Ukrainians who fled Russia’s war would be issued only digital temporary residence permits in Lithuania from next year, the Migration Department said on December 16.
Such residence permits will be issued to both new arrivals and those already in the country.
“The digitisation of this process will save a lot of time for Ukrainian refugees, volunteers assisting them, and municipal administration staff,” said Evelina Gudzinskaite, head of the Migration Department.
Ukrainians will not have to visit the Migration Department but will be able to apply for the residence permit online. They will be able to find the issued document in their MIGRIS (the Migration Department’s e-system) accounts and download it on their smart devices or print it out.
The newly arrived refugees who are not yet registered with the Migration Department will also be able to apply for a digital temporary residence permit in Lithuania by submitting an electronic application, but they will be required to visit the Migration Department’s customer service branch of their choice once for refugee assistance.
All services for changing and issuing permits on the basis of temporary protection are provided free of charge to Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania.
Residence permits granted on other grounds will continue to be issued in the form of plastic cards and will be subject to a fixed state fee.
Some 71,877 Ukrainian refugees have registered in Lithuania since the beginning of the war. Almost 68,000 of them have been granted temporary residence permits on the grounds of temporary protection or humanitarian grounds. (LRT/Business World Magazine)