Effective 22 October 2025, Lithuania’s migration authority has introduced a significant revision to the list of countries where foreign nationals can apply for temporary residence permits or national visas via external service-provider offices.
🧠What’s Changing
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Several countries will no longer host application centres: Albania, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan and Venezuela have been removed from the list of approved external-office locations for applications.
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New countries have been added: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ghana, Vietnam and Zimbabwe are now included among the locations where applicants can submit.
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Certain countries (notably Azerbaijan, Ghana and Mongolia) are subject to additional conditions. In those cases, citizens may apply only under specific circumstances such as: family-reunification, study at an approved institution, high-skilled employment or an intra-company transfer.
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From this date, the online booking of visits to external service-provider offices must be done via Lithuania’s MIGRIS portal, rather than the external provider’s own site.
🎯 Why It Matters
For applicants from affected countries, this change alters where and how they must submit their paperwork and attend biometric/appointment visits. What it means in practice:
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If you live in one of the removed locations, you may need to travel to a neighbouring country to access an approved centre.
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If you’re eligible under the special-circumstance clauses (e.g., high-skilled work, study or family), you still may apply from the newly approved locations—but you must check whether your situation qualifies.
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The requirement to use the MIGRIS portal for booking signifies increased digitisation and centralisation of Lithuania’s immigration-services infrastructure.
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This move reflects Lithuania’s tighter control and optimisation of its immigration pathway and external office network.
✅ What You Should Do If You’re Applying
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Check whether your country appears on the updated list of approved application-centres for residence permits or national visas.
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If your country has been removed, find the nearest approved country and assess whether you can apply from there—or whether your particular category (study, work, family) allows it.
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Use the MIGRIS portal to register yourself, upload documents (when required) and book your appointment at a service-provider office.
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Ensure you meet any category-specific conditions (for example: work category, study invitation, high-skilled employment) if you’re in a country subject to additional eligibility restrictions.
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Submit your application well ahead of any planned travel or relocation—changes like this often add unexpected steps.
✍️ Final Thoughts
Lithuania’s updated rules streamline and rationalise where foreign nationals can apply for national visas and temporary residence permits. While the changes may pose extra logistics for some applicants, they’re also a sign of a more structured-and-digital immigration-process environment.
If you’re planning a move to Lithuania for study, work or family reasons, make sure you’re checking the latest country-list, the eligibility rules for your category, and using the official MIGRIS system for bookings. Staying ahead of these procedural shifts can save time and stress.