On Wednesday, October 22, an updated list of foreign countries where foreigners can submit applications for temporary residence permits or national visas through external service provider offices comes into effect.

Starting from that date, external service provider offices in Albania, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, and Venezuela will be closed, while new offices will open in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

These changes have been implemented following an assessment of feedback from employers, higher education institutions, and other societal groups during public consultations, as well as conclusions from competent state institutions.

Upon the entry into force of the new edition of the Minister of the Interior's order, applications for temporary residence permits in Lithuania or national visas will be accepted by the offices of the external service provider "VFS Global," operating in 30 countries worldwide.

These are: Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, the Philippines, Ghana, India, Israel, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa, Georgia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Typically, applications to external service provider offices for all grounds of temporary residence permits in Lithuania and national visas can only be submitted by citizens of the country where the external service provider office is located.

However, this provision will not apply in Azerbaijan, Ghana, and Mongolia—these countries' citizens will be able to apply for temporary residence permits in Lithuania only in cases where they seek to arrive on the basis of family reunification, intend to work in high-skilled positions, or are invited to study at Lithuanian higher education and research institutions under approved study programs, including doctoral studies.

Applications may also be submitted in another country in cases where a foreigner is being transferred within a company, or intends to arrive in Lithuania as a lecturer or researcher under an employment contract with a higher education and research institution, or is traveling to Lithuania to a major investor or on the basis of collective relocation under the provisions of the Law on Investments.

The same restrictions for applicants seeking temporary residence permits have already been introduced and remain in force in India. Additionally, in this country, it will continue to be impossible to submit applications for the issuance of a Lithuanian national visa.

The conditions for submitting applications remain unchanged for citizens of Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea—they will continue to be able to submit applications for temporary residence permits in Lithuania or national visas at any external service provider office.

Starting from October 22, certain technical changes will also be implemented in reserving visits to external service provider offices.

Previously, this could be done on the "VFS Global" website, but starting Wednesday, the date and time for a visit to an external service provider office can be reserved exclusively through the Lithuanian Migration Information System (MIGRIS) environment on the website www.migracija.lt.

After logging into your personal MIGRIS account, check the status of your submitted application. If you see the message "Submitted to the external service provider," you can click the "Book a visit" button and select the external service provider office along with a suitable visit time.