In emergency situations applications for asylum will be accepted only in designated locations

Press release,10 August 2021

The Seimas amended the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens (draft No XIVP-756) by stipulating that under certain circumstances applications for asylum may be lodged by aliens only in designated locations. This will allow managing the flow of illegal migration more effectively when martial law, a state of emergency, an emergency situation, or an emergency event caused by a mass influx of aliens is declared nationally.

The Law stipulates that, upon declaration of martial law, a state of emergency, an emergency situation, or an emergency event caused by a mass influx of aliens, applications for asylum may be lodged in the following designated locations:

(1) at border crossing points and in transit zones by filing an application to the State Border Guard Service;

(2) within the territory of the Republic of Lithuania in the case of legal entry into Republic of Lithuania by filing an application to the Migration Department;

(3) in a foreign state by filing an application to diplomatic missions or consular posts of the Republic of Lithuania specified by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The amendments establish that applications for asylum lodged in violation of the above procedure will be rejected by concurrently explaining the procedure applicable for lodging an application for asylum.

In view of vulnerability or other specific circumstances of individual aliens, the State Border Guard Service may, nevertheless, accept applications for asylum of individual aliens who have illegally crossed the state border of the Republic of Lithuania.

Applications for asylum lodged before the entry into force of this Law will be fully examined, and decisions on them will be taken in accordance with the provisions valid before the entry into force of the amendments.

The Law was adopted by 97 votes in favour with no votes against and 2 abstentions.

Saulė Eglė Trembo, Chief Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6203, e-mail: [email protected]