Interesting question. Since you are a US citizen, you do not have the right to stay here indefinitely. According to http://www.migracija.lt/index.php?1269509203, you need to present a travel document, which I would understand as an airline ticket, train ticket, ferry ticket, etc. Since the same problem would exist in travelling by one's own motorcar from Poland or Latvia, I would keep hotel and petrol station receipts in this case. You would also need to present papers showing ownershiip of the vehicle.
I imagine the Migracijos departamentas is not too worried about the situation because while it can be fairly easy to get lodging from a private owner who does not want to pay tax, getting a job without a residency permit is another matter, esp. in this economy. Not many people are looking for private lessons right now. And people who do not speak Lithuanian do not tend to stay here for extremely long periods because they are too cut off from the world. So the problem of illegal immigrants resolves itself pretty quickly.
Good luck with moving.

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Thanks so much! I am actually married to a Lithuanian citizen (with permanent US residence status) who has land and apartments in the city of Kedainiai. I am a retired school teacher not looking for any type of employment in Lithuania. Additionally I am fluent in Lithuanian.

I know the limit is 90 days, but when I went through passport control leaving Lithuania in Jan. 2009, no one asked me for documents showing when I had arrived.

I have been in touch with the Lithuanian consulate here in the US (Chicago), re: permanent residence in Lithuania.

My thinking is, we are paying for housing here and for two apartments in Lithuania. Since my wife will not consider selling her properties in Lithuania and since I am retired, permanent residence (or at least extended visits) are something we have thought about.

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OK,
That helps a lot. If you are a Tsarist Russian like me, then dual citizenship is probably not going to be an option. As the spouse of a Lithuanian, it is also not an option. If you are decended from a Lithuanian who emmigrated from Lithuania (not Poland) after WWI, then you are or probably will be eligible for dual citizenship. However, if you are a permanent resident, then that residency used to block an application for dual citizenship. Renouncing US citizenship could put your social security benifits at risk if the US decides to cut expenses by cutting loose those who have no right to vote in the US and so no support from congressional representatives.

If you are not of Lithuanian descent (or didn't grow up speaking it at home) and learned Lithuanian anyway, congratulations.

If dual citizenship is not an option, then permanent residency is definitely the way to go as then you do not have to worry about visas, etc. for 5 years nor do you have to live here all that time like in the US. After 9/11, US residents with a green card who leave the US for an extended period lose their green card and have to start the application process anew.

One thing to think about. Should have luck have it that your wife dies first, you might have trouble staying here. One way around that is to found an individual enterprise while you are here and conduct a few lessons a month to keep it active. Then you have the right to stay regardless of your marital status. Owning property does not give you a right to a permanent residency permit.

Good luck

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Would the airline provide a manifest to the authorities with that information included?

If the government asked the airlines for them, I'm sure they would... in your situation, I would be wondering if the airline would be providing YOU with that document, and if so, how much will it cost (for the document, translation if necessary, and to get an apostille on it). It's not up to them to prove anything, it's up to you.

You're already an illegal alien here, now. You'll have to deal with that, and I would stat on that YESTERDAY. The fact is that you will certainly have to leave the country within 24 hours of hitting migration, and that I guarantee. Things like this can affect your ability to travel in the EU, too. You don't even have the required health insurance, I would also figure.

The "valid travel document" referred to is a valid passport or citizenship card - certainly not a travel ticket.

Deal with immigration immediately. The longer you wait, the more severe it will become.

Open a company with your wife to rent out her property, or whatever... owning a company, or 10% of one is grounds for a long term visa. Of course, having a Lithuanian spouse is also grounds, provided you both have the finances.

If you really plan to spend more than 90 days at a time here, the visa is necessary. If you don't own a business or have a job, and plan to spend 6 months or more outside of Lithuania, the spousal visa will probably not work.

What's it matter, anyways... you won't be able to get a visa before they make you leave.

In Lithuania protocol trumps sneakiness in every case (where wheels aren't greased).

Don't plead ignorance. A lot smarter and dumber than you have already, and quite unsuccessfully.

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I have also had officials tell me that it was very important to not overstay one's visa - 90 day non-visa period, that doing so was grounds for the immmediate cancellation of the newly issued visa. And there was a famous case a few years ago of a man who hired the wrong law firm. The law firm did not complete the necessary paperwork on time and the person who was of Lithuanian descent was deported from Klaipeda. Never heard if he ever returned or was allowed to reapply. A Russian advised a friend of mine to ignore the deadline and just pay the fine, which was cheaper than leaving the territory of Lithuania. I cannot say if that advice would work for a non-Russian. Presumably we are talking about someone who had a steady job in Lithuania and was late in renewing his visa.

As to airline tickets, the last ticket/page is a receipt that shows the date the person flew into Lithuania and the date they are to fly out. In a one way ticket, the last page still gives that info.

When we flew to India last year, we had a simple computer print out. I don't know if that is admissible or not.

However, this is all hot air. The ony opinion that has any weight is that of the Migracijos departamentas official who will tell you exactly what you need and what you may or may not do. Since you have not posted again since my last post, I presume that you have indeed contacted the above department and everything is going nicely.

Enjoy your stay in Lithuania.

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Well, as a matter of perspective, when the decision is in your favour, the flexibility of government officials is very pleasant. Sean, for example, was given the five-year visa so he could stay with his kids by a Lithuanian wife.

On the other hand, when the decision is against you, such as making extra requirements in order to allow a certain document, this flexibility can be very unpleasant. This is why I usually do not handle such transactions directly but instead allow a native Lithuanian to intermediate on my behalf. They are much more likely to evoke the former rather than the latter modifications.

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True... kids will not only help out with your visa, but they'll even keep you out of jail. for a narcotics charge in Lithuania, too.

You don't need the ticket. Migracija already knows when someone enters because their passport is scanned on arrival, in Amsterdam, for example, and that information is stored.

But just because it is stored doesn't mean that people in Lithuania are going to hit a key on a keyboard when they can easily have you jumping through hoops, or shelling out a not insignificant amount of cash.

I would advise anyone to not try the patience of persons at migracija... you never know what might have been in a morning paper, or heard on the street.

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My wife has temporarily returned to the US. We are currently discussing the pros and cons of making the move official. I know I can travel to and from without nearly as much hassle as was the case in 1999, my first trip to Lithuania.

I was wondering though for the time being, if I stayed in Lithuania for say 88 days, then went to Latvia or Poland or somewhere else for a week or so, would I then be able to return to Lithuania and start another 90 day visit?

Until I get the permanent residence completely settled would this work?


Any thoughts would be appreciated

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Above all - be careful. The lithuanian Migracijos Department has great leeway in assisting you or hurting you. As far as my own experience, I had overstayed my 90 day time when I first applied for a yearly resident card, and they first told me that exiting to another Baltic Country to wait was not possible - This was completely reversed upon having a prominent Lithuanian citizen request for my stay. The Lithuanian Migracijos Department has the ability to allow you stay over the normal 90 days if they are in the process to get you a Resident Permit. If they don't like you - they will insist on you leaving, and not respect the time spent in another Baltic Country - If they are persuaded to - and this means perhaps money or gifts or an influential Lithuanian citizen, then they can do anything. Laws here in Lithuania are only for the poor - Anything can be accomplished with money and influence. I know this sounds cynical, but it is true.

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One misunderstanding here. You are allowed to stay in Lithuania 90 days out of every 180 and that does not mean you arrive 1 April and can leave 30 September. The 180 days starts when you arrive. The procedure you speak of was (and may still be) valid in other Central European countries like Poland. It has never been applicable here.

Rikmo mentions having to leave the Baltic States. This advice is quite possibly based on an error made in the Klaipeda office. The official here in Vilnius made no such restriction for my mother in 2006. But then we did not directly mention it. However it would be a violation of the national sovereignty of Latvia and Estonia to bar entry to these countries.

A prominent Lithuanian was deported a number of years ago for overstaying his visa, from Klaipeda, incidently. I tend to not test the limits. Then they are not doing me any favours by overlooking my error. (We won't mention taxes though.) The Migration Department has always been hard-nosed, but the last two times I had to avail myself of their services, they were very friendly and helpful, but then I am a Lithuanian citizen, have a Lithuanian last name, and have obviously (to their ears) made the effort to learn 'their' language. So I do get better treatment at many places. I cannot say what your luck will be. Recently the tax inspectorate bankrupted a noted brewery because they were 3 months behind in their taxes and hoping for a summer surge to catch up. Of course, judging from the 10 per cent occupancy at the hotels, maybe the gov't officials did them a favour.

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I believe that the 90 days in nine months applies to your stay in all of the Schengen zone, which now even includes Switzerland.

If you make some kind of "special arrangements" with Migration, be sure they're on paper. The person you work with may be one of those that likes to "drop by" your address to "remind" you of the favor that was done.

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I can't say much about Schengen, but the first site listed under Google, http://www.schengenvisa.cc/, does not list either Switzerland or Lithuania as active members, but according to Wikipedia, both are active members. Looks like the EU is not operating at optimum efficiency.

I checked the Migration Department website in English and LIthuanian and all I can find is 90 days out of SIX months, no reference to nine months.

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