Family Reunification for Beneficiaries of International Protection and Reimbursement of Expenses

Foreign nationals who have been granted asylum in Lithuania are entitled to family reunification. The Reception and Integration Agency (hereinafter referred to as the Agency) hereby informs that expenses incurred by a foreign national or their family members in connection with the issuance of a residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania for the purpose of family reunification may only be reimbursed if the competent authorities of the Republic of Lithuania officially decide to issue the residence permit.

If a residence permit is granted on the grounds of family reunification, the foreign national may apply to the Agency for the reimbursement of incurred expenses.

The Agency may reimburse the following expenses:

• Flight tickets from the place of residence to the country Hosting the external service provider of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (currently VFS Global), including return travel;
• Flight tickets from the country of residence to the Republic of Lithuania;
• Accommodation expenses in the locality of the external service provider (currently VFS Global) during scheduled appointments or on an official visit and while waiting for documents;
• Administrative fees charged by external service providers;
• State fees for the processing of applications and documents;
• DNA testing costs to establish kinship, provided such tests were necessary;
• Other related costs (such as visa fees), the eligibility for reimbursement of which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The following documents must be submitted along with the application:

• a signed application for the reimbursement of expenses incurred;
• a copy of the applicant’s identity;
• copies of the residence permits for the family members with whom reunification is sought;
• a copy of the residence permit issued on the grounds of family reunification;
• supporting financial documents:
• flight tickets and boarding passes;
• accommodation invoices and/or receipts;
• administrative fee receipts;
• invoices;
• bank statements (for payment made by bank transfer or payment card);
• other expense-related documents (if applicable);
• a written consent if the funds are requested to be transferred to the bank account of a close relative.

A free-form reimbursement application must be sent by e-mail to [email protected].

Please note that, after assessing the eligibility, validity, and traceability of the submitted supporting documents, the Agency reserves the right to reject the reimbursement of all or part of the expenses.Expenses deemed eligible for reimbursement may be paid only into a bank account registered in the Republic of Lithuania belonging to the applicant or their close relative.

The reimbursement amount will be paid only upon the submission of the originals of all the documents listed above. The originals can be delivered in person to the Agency's reception centres on business days or sent by registered mail to the address A. Jaroševičius st. 10 B., Vilnius, LT-02112, Vilnius City Municipality.

The Agency will review the application within 20 business days of the date of receipt of all necessary documents. In the event of inaccuracies or missing information, the applicant will be contacted for clarification.

The reimbursement of family reunification expenses for beneficiaries of international protection is funded by the project “Improvement of Reception Conditions” No. PMIF-1.06-V-01, implemented by the Reception and Integration Agency and co-financed by the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund for the 2021–2027 period.