On May 12, 2024, a referendum on the retention of Lithuanian citizenship will be held in conjunction with the first round of the presidential election. Marius Gurskas, head of the Government’s Communications Department, speaks about the meaning and myths of the upcoming referendum.
The question of the referendum will be simple – whether people who have acquired Lithuanian citizenship by birth will be able to keep it if they acquire citizenship of another country friendly to Lithuania.
“We are certainly not saying that Lithuanian citizenship will be given to everyone. We are talking about the possibility to keep it for those who have it,” Gurskas told LRT TV.
According to him, there are various reasons why Lithuanians accept citizenship of another country.
“Most often those are family circumstances or when people leave for work or other reasons and have to make a choice [to acquire the citizenship of another country] to have better career prospects,” Gurskas said.
There have also been stories involving professional athletes.
“For example, a Lithuanian volleyball player was invited to play in the Olympics for the Italian national team. There was a dilemma about what to do. The person feels that she is a citizen of Lithuania, she loves Lithuania. Unfortunately, the current Constitution doesn’t allow to retain Lithuanian citizenship if a person acquires another country’s citizenship,” Gurskas noted.
According to the head of the Government’s Communications Department, the countries friendly to Lithuania include those belonging to the European Union, NATO, the European Economic Area, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
“Lithuania would not be the first EU country to offer this possibility of retaining citizenship. Of the 27 EU countries, 22 allow it. There are only five countries – Lithuania, Estonia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Austria – that do not allow citizens to also hold citizenship of another country,” Gurskas explained.
According to him, on average, about 1,000 Lithuanians lose their Lithuanian citizenship every year because they acquire the citizenship of another country.
Gurskas also pointed out that there are several myths surrounding the question of dual citizenship. Among the most popular ones are those about additional taxes or benefits.
“It would not create any additional privileges if dual citizenship was approved. In reality, both taxes and social benefits depend on the area where you live. We pay taxes on the income we earn in that country,” Gurskas said.
In 2019, a referendum was held in conjunction with the presidential election on the retention of Lithuanian citizenship, but there were not enough votes to adopt such a provision.
The Constitutional Court has clarified that only a referendum amending the Constitution can open up the possibility of dual citizenship if the citizenship of another country was acquired after the restoration of independence.
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