[ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS ENTITY IN LITHUANIA] 319
4.4 Residency and Visas Lithuania is a member of the European Union, and it is a Schengen country. The basic rules regarding EU and non-EU nationals are as follows: 4.4.1 Citizens of the European Union A citizen of the EU and his family members may enter and stay in the Republic of Lithuania upon a valid travel or identity document for a period of three months starting from the first day of entry. A citizen of the EU arriving to Lithuania for a period exceeding three months within a half a year and meeting at least one of the grounds specified in the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners (e.g., employment in Lithuania) shall be issued a certificate of temporary residence in the Republic of Lithuania and declare the place of residence. The certificate shall be valid for a period of five years (or a shorter period requested by the foreigner). The family members of the EU citizens who are not EU citizens shall be issued temporary residence cards of the family members of a Union citizen valid for the period of the EU citizen's certificate but in any case, for no longer than five years. A citizen of EU who has been lawfully residing in the Republic of Lithuania for the last five years shall acquire the right of permanent residence in the Republic of Lithuania. Absence from Lithuania for more than six months within a year may constitute grounds for refusing the right of permanent residence, except in cases where absence is caused due to serious reasons (due to pregnancy, childbirth, acute illness, studies, professional training or assignment to another EU Member State or a third state). The acquired right of permanent residence in the Republic of Lithuania shall be lost upon departure from
the country for a period exceeding two consecutive years. The same rights and requirements are vested to the citizens of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Member States (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein). 4.4.2 Visa Requirements Citizens of certain countries may enter Lithuania without a visa. A list of these countries may be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.urm.lt. Visa types are a Schengen visa and a National visa. Schengen visas may be single- entry, dual-entry and multiple-entry visas. National visas shall be single-entry (issued to an alien who has been granted a temporary or permanent residence permit to formalize the permit) and multiple-entry visas (issued, for example, to students, artists, sportsmen, posted employees, etc.). Documents for the issuance of a visa are to be submitted to a diplomatic mission or a consular post of the Republic of Lithuania abroad or in certain cases to a diplomatic mission or a consular post of another Schengen State representing the Republic of Lithuania abroad. Documents for the issuance of a National visa in certain cases may also be submitted to Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai or Panevėžys territorial divisions of the Migration department if the foreigner is staying in Lithuania legally. 4.4.3 Residence Permits A foreigner could get the temporary or permanent residence permit to live in the Republic of Lithuania. The temporary or permanent residence permit is issued to a foreigner who is a citizen of a non-EU Member State.
ILN Corporate Group – Establishing a Business Entity Series
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