only those stateless persons who hold permanent residence permits or who otherwise have a right of lawful
residence.
The discrepancy in the numbers provided by the two departments is difficult to explain. In the view of the
researcher, the most plausible explanation is related to residence abroad. In 2011, 4,453 stateless persons
held a residence permit issued by the Government of Lithuania according to the Migration Department. Of
those, the Statistics Department estimates that only 3,500 persons had declared their place of residence
in Lithuania; the remaining persons may have declared their residence abroad or had not declared it at all.
Yet, the 2011 population census revealed only 2,400 stateless persons who factually lived in Lithuania –
the estimated 900 persons who were included in the annual population statistics, but were not registered
during the population census, probably do not actually live in Lithuania but have never declared their
residence abroad. It is also possible that the population census did not reach all stateless persons residing
in the country. Further research into the issue is crucial in order to correctly estimate the total number of
stateless persons in Lithuania.
There is reliable statistical data on stateless asylum-seekers in Lithuania published by the Division of Asylum
Affairs of the Migration Department. However, there are no guidelines in the law as to how an asylum
applicant is to be registered as “stateless.” In practice, his or her claim to statelessness is presumed to be true
if it is coherent and does not contradict established facts.83 In cases where the asylum applicants cannot
provide documentary evidence of their claims, their claim is presumed to be true provided it is coherent.84
Information on the country of origin is also taken into account.
There have been 135 asylum applications submitted by stateless persons in Lithuania since 1997. Since
2008, most of the stateless asylum-seekers have reported their national origin or ethnic identity to be
Chechen, Armenian, Yezidi (Yazidi), Kurdish, or Russian.85 In 2011, seven stateless persons applied for asylum
in Lithuania.86 In 2012, the figure was 13.87 All were young men between the ages of 18 and 34.88 In the
period 1997 to 2013, seven stateless persons were granted either refugee status or subsidiary protection.
Figure 1: Stateless asylum seekers in Lithuania (1997-2011)89
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1997
24
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
83
Interview with representatives of the Migration Department, 7 August 2012; interview with representatives of the Lithuanian
Red Cross Society, 7 August 2012.
84
Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, Article 83 (2).
85
Lithuania, Division of Asylum Affairs of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, Annual Report 2008, Vilnius, 2008,
p. 35; Lithuania, Division of Asylum Affairs of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, Annual Report 2009, Vilnius,
2009, p. 15; Lithuania, Division of Asylum Affairs of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, Annual Report 2010,
Vilnius, 2010, p. 21; Lithuania, Division of Asylum Affairs of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, Annual Report
2011, Vilnius, 2011, p. 23.
86
Ibid p. 23.
87
Lithuania, Division of Asylum Affairs of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, Annual Report 2012, Vilnius, 2013, p.
24.
88
Ibid, p. 23.
89
Lithuania, Division of Asylum Affairs of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior, Annual Report 2008, Vilnius, 2008;
Annual Report 2009, Vilnius, 2009; Annual Report 2010, Vilnius, 2010; Annual Report 2011, Vilnius, 2011.
M A P P I N G S TAT E L E S S N E S S I N L I T H UA N I A