Lithuanian Citizenship for South Africans

South Africa has one of the largest Lithuanian-descended communities in the world – above all the Litvak Jewish community, whose roots go back to Lithuanian towns and villages. If your ancestor was a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania before June 15, 1940, you may be able to restore Lithuanian citizenship and become a citizen of the European Union.

South Africans Restoring Lithuanian Citizenship

South Africa is one of the leading countries for Lithuanian citizenship reinstatement: according to official Lithuanian data, 706 South African citizens had their Lithuanian citizenship reinstated in 2024. Official statistics record 7,215 emigrants from Lithuania to South Africa between 1920 and 1940, and researchers believe the real number of Lithuanian Jews who settled there was considerably higher.

Can You Keep Your South African Citizenship?

On the Lithuanian side, descendants of Lithuanian citizens who left Lithuania before March 11, 1990 may hold dual citizenship. On the South African side, the Constitutional Court ruled in May 2025 that the automatic loss of South African citizenship upon voluntarily acquiring another citizenship (section 6(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act) is unconstitutional. Because the position in South Africa has changed recently, we recommend confirming your individual situation before you apply.

South African Records That Help Your Case

• Unabridged birth and marriage certificates from the Department of Home Affairs – the abridged versions do not show parents’ details and are usually not sufficient.
• Naturalisation certificates and immigration files. Many South African naturalisation certificates of the 1920s–1940s state the person’s former nationality. Records are held by the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (searchable through the NAAIRS database).
• Death notices and estate files, which often state the place of birth.
• Shipping and arrival records for ancestors who arrived via the UK or directly at Cape Town.

Foreign records like these can matter a great deal: in a case we analysed, the Supreme Court of Lithuania accepted a 1947 South African naturalisation certificate as indirect evidence of an ancestor’s Lithuanian citizenship.

Apostille in South Africa

South African public documents are apostilled by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Legalisation Section in Pretoria, or by the Registrar of the High Court. DIRCO only accepts unabridged civil status certificates, and processing can take several weeks to months, so it is worth starting early. After the apostille, documents are translated into Lithuanian.

Typical Challenges for South African Families

• Hebrew or Yiddish name forms that differ from the Lithuanian civil records.
• Ancestors who left Lithuania before 1918, when its territory was occupied by the Russian Empire (until 1915) and Germany (1915–1918) – such cases need careful analysis of whether citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania was ever acquired.
• Missing Lithuanian documents – the Lithuanian archives often hold interwar passports, birth records and residence registrations.

How the Process Works

1. Free assessment of your family history and documents.
2. Archive search in Lithuania and collection of South African records.
3. Apostilles, translations and application to the Lithuanian Migration Department.
4. Decision – typically 10–12 months – followed by your Lithuanian passport application.

The process can usually be organised remotely. The total cost usually ranges from approximately 800 to 1,800 EUR.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.