Identity cards and visas

Identity cards and visas

Updated: 2023.08.23

Upon arrival in Lithuania members of the Missions are accredited and issued the accreditation cards (hereinafter - ID cards) by   the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in accordance with the procedures established in Lithuanian legislation.

Categories of ID Cards

Persons subject to accreditation are issued ID cards of five categories (A, B, C, D, E), depending on their status and eligibility for immunities and privileges:

Category A - diplomatic agents, consular officers,  Heads of European Union Agencies and Heads of their administrative divisions who enjoy diplomatic immunities and privileges under the international law or agreements with the Republic of Lithuania.

Category B - members of administrative and technical staff.

Category C - members of service staff and private servants (C category ID cards can be also issued to the Mission‘s drivers who are nationals or permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania).

Category D - Honorary Consuls of foreign states

Category E - members of other representations and  Missions of International Organizations who enjoy restricted immunities and privileges under international law, members of European Union Agencies.

Note: local staff members (the citizens or permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania) are not accredited at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Accreditation of New Staff Members

For registration of a new staff member, the Mission shall submit to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• filled-in registration form (Annex 6), sealed and signed by the applicant and the Head of Mission
•  passport;
•  one photo (3 x 4) taken within one year;
• Verbal Note.

Note: the signature of the Head of Mission, the Mission’s stamp or other signs shall not cross the frame for the applicant’s signature.

 

National Visa (D)

Staff members, nationals of the non-EU and non-EFTA countries, are required to be in possession of a national visa of category “D” before applying for accreditation. The visa requirement is not applied to the nationals of countries listed in Annex II to the Council Regulation (EC) No 2018/1806 of 114 November 2018.

After the changes in the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners took effect on 1 July 2023, the national visas (D) can only be issued through the external service provider (VFS Global Center) chosen by the Migration Department under the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania. According to the new legislation, applications for issuing national visas (D) are submitted through the Lithuanian Migration Information System MIGRIS website: www.migracija.lt.

 

The procedure of issuing national visas (D) to the staff members of foreign Missions:

1. The diplomatic mission of the foreign state shall inform the diplomatic mission of Lithuania or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (urm@urm.lt) one month in advance by Note of the planned new appointment to the post, enclosing a copy of the applying person's travel document (passport) and indicating to which external service provider (VFS Global Center) the person is planning to apply for a Lithuanian national visa (D).

The list of VFS Global Centers: https://migracija.lrv.lt/lt/struktura-ir-kontaktine-informacija/asmenu-aptarnavimas/asmenu-aptarnavimas-uzsienyje/leidimo-laikinai-gyventi-ir-nacionalines-vizos-isdavimo-paslaugos.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania shall, within 14 days, provide the foreign diplomatic mission with a MIGRIS Application Number, which the appointee shall indicate when personally filling in the application for a national visa (D) via MIGRIS: www.migracija.lt - For Foreigners → To get an electronic service→ Choose your citizenship → I want to get a national visa → Apply request→...

3. When filling in the application for a national visa (D) online via MIGRIS, the person must select "a foreigner for whom a Lithuanian State Authority has submitted a mediation letter". 

Digital copies of the following documents shall be attached to the application:

          a) travel document (passport);

          b) a document confirming that he/she has sufficient funds and/or regular income to live in Lithuania for the duration of the visa; 

          c) in the section "Health Insurance Document", a person should attach a copy of the passport.

4. After booking a visit to the selected VFS Global Centre, the foreigner should appear in person at the reserved time to submit the original documents within four months from the date of the completion of his/her application through MIGRIS.

Diplomatic passport holders will not be required to submit biometric data for the visa and are exempt from visa fee. However, they are not exempted from the customer service fee charged by the external service provider.

The decision to issue a national visa shall be taken within 15 calendar days of the submission of the application.

Upon arrival in Lithuania with a national visa (D), the designated employee of the foreign mission will be accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (see paragraph "Accreditation of New Staff Members"). 

 

Validity of ID Card

The Mission shall inform the Protocol Department about the appointment of each new staff member, the end of his/her appointment with the Embassy or his/her appointment to a new position by a Verbal Note as soon as any such changes occur.

ID card is issued for a period of three years if the validity of the person’s passport is not shorter. If a person is appointed to the Mission for a period shorter than three years, the identity card shall be issued, at the request of the Mission, for a specified period of time.

ID cards are issued twice a month and the accreditation procedure may last approximately one month.

The Protocol informs the Mission by e-mail of the newly produced  cards and the possibility of picking them up from the  Mission‘s mail box at MFA.

Please note that if submitted documents contain inaccurate or contradictory information or any requisites are missing (see above), they will be returned to the Mission for clarification.

 

Accreditation of Staff Members of Non-Resident Missions

For registration of staff members of non resident Missions, the Mission shall submit to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• filled-in registration form (Annex 7), sealed and signed by the applicant and the Head of Mission
•  passport;
•  one photo (3 x 4) taken within one year;
• Verbal Note;
• copy of accreditation card of the resident country.
• national visa (D) if the resident country is non-EU country

ID cards for the staff members of non-resident Missions are handed to the Missions by the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the country of the Mission’s residence.

Please note that ID cards are optional for staff members of side accredited Missions and their family members.

 

Renewal of ID Cards

The procedure of the renewal of ID card is identical to that of accreditation of a new staff member. The expired ID card shall be submitted to the Protocol Department.

The Missions shall apply for the renewal of ID card at least one month before the expiration of the previous ID card.

Please note that the total term of accreditation of a member of the Missions  can be no longer than ten (10) years.

 

Family Members

Family members of the staff members of the Mission, if they are not citizens or permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania, are issued ID cards of the same category as the accredited person. They enjoy the same diplomatic or consular immunities and privileges in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania as an accredited person.

The following persons are regarded as family members of the staff members of the Mission:

spouses, registered partners, unmarried children (adopted children) under the age of 18 if they live together with their parents or unmarried children (adopted children) under the age of 23 if they live together with their parents and study at the schools of general education or at any other formal education institution in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. For obtaining an ID card for children (adopted children) over 18 and under 23, the Mission shall submit documents proving a fact of study.

By way of exception, ID cards may be issued to other persons if the registered person regards them as members of his/her family and a part of his/her household. Each case is considered individually upon receipt of a Verbal Note with reasonable arguments.

For accreditation, each family member shall fill in the registration form individually, and his/her passport shall be included. For minors, the registration form shall be signed by a parent (custodian) and the Head of Mission.

Please note that ID cards are not issued to the family members of honorary consuls.

ID cards of categories “A”, “B”, “C” and “E”, issued to the staff members who are nationals of non-EU and non-EFTA member-states, equate to the Schengen visa and the residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania.

 

Legislation:

1998 m. sausio 6 d. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės nutarimas Nr. 4 “Dėl užsienio valstybių diplomatinių atstovybių, konsulinių įstaigų, tarptautinių organizacijų atstovybių, Europos Sąjungos įstaigų ir kitų atstovybių narių akreditavimo Lietuvos Respublikoje nuostatų patvirtinimo”.