The Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Law on Restrictive Measures in the Context of Military Aggression against Ukraine, aimed at safeguarding the national security and foreign political interests of the Republic of Lithuania.
The law introduces important restrictions for Russian and Belarusian nationals. If the President of the Republic of Lithuania signs the law, it will apply from 3 May and will remain in force until 2 May 2024. Below is a list of the most significant restrictions:
- Suspension of visa applications for Russian and Belarusian citizens at the visa offices of the Republic of Lithuania abroad, except in cases where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania acts as an intermediary for the visa application.
- Restricted rights for Russian citizens and companies established or controlled by them to obtain real estate in Lithuania. Russian citizens will only be able to obtain real estate in Lithuania if they have temporary or permanent residence permits or if the property is acquired through inheritance.
- Applications for temporary residence permits from Russian citizens in Lithuania will not be accepted. The exception will apply to those who will be mediated by an institution authorised by the Government of Lithuania or who have a Schengen visa, a national visa or a residence permit in an EU country.
- Russian nationals will be subject to a thorough inspection and assessment of threats to national security, public order, public health or international relations when crossing the EU’s external border. This restriction will not apply to Russians holding residence permits or long-stay national visas from the EU, Schengen countries, those in transit to and from the Kaliningrad region, Russian diplomats.
- Citizens of Russia and Belarus will be banned from bringing Ukrainian hryvnias into and out of Lithuania.
After a long debate in the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, a proposal to temporarily suspend the acceptance of applications for Lithuanian citizenship by Russian and Belarusian citizens was rejected.
Prepared by Lina Bulovienė, Associate at ECOVIS ProventusLaw
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