Official translation

Official translation Official translation THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA PASSPORT LAW 8 November 2001 No IX-590 Vilnius (As last amended on 20 June 2006 – No X-705) Article

1. Scope of the Law
2. This Law shall establish the purpose of a passport, the conditions of its issuance, change and validity, as well as data recorded in it.
3. The provisions of this Law have been harmonised with the legal acts of the European Union referred to in the Annex to this Law. Article
4. A Passport and its Purpose
5. A passport is a personal document of a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as a citizen), confirming his identity and citizenship, and designated for travelling to foreign countries.
6. It shall not be obligatory to possess a passport; it shall be issued at citizen's request. Article
7. Terms of Validity of a Passport
8. A passport issued to a citizen under 18 years of age shall be valid not longer than 5 years.
9. A passport issued to a citizen over 18 years of age shall be valid for a time period of 10 years. Article
10. Data Contained in the Passport The following data about a citizen shall be recorded in a passport according to the data of the central database of the Population Register of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as the Population Register): 1) name (names); 2) surname; 3) sex; 4) date of birth; 5) place of birth (the name of the State is entered); 6) personal number; 7) citizenship.
11. A passport must contain a facial image of a citizen and his signature. A citizen who is unable to sign as a result of his physical disability or because he is legally incapable, may be issued a passport which does not contain his signature.
12. The data referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article as well as the facial image and fingerprints of a citizen shall be recorded electronically in a passport. *Note. The provision of paragraph 3 regarding the data about a citizen and the recording of the citizen’s facial image electronically in a passport shall enter into force on 28 August 2006, and the provision of paragraph 3 on the recording of the citizen’s fingerprints in a passport shall enter into force not later than within 36 months after the establishment by the European Commission the technical specifications relating to the fingerprints. The provisions of paragraph 3 shall not apply to the passports issued prior to the date of entry into force of the specified provisions.
13. Beside the data specified in paragraph 1 of this Article, the following shall be recorded in the passport: 1) issue date; 2) the name of issuing institution; 3) expiry date.
14. Data in the passport shall be recorded in Lithuanian characters, and the name (names) and surname of a citizen - in accordance with the procedure established by legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, regulating the writing of names and surnames in personal documents. Article
15. Issuance and Change of a Passport
16. A passport shall, on the application of a citizen, be issued and changed by institutions authorised by the Minister of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as an authorised institution).
17. A citizen who resides in the Republic of Lithuania must appear in person for the issuance and change of a passport at an authorised institution in accordance with a place of residence recorded in the Population Register (hereinafter referred to as a place of residence). A legally incapable citizen shall apply for the issuance or change of a passport through his guardian or another legal representative, and a citizen who cannot appear in person because of his physical disability - through an authorised person.
18. A person who resides in a foreign country, must appear in person for the issuance or change of a passport to an appropriate diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Lithuania in the foreign country (hereinafter referred to as a consular post of the Republic of Lithuania), or directly to an authorised institution. The procedure for submitting documents pertaining to the issuance and change of a passport to consular posts of the Republic of Lithuania, forwarding such documents to an authorised institution and handing in to a citizen shall be established by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as the Minister of Foreign Affairs).
19. A passport shall be issued or changed for a citizen under 18 years of age on the application of one of the parents (foster parents) or a guardian (curator) of the child. If the parents of a child are divorced, a passport shall be issued or changed on the application of one of the parents (foster parents) with whom a child's residence is determined. Taking into consideration the interests of the child, a passport may be issued or changed without such application, through the mediation of a State institution for the protection of the children's rights.
20. A passport may be changed if: 1) a person has changed the data specified in subparagraphs 1-6 of paragraph 1 of Article 4 of this Law; 2) it is no longer fit for use; 3) passport pages designated for visas are full; 4) its term of validity expires; 5) it contains inaccurate information; 6) at citizen's request.
21. When submitting documents regarding the change of a passport, a citizen must submit his most recent passport. Upon the verification of the data, the said passport shall be returned to him.
22. A new passport shall be picked up by the citizen or a person authorised by him. If a passport is picked up by a person authorised by the citizen, he shall present a document confirming his identity, and an authorisation, and if a passport is picked up by a guardian or another legal representative of a legally incapable citizen, he must present the documents confirming the above mentioned circumstances and his identity.
23. In claiming a new passport, a citizen must submit his most recent passport. It shall be marked as invalid and returned to the citizen or a person authorised by him, and if a citizen is legally incapable - to his guardian or another legal representative. If the invalid passport, which is being returned, should be refused, it shall be destroyed in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of the Interior regarding the issuance, change, declaration of invalidity and destruction of passports.
24. In the event of loss or theft of a passport, the citizen must report the loss or theft to the police or an authorised institution according to his place of residence, or an appropriate consular post of the Republic of Lithuania. The lost or stolen passport shall be declared invalid. A new passport shall be issued to the citizen at his request.
25. If a passport is lost or stolen, is no longer fit for use or its term of validity expires while a citizen is temporarily staying in a foreign country, an appropriate consular post of the Republic of Lithuania may issue a document permitting him to return to the Republic of Lithuania, or a document permitting him to continue travelling, if the citizen does not possess another valid travel document. The form of such documents and the procedure of issuance thereof shall be established by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
26. A person who finds a passport of another citizen must deliver it to the police or an authorised institution.
27. An authorised institution shall issue or change a passport not later than within one month of the receipt of the documents.
28. State fees or consular duties at the rate prescribed by the Government shall be charged for the issuance or change of a passport. Article
29. Invalid Passport
30. A passport becomes invalid upon the expiry of the term of its validity, declaration of its invalidity or the death of a citizen.
31. A passport shall be declared invalid if: 1) it has belonged to a person who has lost the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania; 2) it has been lost or stolen; 3) it has been changed on the grounds established in paragraph 5 of Article 5 of this Law; 4) it has failed to be claimed by the citizen within one year from the day of its issuance; 5) certain circumstances have come to light owing to which it may not have been issued; 6) it has been forged.
32. A person who has lost the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as a person, upon the issuance of the passport to whom, certain circumstances have come to light owing to which he may not have been issued the passport, must return the passport to an authorised institution or an appropriate consular post of the Republic of Lithuania. The consular post of the Republic of Lithuania shall forward the returned passport to the authorised institution, which issued it.
33. The passport of a deceased person shall be returned to the civil registrar's office according to the place of residence or death, or to an appropriate consular post of the Republic of Lithuania, and the said institutions shall forward the passport to the authorised institution which issued it.
34. An passport shall be declared invalid in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of the Interior regarding the issuance, change and declaration of invalidity and destruction of passports. Article
35. Seizure of a Passport
36. Upon having determined that a citizen uses the passport of another citizen or is availing himself of the use of the passport which has been declared invalid on the grounds laid down in subparagraphs 1, 2, 5 and 6 of paragraph 2 of Article 6 of this Law, the police or another law enforcement institution and, if the citizen happens to stay abroad, - a consular post of the Republic of Lithuania must seize it and forward it to the authorised institution which issued it.
37. The police or another law enforcement institution or the court shall seize the passport of an arrested citizen, also a citizen sentenced to imprisonment or the one who is subject to an administrative arrest, provided that such passport was issued. The passport shall be returned to the citizen who is released from arrest, paroled from the place of confinement, served his sentence or whose administrative arrest has been concluded.
38. It shall be prohibited to seize a passport of a citizen, except in cases specified by this or other laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Article
39. Liability Persons who violate this Law shall be held liable in accordance with the procedure established by laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Article
40. Coming into Force and Implementation of the Law
41. This Law shall come into force on 1 January
43. The Law on the Implementation of the Passport Law shall establish the procedure of implementation of this Law. I promulgate this Law passed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC VALDAS ADAMKUS Annex to the Republic of Lithuania Passport Law LEGAL ACTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IMPLEMENTED BY THE PASSPORT LAW Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 of 13 December 2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States.