REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
LAW
ON THE LEGAL STATUS OF FOREIGNERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
CHAPTER 1
1. General provisions
Article 1. In the Republic of Lithuania, persons possessing
citizenship or any foreign state, as well as stateless persons
shall be qualified as foreigners.
Article 2. The legal status of foreigners in the Republic of
Lithuania shall be established by this and other laws of the
Republic of Lithuania.
Issues concerning legal status of citizens with foreign
citizenship may also be regulated by international agreements of
the Republic of Lithuania with foreign states, the citizens of
which they are.
Article 3. Foreigners in the Republic of Lithuania shall
enjoy the same rights and freedoms as citizens of the Republic of
Lithuania unless the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania,
this and other laws or the Republic of Lithuania as well as
international agreements of the Republic of Lithuania provide
otherwise.
Foreigners in the Republic of Lithuania are equal before
laws regardless of their race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other convictions, national or social origin,
property, birth or any others status.
In the Republic of Lithuania, foreigners, while exercising
their rights and freedoms, must not carry out activities
detrimental to the interests of the Republic of Lithuania, rights
or legitimate interests of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania,
or of other persons.
Article 4. The provisions of this law shall be applied with
regard to citizens of foreign states upon a basis of reciprocity.
When in becomes evident that another state restricts or violates
universally recognized norms of legal status of foreigners with
regard to citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, the Government
of the Republic of Lithuania may establish reciprocations of
rights and freedoms of foreigners of that state, who are staying
in the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 5. Foreigners, staying in the Republic of Lithuania,
must respect and observe the Constitution and laws of the
Republic of Lithuania. They must also respect customs and
traditions of the Lithuania nation and other national minorities
residing in Lithuania.
Article 6. Foreigners may reside permanently in Lithuania if
they have a residence permit issued by the Ministry or Internal
Affairs or the Republic of Lithuania and a document of identity.
A permit for permanent residence in the Republic of
Lithuania shall beissued if a foreigner:
1) is an immediate relative of a citizen of the Republic of
Lithuania;
2) is a dependant of a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania;
3) maintains a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania;
4) is married to a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania;
5) has a legal of support in the Republic of Lithuania;
6) in other cases established by law of the Republic of
Lithuania.
The provisions of Paragraph 2 of this Article shall not be
applicable to persons who up to the date of entry into force of
this law have been permanent residents in the Republic of
Lithuania and have nos acquired the citizenship of the Republic
of Lithuania under the 1989 Law on Citizenship of the Republic of
Lithuania. Such persons shall be qualified as foreigners
permanently residing in the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 7. Foreigners who are in the Republic of Lithuania
on the basis other that specified in Article 6 of this law, shall
be qualified as foreigners temporary residing in the Republic of
Lithuania. They must register their passport or another
equivalent document in the established manner, and depart from
the Republic of Lithuania after the period of validity of a visa
of the Republic of Lithuania and a residence permit has expired.
CHAPTER 2
Basic Rights, Freedoms, and Duties of Foreigners Staying in the
Republic of Lithuania
Article 8. Foreigners staying in Lithuania shall enjoy
freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and convictions.
Article 9. Foreigners cannot elect or be elected to the
representative bodies of state power of the Republic of Lithuania
and other elective state bodies, as well as to participate in
referenda (plebiscites).
Article 10. Foreigners who permanently reside in the
Republic of Lithuania may hold any post in state service, with
the exception of those posts that under the laws of the Republic
of Lithuania can be held only by citizens of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Article 11. Foreigners staying in the Republic of Lithuania
shall nor be subject to military service in the army or the
Republic of Lithuania.
Article 12. Under the laws of the Republic of Lithuania,
foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Lithuania shall be
guaranteed inviolability of person and of abode, as well as other
personal freedoms.
A foreigner staying in the Republic of Lithuania cannot be
detained or arrested except when he or she:
1) attempted to illegally enter the Republic of Lithuania
and was detained;
2) was illegally staying in the Republic of Lithuania and
was detained;
3) committed a crime or any other violation of law which he
or she had to be detained or arrested under the laws of the
Republic of Lithuania;
4) in other cases established by the laws of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Each detained foreigner must informed without delay of the
reasons of his detention or of accusations brought against him
if there are such, in the language understandable to him.
Article 13. Each foreigner, possessing citizenship of a
foreign state and staying in the Republic of Lithuania, shall be
provided a possibility to get in touch with a diplomatic or
consular mission, or with any other body representing the
interests of that foreign state in the Republic of Lithuania, and
if there are no such body - with the diplomatic or consular
mission of other foreign state which is authorized to defend the
rights and lawful interests of citizens of that state whose
citizen is the detained foreigner.
Bodies of the Procuracy of the Republic of Lithuania must
notify a diplomatic or consular mission of the state whose
citizen has been detained, of his detention or arrest not later
than within 48 hours.
Article 14. Foreigner staying in the Republic of Lithuania
shall have the right to appeal to court or other state bodies
personally a person authorized by him, in the same manner as the
citizens of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 15. Foreigners staying in the Republic of Lithuania
shall enjoy property rights under the laws of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Article 16. Foreigners permanently residing in the Republic
of Lithuania may engage in any labour or economic activity if it
not prohibited by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania and if
not exclusively citizens of the Republic of Lithuania are
permitted to engage in it.
Article 17. Foreigners, who are permanently residing in the
Republic of Lithuania and have a legal job, shall enjoy the same
economic and social rights as citizens of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Article 18. Foreigners permanently residing the Republic of
Lithuania shall enjoy the same rights to social security as
citizens of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 19. The right of foreigners staying in the Republic
of Lithuania to move freely in the Republic of Lithuania may be
curtailed only for the reasons of state security or public order
according to the procedure established by laws of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Article 20. Each foreigner staying in the Republic of
Lithuania shall be guaranteed the right to freely depart from the
Republic of Lithuania. This rights may be abridged provided a
foreigner:
1) has been charged with a crime - until the end of the
investigation of the case;
2) has been sentenced for the committed crime - until he has
served his term or until he is exempt from serving his term;
3) has not discharged his property obligations to the state
of Lithuania or property obligations arising from marriage of
family relations, or any other property obligations established
by enforced decisions of court.
Article 21. Foreigners staying in the Republic of Lithuania
shall be subject to taxation in the same manner as the citizens
of the Republic of Lithuania unless laws of the Republic of
Lithuania or international agreements of the Republic of
Lithuania provide otherwise.
Article 22. Foreigners permanently residing in the Republic
of Lithuania shall enjoy the same rights to education as citizens
of the Republic of Lithuania, which shall be discharged in the
manner established by laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 23. Foreigners staying in the Republic of Lithuania
shall enjoy the same rights to cultural properties of the
Republic of Lithuania.
Foreigners shall be guaranteed the rights to use their
native language, to protect and foster their culture and
traditions.
Article 24. Foreigners staying in the Republic of Lithuania
may contract or dissolve marriage with a citizen of the Republic
of Lithuania, according to the procedure established by laws of
the Republic of Lithuania.
In their marital and family relations, foreigners shall be
entitled to the same rights and duties as citizens of the
Republic of Lithuania.
CHAPTER 3
Foreigners' Entry into and Departure from the Republic of
Lithuania
Article 25. Foreigners may enter the Republic of Lithuania
only after they have been issued a visa, entrance permit, or any
other relevant document by the competent bodies of the Republic
of Lithuania.
Article 26. Entrance visa to the Republic of Lithuania shall
be issued by a diplomatic or consular mission located abroad, or
by other bodies of the Republic of Lithuania established by laws.
Article 27. A foreigner may not be permitted to enter the
Republic of Lithuania if:
1) he has committed crimes against humanity o acts of
genocide;
2) his entrance poses a threat to the national security,
public order, health and morality or its inhabitants;
3) during the last five years has deliberately committed a
serious crime;
4) in his applications for a visa false information;
5) in other cases invisaged by laws of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Article 28. A foreigner shall be issued a permit to reside
in the Republic of Lithuania by the Ministry of Internal Affairs
of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 29. Upon changing their permanent place of abode on
the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, foreigners must
inform of it the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of
Lithuania in due course of law.
Article 30. A foreigner may be issued a permanent residence
in the Republic of Lithuania only in cases defined in Paragraph 2
of Article 6 of this law.
Article 31. Upon departure from the Republic of Lithuania,
foreigners must submit a passport or another equivalent document.
Upon departure from the Republic of Lithuania, foreigners
permanently residing in the Republic of Lithuania must submit
passport or another equivalent document to the agencies of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and
receive from the Ministry of Internal Affairs the permit for
departure.
Article 32. Foreigners shall not be permitted to depart from
the Republic of Lithuania in cases defined in Article 20 of this
law.
A decision prohibiting a foreigner to depart from the
Republic of Lithuania shall be adopted by the Ministry of
Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.
Article 33. Bodies of border control shall not permit a
foreigner to depart from the Republic of Lithuania until he
submits required documents.
Article 34. Foreigners' rights and freedoms established by
this law, may be abridged only the basis envisaged by the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, and International Covenant on
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and only under laws of the
Republic of Lithuania.
Article 35. A decision prohibiting a foreigner to depart
from the Republic of Lithuania may be appealed against in court.
CHAPTER 4
Foreigners' Responsibility. Their Deportation from the Republic
of Lithuania
Article 36. The Ministry of internal Affairs of the Republic
of Lithuania shall recommend a foreigner who has violated the
Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, this and other laws of
the Republic of Lithuania, or when his actions pose a threat to
national security or public order, health and morality of its
inhabitants, to depart from the Republic of Lithuania.
If a foreigner refuses to depart from the Republic of
Lithuania or if he does not depart within a recommended period,
decision concerning his deportation shall be adopted by the
Minister of Internal Affairs.
Foreigners who entered or are residing in the Republic of
Lithuania illegally, may be deported from it on the decision of
the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A decision to deport a foreigner from the Republic of
Lithuania shall be appealed against in accordance with
subordination.
Article 37. Foreigners who have committed a crime or any
other violation of law in the Republic of Lithuania, shall be
accountable under laws of the Republic of Lithuania, unless
international agreements on Lithuania provide otherwise.
CHAPTER 5
Conclusions
Article 38. This law shall not be applied to heads and
officers of diplomatic and consular missions of foreign states
and to persons equaled to them, who are entitled to privileges
and immunities established by laws of the Republic of Lithuania
and international agreements binding on Lithuania.
Article 39. If an international agreement binding on
Lithuania establishes other regulations than those provided for
in this law, the regulations of an international agreement shall
be applied.
VYTAUTAS LANDSBERGIS
President
Supreme Council
Republic of Lithuania
Vilnius
4 September 1991
No I-1750