Airport Issues

Airport Issues

Access to the VIP Facilities

The right to use the VIP lounge at the Vilnius International Airport free of charge is regulated by the Government Resolution No.1592 "On approval of the order of operating the flights carrying very important persons" of 6 December, 2004 and its amendments.

A written request with the following information shall be submitted to the Protocol Department of the Ministry:

• the date and time of arrival/departure of the VIP, the number of flight, names and status of the members of the delegation, persons welcoming the VIP and seeing him/her off, the type and model of the vehicles coming to the airport, their number plates, and the names of the drivers entering the airport territory.

Persons not listed in the Resolution mentioned above may use the VIP lounge and pay for the facility according to the Vilnius International Airport pricelist. In this case, requests for the use of the VIP lounge should be submitted to the Airport authorities by the Embassies by e-mail vip@vno.lt or fax: +370 5 230 6613.

The Ministry wishes to remind that the Airport authorities are responsible for safe operation of flights and thus impose certain requirements. Official delegations departing by regular flights shall undergo security screening, except the limited number of very high officials, i.e. the Head of State, the Head of Government, the Speaker of the Parliament, etc. Delegations departing by private plane could be exempted from security screening unless the pilot or the delegation itself requires to be screened.

Legislation:

1. 2004 m. gruodžio 6 d. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės nutarimas Nr.1592 „Dėl skrydžių, kuriais vežami labai svarbūs asmenys, vykdymo tvarkos aprašo patvirtinimo”

Flight Permission (Diplomatic Clearances)

1. Flights of the State aircraft of EU Member States and NATO countries

Flights without Annual Diplomatic Clearance (Annual DIC):

The Mission applying for  flight permission have to submit a filled-in Application Form (Annex 10) no later than 5 working days before the planned flight to the  Lithuanian Air Force Air Surveillance Command and Control  by e-mail Paraiskos.KOP@mil.lt

A copy of the application shall be submitted to the State and Diplomatic Protocol Department by e-mail protocol@urm.lt only:

1) for the flights with  VIP on board (if landing in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania);

2) for the flights with military equipment, weapons or military materials on board.

Flights with Annual Diplomatic Clearance (Annual DIC):

The Mission applying for an Annual DIC for the following year have to submit a filled-in Application Form (Annex 11) to the  Lithuanian Air Force Air Surveillance Command and Control  by e-mail Paraiskos.KOP@mil.lt

Additionally, the flight notification should be submitted one working day before the flight by e-mail Paraiskos.KOP@mil.lt  

A copy of the notification should be sent to the State and Diplomatic Protocol Department by e-mail protocol@urm.lt only in cases with VIP on board (if landing in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania) and for the flights with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare appliances.

When using the Annual DIC, the Diplomatic Clearance Number has to be mentioned in item 18 of the ICAO Flight Plan.

     2. Flights of the State aircraft of non-EU Member States and non-NATO countries  

The Mission  applying for flight permission have to submit a Note and a filled-in Application Form (Annex 10) no later than five working days before the planned flight to the State and Diplomatic Protocol Department by e-mail  protocol@urm.lt

In case of emergency, after working hours or at weekends, the application shall be submitted to the Lithuanian Air Force Air Surveillance Command and Control by e-mail  kop.ob@mil.lt,and a copy of the application shall be sent to the State and Diplomatic Protocol Department by e-mail protocol@urm.lt

Legislation:

1. 2000 m. spalio 17 d. Lietuvos Respublikos aviacijos įstatymas Nr. VIII-2066  (nauja redakcija nuo 2020-01-02).
2. 2004 m. rugsėjo 29 d. Lietuvos Respublikos krašto apsaugos ministro ir Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministro įsakymas Nr. V-1065/V-123  Dėl paraiškų išduoti leidimus vykdyti užsienio šalių valstybės orlaivių skrydžius į Lietuvos Respublikos teritoriją, iš jos arba per ją pateikimo, šių leidimų išdavimo, atsisakymo išduoti, panaikinimo tvarkos ir sąlygų aprašo patvirtinimo (nauja redakcija nuo 2020-02-01).

Airport Passes

Permanent personal passes to the limited access areas of the Lithuanian airports (Vilnius, Kaunas, Palanga) are issued by the Aviation Security Department of the Vilnius International Airport.

For information concerning the documents and the procedure of obtaining the permanent personal pass Missions are advised to contact directly the Aviation Security Department of the Vilnius International Airport on tel. no. +370 5 2739 390 and/or by E-mail  vno.leid@vno.lt

General information is available on the following webpage:   https://www.ltou.lt/en/business-services/lithuanian-airports-passes.

It is important to note that according to the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998 of 5 November 2015 the background check of a person applying for a permanent personal pass includes (not limited to) the need to provide information on criminal records in all states of residence during at least the preceding 5 years.  Subparagraphs 1-3 of the Paragraph 2 of Article 41¹  of the Aviation Law of the Republic of Lithuania sets out that the person is not considered eligible for obtaining the permit in terms of the criminal record if:

• the person has been convicted of a minor or less serious offence committed through negligence, provided that the conviction has not yet expired or been expunged;
• the person has been convicted of a serious or grave crime and/or for acts of terrorism and crimes related to terrorist activities, whether or not the conviction has expired or been expunged;
• the person has been convicted of a misdemeanour and has not served the sentence imposed (unless the person has been exempted from serving the sentence).  

In order to ensure that the applicant meets the criteria for criminal liability set out in the Law, the Mission shall send a note verbale to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania before submitting the application to the Aviation Security Department of Vilnius International Airport.  The note shall state the name and function of the person applying for the issuance of the permanent personal pass and the name of the airport (airports) to which the access is requested and that according to the provisions of Paragraph 9 of Article 41¹  of the Aviation Law of the Republic of Lithuania, none of the  circumstances specified in the Subparagraphs 1-3 of the Paragraph 2 of Article 41¹  of the said Law apply to the applicant.

The permanent personal pass provides a validity for one year. Applications for renewal shall be submitted to the Aviation Security Department of the Vilnius International Airport. The permanent pass renewal does not require a note verbale on criminal liability unless the person have stayed outside the Republic of Lithuania for an uninterrupted period of 6 months.

The latest version of the Aviation Law of the Republic of Lithuania can be accessed under the following link: Aviacijos įstatymas Nr. VIII-2066.