The Migration Department has started processing the first applications for temporary residence permits submitted by foreigners through an external service provider.

VFS Global, the world's largest outsourcing and technology company providing similar services to many governments and diplomatic missions, has been selected through a public procurement process.

As of 1 February, a total of 310 applications for temporary residence permits in Lithuania have been received through the external service provider since the beginning of the year. The first application was received in Turkey.

It is the latter country that has received the highest number of such applications so far - 63. "The VFS Global office in India received 51 applications, 37 in Nepal, 36 in the United Arab Emirates and 25 in Kyrgyzstan. 

In all cases, decisions on whether or not to issue a temporary residence permit will be taken by Migration Department specialists who will examine the authenticity and validity of the applications. This takes between 1 and 3 months.

The external service provider VFS Global is authorised to provide clients with information on the procedure for issuing temporary residence permits, to receive applications and the documents required to be submitted, to collect personal and biometric data, and to transmit them to the Migration Department specialists.

Such applications can be submitted in 34 countries worldwide.

Video instruction on how to submit  a request for a temporary residence permit via an external service provider could be found here: https://youtu.be/6p9b69XQpYc