Every year, Lithuania issues more than 35 thousand visas to Russian citizens. Russians go to the republic to see the sights, on business trips, for training or treatment. There are also ethnic Lithuanians who come to visit relatives or simply “get in touch with their roots.”
In Lithuania, many architectural monuments have been preserved and restored, which attract thousands of tourists every year. There are excursions both in the open air and through museum exhibitions.
Lithuania offers attractions for every taste:
- the ancient capital of Trakai with unique castles;
- the Republic of Užupis (lit. Užupis, Russian Zarechye) in Vilnius - an area chosen by artists of all directions;
- on the Curonian Spit the mystical mountain of witches;
- nuclear bunker in Kaunas;
- mountain of crosses near Siauliai.
Health resorts in Druskininkai and Birštonas are not inferior to tourist cities in popularity. There are both traditional hospitals and modern spa centers. Druskininkai, in addition to mineral waters and mud baths, attracts tourists with the Snow Arena complex for winter entertainment, open all year round.
Russians go to Lithuania not only to relax. Young people often choose Lithuanian universities to receive a European education. Here prices are lower than in “old Europe” and there is no language barrier, since part of the population speaks Russian.
Main types of visas
Lithuania issues Schengen (C) or national (D) visas to Russian citizens. The type is determined by the permitted time of stay in the republic.
The most popular is the Schengen visa to Lithuania, type C. An application for it is submitted by those who plan to stay in the territory of the republic for no more than 90 days. Days of stay are counted for six months. The Lithuanian visa officer can issue a Schengen type C visa for a single trip of several days or for multiple visits to Lithuania over several years. However, the requirement for counting days 90/180 remains unchanged.
Schengen visa to Lithuania
To travel to the Kaliningrad region from the Russian Federation and back, Russians are issued simplified documents. They come in two types and are equivalent to a transit visa. The first allows you to cross the territory of the Republic of Lithuania only by train (simplified railway travel document) for 6 hours. The second is called a simplified transit document (STD) and allows you to travel repeatedly through the territory of Lithuania by any land transport. Moreover, the time of each transit is no more than 24 hours.
The national Lithuanian visa D allows you to stay in the republic for up to 1 year, as well as freely travel to other Schengen countries within 90/180 days. Lithuanians issue a multiple-entry national visa to those who confirm their intention to work, study, engage in professional activities or for family reunification in the republic.
Types of visas for Russians
Tourist
A tourist visa to the country is most often requested. In addition to the fact that it gives the right to enter Lithuania, it can also be used to travel to other Schengen countries, if the validity period of the stamp is sufficient.
The main thing is that the first country of entry is Lithuania. If this rule is violated, border guards can stop you at the border and deport you to Russia.
Tourist visas to Lithuania for Russians are of 2 types, which determines the length of possible stay in the country:
- single-entry - most often issued to tourists who apply for a permit for the first time - they allow you to stay in the state for 3 weeks;
- multivisas (multiple entries) - up to 90 days within 6 months, validity period ranges from 1 year to 5 years.
Transit
If Lithuania is not the main purpose of travel, but a transfer point, a transit visa is issued.
Its main feature is that it does not allow you to leave the airport or train station, and is valid for 48 hours.
If the trip is made by train, tourists are not allowed to get off at stops throughout the country.
Russian citizens traveling to Kaliningrad through the territory of Lithuania need to apply for a FTD - a simplified transit visa. According to visa legislation, if you have such permission, you can stay in the country for no more than a day.
Working
Having a work visa will give a citizen of the Russian Federation the right to work in the Republic of Lithuania. However, it is important to understand that, as in other EU countries, preference is given to local residents. Therefore, you can get either a low-skilled job, where Lithuanians do not want to go, or a highly professional one, when there are no competitors in the local market.
Stages of registration:
- Job search and employment. To do this, it is not necessary to obtain a tourist visa - everything can be applied for online through special services.
- Obtaining a special permit, which is issued after concluding an employment contract.
- Collection and submission of all necessary papers. In this case, a work visa can only be issued through a consulate or embassy.
All necessary documents must be translated into Lithuanian, then certified by a notary - they must have an apostille.
A work visa to Lithuania is issued for the duration of the employment contract - usually 1-2 years. If the permit needs to be renewed, this must be done at least 3 months before its expiration.
Multiple visa
Multiple visa
A multiple visa is issued for a period of 1-5 years. Obtaining a permit for a maximum period is problematic - it is most often granted to those who have business and real estate in the country. Ordinary tourists are often offered a permit for a maximum of 2 years.
It is important to understand that a multiple-entry tourist visa to Vilnius for Russians does not give them the right to permanent residence. It also prohibits you from getting a job in the Republic of Lithuania.
How much does a visa to Lithuania cost in 2021?
The cost of a Lithuanian visa consists of a mandatory consular fee and an additional service fee. Its amount depends on the type of visa and the method of submitting documents. Consular and service fees are charged not for issuing a visa, but for receiving and processing documents. They do not return even if they are refused by the embassy.
For processing a visa application, Russians are charged a consular fee:
- 5 € for simplified transit documents;
- 35 € for Schengen (type C);
- 60 € for national visa (type D);
- 70 € for Schengen urgently.
The consular fee at the embassy is accepted only in euros, but the CC prefers rubles at the exchange rate. Children under 12 years of age, Russians of Lithuanian origin, disabled people and other categories of applicants are exempt from paying it.
If documents are submitted through a Lithuanian visa center, in addition to the consular fee, you need to pay a 20 € service fee. Payment is made directly to the CC in rubles at the exchange rate. Disabled people and children under 6 years of age are exempt from paying the service fee.
Vilnius, Lithuania
How to get a visa to Lithuania yourself
After the introduction of the requirement to provide biometric data to visit any Schengen country, including Lithuania, many Russians refuse the services of intermediaries. The procedure for accepting documents at diplomatic institutions and visa centers is clear and spelled out in detail, so applying for a visa on your own does not cause problems.
An application for a national Lithuanian visa, FTD can only be submitted at the embassy or consulate general. But applicants for a Schengen visa have the opportunity to apply to both the Lithuanian diplomatic mission and the CC.
Via Visa Application Center
The number of Lithuanian visa centers in Russia and the time they work with visa applicants is significantly greater than in diplomatic institutions. This allows Russians to submit documents and biometric data faster. The VC has only one drawback - they only accept applications for Schengen.
Lithuanian visa centers, except for Moscow, accept applicants without an appointment. In Moscow, since November 2015, each applicant has been required to pre-register online or by calling a call center. The confirmation letter received by email must be printed and come with it and a package of documents 15-20 minutes before the appointed time at the CC.
To improve service for applicants, VCs provide additional services, the most popular of which are filling out an application form (200 rubles), mobile biometrics (from 35 €), home visa (from 100 €). There is a Premium hall in the Moscow Exhibition Center.
The delivery time for documents to the Lithuanian Embassy is a maximum of a week. After the visa officer reviews the application and makes a decision, the passport is sent back to the visa center. You can track the status of your application on the VFS Global website.
Through the embassy
Contacting the Lithuanian diplomatic office directly allows you to save on service fees. Employees will accept documents, help you submit biometric data and accept the consular fee in euros. The presence of minors under 14 years of age is not required if they took biometrics no later than 59 months before applying for a visa.
Submitting an application through the embassy is possible only by prior appointment online or by telephone to the diplomatic institution. You must show up in person with a ready-made package of documents exactly at the specified time. Without an appointment, the embassy will accept family members of Lithuanian and EU citizens and persons of Lithuanian origin. The Consulate General in St. Petersburg requires advance registration only for groups of 5 people or more.
Residents of the Kaliningrad region are most fortunate, since they can apply for a Lithuanian visa or FTD at the Consulate General of Kaliningrad or the consulate in Sovetsky. Pre-registration is required only for a visit to the Consulate General.
Residents of the Pskov region, according to the agreement between the Lithuanian and Estonian Republics, can apply for a Lithuanian visa at the Estonian consulate in Pskov.
After the documents are accepted, the diplomatic mission staff offers to submit fingerprints, take an electronic photo and pay the consular fee. The completed package of documents is sent to the visa officer. After a couple of weeks, the applicant receives a passport with a visa, an offer to clarify the data, or a refusal.
Vilnius, Lithuania
Consular officers on a transit train
To travel by train to the Kaliningrad region and back to the main territory of the Russian Federation, Russian citizens need to obtain a simplified railway travel document (STR). To do this, you need to purchase a ticket for a transit train (train numbers are listed on the embassy website) at the ticket office of the Russian Federation no later than 28 hours before departure. After this, fill out the form and give it to the consular officer.
The passenger must obtain a transit permit at the railway ticket office before the train departs. It is valid for 90 days. Usually this is enough to avoid re-applying for a return trip. Without a railway traffic control system, you will not be allowed into the carriage even if you have a ticket. You must keep the simplified travel document until its validity expires.
Lithuania visa application form
To fill out an application for a Schengen and national Lithuanian visa, you can use the online service or a paper form. Embassies and consulates only accept applications filled out online on the EPM service. Their printed version with a signature and an attached photo must be submitted to the diplomatic institution. However, in case of a short-term visit, you need to choose Schengen type C, since Lithuania does not issue transit visas.
Separate forms have been developed to obtain simplified transit and travel documents. Their forms and samples can be downloaded from the website of the Lithuanian Embassy.
Sample of a completed application form for a visa to Lithuania.
Documents for a visa to Lithuania: list from 2021
When preparing documents for obtaining a Schengen visa, each applicant can refer to the corresponding list of documents on the embassy website. The applicant can always add certificates/extracts to assure the visa officer of his reliability.
General list of documents for all types of visas:
- completed application form (with signature, attached photo);
- valid passport;
- internal passport (from 14 years old) or birth certificate;
- photo of the established sample;
- confirmation of the purpose of the trip, availability of funds to pay expenses;
- medical insurance;
- consent to the processing of personal data.
It is recommended to confirm financial solvency with a certificate from your place of work (indicating your salary), a current bank statement for the previous three months, or a copy of traveler's checks.
The purpose of the trip can be confirmed:
- for tourist trips/private visits - hotel reservations, rental of apartments/apartments, availability of real estate in Lithuania, invitation from an organization or individual, reservation of tickets or documents for a car;
- for doing business/work - a letter of request from the host company, employer;
- to visit close relatives - by letter with a request from the receiving person, confirmation of relationship;
- for training - a certificate of enrollment, a written request, a statement of sponsorship.
Persons of Lithuanian origin wishing to obtain a visa on preferential terms must additionally provide:
- birth certificate of parents, grandparents or archival certificates indicating Lithuanian nationality;
- confirmation of last name change.
The requirement to affix an Apostille stamp on official documents issued in the Russian Federation has been cancelled.
Klaipeda, Lithuania
Photo for a visa to Lithuania
To obtain a Lithuanian visa, photo requirements comply with EU standards:
- size 35x45 mm;
- clear image on a white background;
- The full face of the face, not covered by a hat or glasses, takes up 70-80% of the photo.
Photos for Schengen and national visas must be no older than 6 months. For simplified transit documents, simply “fresh” is permitted without indicating a statute of limitations.
Visa documents for children
For minor applicants for a Lithuanian visa, in addition to the standard list of documents, it is required to provide notarized consent of the parents/legal guardians for the child’s departure. It is necessary if a minor is traveling with one of the parents or accompanied by a third party. In addition, if a child visa is requested separately, a copy of the accompanying persons visa is required.
Additional documents for different types of visas
To obtain a FTD, which is an analogue of a transit visa, you must, in addition to your internal and international passport, provide a completed special form and confirm the need for frequent trips to the Kaliningrad region. Documents about relatives or property in the Kaliningrad region, economic ties with enterprises in the region are suitable as confirmation.
Lithuanian visa when traveling with children
A separate visa to Lithuania is issued for the child.
They fill out a form for the child and take a young traveler’s birth certificate or a passport if he is over 14 years old. They also take the child’s or parent’s international passport if the child is included in the parent’s international passport.
You will also need a scanned version of the initial pages of your parents’ Russian passport.
A certificate from the place of work of the person who will sponsor the trip must be presented. The document indicates the position, salary, telephone number.
When a child travels independently, the parents go to a notary and obtain permission to travel independently.
Sample consent for a child to travel abroad for one of the parents (890 Downloads) Sample consent for a parent to travel abroad for a child accompanied by a third party (764 Downloads)
- Read more about the Schengen visa for a child ->
How long does it take to obtain a visa to Lithuania?
The decision to issue short-term visas (Schengen type C) is usually made within 5-10 working days. To them you need to add the time for delivering documents from the regional CC to the embassy. The period may be extended if clarification of data or provision of additional documents is required. In this regard, it is recommended to submit documents 15 days before the trip. For 70 €, a visa officer will examine the documents and make a decision within 3 days.
Registration of the FTD takes 7 days. Processing of applications for a national visa takes longer because applicants for long-term residence in Lithuania are thoroughly checked.
Kaunas, Lithuania
Categories and types of visas to Lithuania
Each trip has a purpose: to see the sights of the country, visit relatives, earn money, get an education, etc. Lithuania provides three types of permits:
Category C. Short-term visa. Can be guest, medical, tourism, cultural, real estate. The owner of this document has the right to stay in Lithuania for no more than 90 days. Open your own business or work
It is impossible to get further employment on such a visa.
Category D. National visa. Issued for any purpose (student, work, family reunion, etc.) with a stay of more than 90 days in a six-month period. Gives the owner the right to cross the border multiple times. Allows you to conduct business throughout the country, work, study at a university, etc.
FTD (Simplified Transit Document). Visa for a trip to Kaliningrad via Lithuania. It happens for rail or road transit. The mandatory conditions for obtaining such a visa are the presence of any connection with Kaliningrad (relatives, work, real estate).
