Between the two world wars, tens of thousands of Lithuanians emigrated to Brazil, most of them to São Paulo. Their descendants are today one of the largest groups restoring Lithuanian citizenship. If your ancestor was a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania before June 15, 1940, you may be eligible too.
Lithuanians in Brazil
Official statistics record 24,982 emigrants from Lithuania to Brazil between 1920 and 1940 – second only to the United States. Many came in the late 1920s, when emigration routes shifted to South America; foreign shipping companies offered “free” passage that emigrants repaid with hard work on coffee plantations. Later, many moved to the city of São Paulo, where neighbourhoods such as Vila Zelina became centres of the Lithuanian community. According to official Lithuanian data, 560 Brazilian citizens had their Lithuanian citizenship reinstated in 2024. Read more about the history of Lithuanian emigration.
Can You Keep Your Brazilian Citizenship?
Lithuania allows dual citizenship for descendants of Lithuanian citizens who left before March 11, 1990, and Brazilian law allows Brazilians to hold another citizenship. See Lithuanian dual citizenship.
Brazilian Records That Help Your Case
- Full-content birth and marriage certificates (certidão de inteiro teor) from the civil registry office (cartório de registro civil) for every generation.
- Immigration records – arrival lists and immigrant registration records, for example from the Arquivo Nacional and, for São Paulo, the records of the former immigrants’ hostel kept by the Museu da Imigração.
- Naturalisation and foreigner registration records, which often state the person’s nationality.
- Documents brought from Lithuania – interwar passports were frequently kept by families.
Apostille in Brazil
Since August 14, 2016, Brazil applies the Hague Apostille Convention, and apostilles are issued by authorised notary and registry offices (cartórios) across the country. After the apostille, documents are translated into Lithuanian.
Typical Challenges for Brazilian Families
- Portuguese spellings of Lithuanian names – letters and endings were often adapted. Different spellings can usually be explained with additional records.
- Nationality recorded as “Russian” or “Polish” in some Brazilian records – the real citizenship has to be established from Lithuanian sources.
- Short-form certificates – for the application you will need full-content (inteiro teor) certificates.
How the Process Works
- Free assessment of your family history and documents.
- Archive search in Lithuania and collection of Brazilian records.
- Apostilles, translations and application to the Lithuanian Migration Department.
- Decision – typically 10–12 months.
Most cases can be handled remotely, in Portuguese or English. The total cost usually ranges from approximately 800 to 1,800 EUR.
Frequently Asked Questions
My great-grandparents arrived in São Paulo in the 1920s. Can I qualify?
Do I need a certidão de inteiro teor?
Do I need to speak Lithuanian?
Check Your Eligibility
Answer three quick questions below, or book a free 15-minute consultation. Tell us what you know about your Lithuanian ancestor and which documents your family already has – we will tell you whether your case looks viable and what to request next.
Check if you are eligible to reinstate Lithuanian citizenship
Answer 4 short questions about your Lithuanian ancestor and get a personal assessment with the next steps for your case.
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