Can I appeal a negative decision?

Please note that currently there is a state of emergency in Lithuania. This means that there are special rules and deadlines in the asylum procedure that may affect your case. For more information, we advise you to consult your lawyer.

If your asylum application is rejected, you have the right to appeal to the Regional Administrative Court. For this procedure, you can request a free lawyer if you cannot afford to pay a lawyer.

Note that during the state of emergency in Lithuania, you can only appeal within 7 days after the decision rejecting your asylum application is notified to you. When the state of emergency is over, the general limit is 14 days and, in some cases, 7 days. We advise you to consult your lawyer if you have any questions about the time limit that applies in your case.

While the state of emergency continues, in the appeal, you should also ask to stay in Lithuania until you receive the decision in your appeal if you want to continue staying in Lithuania while you wait for an answer to your appeal.

The Regional Administrative Court can either require the Migration Department to make a new decision in your case or confirm the decision made by the Migration Department that had rejected your application. If the Regional Administrative Court confirms the decision, you can still appeal the judgment to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania within 14 days from the day the judgment was published.

If your appeal is unsuccessful at all stages, you will have to leave Lithuania. The International Organization for Migration provides support for Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration; you can contact them if you require assistance to return to your home country.

For more information regarding the asylum procedure in Lithuania, please visit the websites of the Migration Department and the Lithuanian Red Cross, which contains information in English/Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Kurmanji (Badini), Kurmanji, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Sorani, Tamil and Urdu.


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