What happens after I apply for asylum?

Step 1 – Registration

After registration, you will receive a certificate indicating that you have filed an asylum application and a foreigner’s registration card. It is important that you keep these documents in a safe place and that you always carry a copy of them with you. The Migration Department will proceed with the assessment of your asylum application. The Migration Department will initiate the procedure, which generally takes up to 6 months.

After your application has been registered, you will have asylum-seeker status until a final decision is made. In special cases (for example, if authorities need to verify your identity or to prevent absconding), the court may authorize your detention. In some situations (for example, if Lithuania is under a state of emergency), you may also be required to stay in closed accommodation sites pending the result of your asylum application).

As an asylum-seeker, you are allowed to work only if the decision on your asylum application has not been issued within 6 months.

Step 2 – Interview

You will be given the opportunity to explain the reasons for seeking asylum in Lithuania during an individual interview. The asylum interview is a very important step in the asylum procedure. During the interview, you have an opportunity to provide as much information as possible in support of your asylum application and present all available documents in support of your asylum claim. It is important to give a full account of what had happened to you and what you fear if you are returned to your country of origin.

Before, during and after the interview, you can provide documents and other evidence to support your asylum story. You can also send these documents by e-mail to the Migration Department to [email protected]  (you should indicate your ILTU number in the e-mail, this code may appear on documents issued by Lithuanian authorities in your case; if you need help to identify your ILTU number, ask for help to the staff of your accommodation centre).

All the information you provide during your application for asylum (documents, records during asylum interview with you) will not be shared by the Lithuanian authorities with your home country or anyone else. If you need an interpreter, you can request one.

Step 3 – Decision


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