello, just want to know what the prison time is for killing a person in Lithuania.

    • The time in “regular” cases is from 7 to 15 years.

      However, in case of certain victims (e.g. a child, a family member, a pregnant woman, multiple people), the ways of murder (e.g. after torture), the reasons for murder (e.g. ethnic hatred, for fun or for income) this is increased to “from 8 to 20 years or for life”.

      Also, there are reasons for which, often in certain combinations, a lower punishment may given than the specified 7 or 8 years. That includes, for example, if the criminal has willingly confessed, if the criminal feels having acted wrong, if the criminal has helped the police, if the criminal is supporting sick people or children, if the murdered person has attacked the killed.

  7. Hello,
    I want to know if a person can perform managerial role for two Lithuanian companies at the same time?
    I mean a person is not limited to register two companies?

    • A person can work (including in managerial role) in any amount of Lithuanian companies. However, limitations are often put in by employment contracts (i.e. one could not also work for a competitor) and the labor code limits the total number of hours the person could work in all his/her jobs combined.

  8. Dears,

    I am seeking Residence Permit in Lithuania on grounds of Company & Property.

    1. I need information on prices of apartments. I checked on your website that it is around 5000 Euros. So i need to actually know whats the procedure to buy and how to actually buy a company.

    2. What will be the process to obtain visa ? is it going to be a schengen visa innitially or directly a european visa ? as schengen visas are a bit tight currently.

    3. How can i register a company and what will be the price for it ? including taxes.

    4. The EU CARD will be for how many years ? including taxes per year. i need the cost.

    5. Please let me know what is the solution for dependants (wife and kids) and what will be the cost for obtaining their visas/ EU CARDS.

    6. Can i have a business partner ? can two people have shared ownership of the company and what will be the charges ? Please let me know.

    As we have short span of time. so i require all the details urgently . Please contact me with all the neccessary details and information as soon as possible. so i can make up my mind and i can apply for the startup of process through you.

    I hope to hear good news from you promptly.

    Regards

    Faraz

    • There are many questions and many things which you ask may be achieved in various ways, depending on one’s needs and situation. It also may be that, depending on such needs, Lithuania would turn out not to be the best destination for this. We should contact about this by e-mail.

  9. Hello:

    My great grandfather (for whom I am named) fled Lithuania in 1900 (before it was a Republic) and came to America (becoming a US Citizen in 1906). I am very interested in becoming a Lithuanian citizen. Is it still possible since he never had a Lithuanian passport since there was no official Lithuania prior to 1918? I have some of his US documentation like US citizenship papers and I think Ellis Island records. His parents remained in Lithuania so they might have become citizens.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thank you in advance!!

    Adam White

    • Yes, it is possible he never became a Lithuanian citizen. If this would be the case, only a single citizenship would be possible (i.e. you could become a Lithuanian citizen only after renouncing American citizenship if you’d be able to prove one of your grandparents were Lithuanians; as an alternative, in such case, the certificate of Lithuanian descent or residence permit by ancestry would be possible).

  10. Hi Augustinas,

    My great grandfather was born in Kovno (Kaunas) in 1892. We do not have his birth certificate or passport yet (to be requested from State Archives). We do not know why he left, but according to the documents from Russian archives, he lived in Tambov oblast’ in 1922 already. Could you please advise what documents we do need to apply for a Lithuanian citizenship. Is it possible to get a dual citizenship in this situation (to keep a Russian one). Does your company help with collecting Archives documents?
    Thank you.

    Regards,
    Irina

    • a)Yes, our company helps with collecting archive documents.
      b)Dual citizenship is only possible for those whose ancestors had Lithuanian citizenship. If your great-grandfather received it before he left Lithuania, or was considered a citizen automatically, and retained that citizenship until 1940, it would be possible. Such situation would be likely only if he left in the 1920s or 1910s, especially late 1910s.
      c)Single citizenship, residence permit, etc. is possible in some more cases and is more related to Lithuanian heritage than Lithuanian citizenship of the ancestors.

  11. can i submit a request which does not appear on the website.
    I have in my time been a public figure, I would prefer anonimity.

  12. Hi, I was born in Vilnius in 1959, immigrated to Israel in 1971 with my mother, father died in Vilnius in 1966.
    Can i get a Lithuanian citizenship and am i eligible for dual citizenship? Thank you.

    • Hi. You could get it if your parents, grandparents or great grandparents (or at least one of them) were citizens of Lithuania. As you know, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. If your family lived in Lithuania prior to the occupation date, they were most likely citizens and you could restore citizenship as well.

      If, however, for example, the family moved in to Lithuania in 1950 (while Lithuania was under occupation) and never lived there before, they would have been considered illegal settlers according to the international law (the Soviet regime generally sent in various non-Lithuanian people to live in Lithuania and other states in order to dilute the local ethnic majority there and establish Russian as a lingua franca).

      In such a case, they wouldn’t have been citizens and then you wouldn’t be entitled to citizenship either. In 1990, Lithuania offered citizenship to the settlers as well as it restored independence – however, to get this citizenship, one had to still be living in Lithuania by 1990 and decide to choose Lithuanian citizenship instead of other possible citizenships (e.g. Russian).

  13. Augustinas, thank you for your response and the information provided.
    I would like to know if there are any options that one has, being born in LT, provided that the parents/grandparents were not citizens of Lithuania prior to 1940. I don’t have that information.

    • There aren’t such options unless he would have taken Lithuanian citizenship after 1990 and then lost it, in which case there are possibilities through a Return of citizenship procedure.

  14. Hello Augustinas,

    I am interested in applying for a Certificate of Descent in Lithuania but am unsure whether I would qualify. From my research, I know that my great-great-grandfather was born in Krikatonys, Lithuania around 1872 and immigrated to the US in 1896. From there, my family has lived continually in the US. I have several important records documenting his arrival in the US (ship records, arrival papers, and naturalization document) but have almost nothing regarding his life in Lithuania.

    I’m aware that this connection might be too thin for a full application for citizenship, but do you think that I would have a chance to apply for this certificate or some other form of documentation that would at least allow me to pursue permanent residence in Lithuania?

    Thanks in advance!

    • Unfortunately, such a connection is indeed quite thin.

      Certificate of Lithuanian descent requires you to prove that your grandparent was a Lithuanian. The word “Lithuanian” is not well defined in this case, so various proofs could be logical – proofs that he/she spoke Lithuanian, attended a Lithuanian church, participated in diaspora activities and so on. It is not clear how many proofs are needed. The hardship here is that your grandparent would have already been a grandchild of the Lithuanian immigrant and, unless there were far more Lithuanians among his/her grandparents, it would have been very unlikely for him/her to consider himself/herself a Lithuanian or adhere to Lithuanian cultural practices to such extent that anything from that could still be proven.

      An alternative (but not less difficult way) is a Certificate of Right to Restore Citizenship, granting similar rights. It would require you to prove that your great grandparent (not great-great-grandparent) would have been automatically considered a citizen in 1918 after Lithuanian independence. For some people who had job in Lithuania before emigrating or real estate it was logical but, once again, as he emigrated so long before the independence, it would be even more difficult than the first way.

  15. Hello,

    Hope you can help. I have a friend from vilnius and who lives there. She lives with another person in an apartment that she owns and pays a mortgage. The issue she is having is that the other person does not pay for rent and now refuses to leave. They used to be in a relationship but no longer are. She needs help but does not fully understand what the law says about this in Lithuania. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    • If the person is not registered at the place and just stayed there, and he causes trouble, she could call the police to evict him. In case there is some official reason for him to live there (e.g. he is a co-signer of a rental agreement) and he causes no troubles other than being late at paying rent, then a court of law action may be needed to evict him.

  16. Hello, I woud like to get a lithuanian citizenship, I actually got the death certificate of my great grandparents, the birth certificates were lost, I’ve looked up on several websites and found they came by ship, I’ve got the ship name, harbor name, place of birth, age and date of arrival, I would like to get every document needed to claim the citizenship for my dad and me, can you help me out on this? Greetings from Argentina.

  17. I am seeking to obtain Lithuanian citizenship based on the fact that my father was born there,
    I am south African and I am having difficulty obtaining a copy of my birth certificate.
    I need some legal advice and would appreciate it if you could call me to discuss the possibilities of instructing your firm.
    I did want to call you but I dont see your telephone number,
    I look forward to hearing from you

  18. Sveiki, I sent an email regarding help with Lithuanian certificate of descent. I am really hoping to become a citizen one day and relinquish my American citizenship. It was my great great grandparents who were born and lived in Lithuania until emigrating to the US in I believe 1902 according to an immigration document I have found. My grandpa and great grandpa were both us citizens. I know it might be difficult to prove they were Lithuanian but is it still possible? And would I still be able to receive the certificate or become a citizen and move there one day?

  19. Hello,

    I’m interested in applying for Lithuanian citizenship (while keeping my Canadian citizenship) and wonder if the paperwork I have in my possession is adequate enough.
    My father came to Canada as a refugee after WW II, and according to the Identity Card for Displaced Persons issued in 1948, he was a citizen of Lithuania. The second piece of paperwork is a Certificate for the Purpose of Emigration to Canada, (Preparatory Commission International Refugee Organisation.)

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