Citizens of Russia and Belarus, wishing to obtain a visa to stay in Lithuania, will have to answer the questionnaire on their position on the Ukrainian war, writes the Lithuanian media LRT extension.
According to the Lithuanian Migration Service, questions about the war in Ukraine will have to be answered by citizens of Russia and Belarus, but can also be included in interviews of citizens of other countries. The application will not be accepted if these questions are not answered or are incomplete; answers about the war in Ukraine will be the determining factor for issuing or refusing a visa.
Evelina Gudzinskaitė, head of the Migration Service, said:
“A foreigner who wants to stay in Lithuania must be honest and open when answering questions. He must demonstrate that he is ready to collaborate with the country that welcomes him and allows him to stay on its territory”.
The addition of further questions was initiated by the Lithuanian Interior Ministry and the State Security Service. The questionnaire includes questions on education, work experience, military service, cooperation partners in business, contacts with institutions that are not located in the European Union, as well as attitudes towards the war in Ukraine.
The questionnaire will have to be completed by all citizens of Russia and Belarus who are over 18 years of age and will apply for a temporary residence permit or visa, or wish to extend them. As Grudzinskaite pointed out, the questionnaire will serve as an additional filter to identify people who pose a threat to Lithuania’s security.
Between January and November 2022, 3,415 and 1,250 temporary residence permits were issued to Russian citizens in Lithuania. Last year, in the same period, 2,062 temporary and 1,572 extended residence permits were issued.
On the other hand, citizens of Belarus received 22,890 temporary residence permits this year and another 5,127 people had their period of residence extended.
After Moscow’s violent invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania decided not to issue tourist visas to Russian citizens. Subsequently, it was decided that tourist visas issued elsewhere in the Schengen area will also be recognized as invalid in Lithuania.
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