Asylum and international protection in Lithuania

Refugee status is for people outside their country who have a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Subsidiary protection is for people who cannot return because they face torture or inhuman treatment, the death penalty, or a serious individual threat from indiscriminate violence in an armed conflict. Persecution can come from the state or from non-state actors when no effective protection is available.

The application is lodged in person in Lithuania. At border crossing points and in the border zone it goes to the State Border Guard Service; elsewhere in the country to the Border Guard or the Migration Department. An adult family member can apply on behalf of minor family members. People in detention, at a border crossing or in a transit zone who may want to apply must be told about this right in a language they understand.

After the claim is lodged, the Migration Department issues a foreigner’s registration certificate, normally within three days, which confirms your right to remain during the procedure. It first determines which EU state is responsible for the claim; since 12 June 2026 this follows the EU Pact rules that replace the Dublin Regulation, and fingerprints are stored in the updated Eurodac system. Under the Pact, people arriving irregularly are screened for health and security, within seven days at the external border and three days for people found inside the country, and a 12-week border procedure applies to people who mislead the authorities, destroy documents or pose a security threat.

If Lithuania is responsible, the Migration Department interviews you, with an interpreter and, on request, your legal representative present, and examines whether you meet the criteria for refugee status or subsidiary protection. Information about your claim is not shared with your country of origin. Claims from a safe country of origin, claims based on misleading information or repeat claims without new facts are examined in an accelerated way, but not for unaccompanied children or victims of torture or serious violence.

Applicants have the right to free information on their rights and the procedure in a language they understand, free interpretation, state-guaranteed legal aid for the asylum procedure, reimbursement of public transport linked to the procedure, free basic medical care and psychological and social help, and to contact UNHCR and organisations providing legal advice. They are accommodated at State Border Guard Service facilities or at the Reception and Integration Agency, the former Refugee Reception Centre renamed in 2024, or elsewhere by decision of the Migration Department; vulnerable people and unaccompanied children receive adapted accommodation.

Children have access to schooling no later than three months after the claim. Applicants living in designated accommodation receive a small monthly cash allowance, and a food allowance where no catering is provided. If no decision has been taken within six months through no fault of the applicant, the right to work is added to the registration certificate.

Decisions are given to you in a language you understand, with a copy. Under the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners, decisions can be appealed to the competent regional administrative court within 14 days of service, and within seven days for refusals after an accelerated examination; the decision itself states the deadline and the court. Since 1 July 2024 a repeat application without new material information no longer gives the right to remain in Lithuania during the court appeal unless the court orders interim protection.

If protection is granted, refugees receive a permanent residence permit and subsidiary protection holders a two-year temporary residence permit. Family members joining a person granted asylum within three months are exempt from most permit conditions and from the state fee.

The Migration Department organises free legal and translation services for asylum applicants and coordinates the work of state institutions and NGOs in the procedure. Applicants may meet UNHCR representatives and specialised legal advisers in private. Lithuania also takes part in EU solidarity arrangements under the Pact, including relocation of applicants from other EU states.