Contents List of Abbreviations................................................................................................................................................6 Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................................................7 1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................8 1.1 Executive summary............................................................................................................................................9 1.2 Statelessness across the globe.................................................................................................................... 10 1.2.1 Defining “a stateless person”....................................................................................................................... 10 1.2.2 Causes of statelessness................................................................................................................................. 11 1.2.3 Consequences of statelessness.................................................................................................................. 12 1.3 The international and regional legal framework................................................................................... 12 2. The face of statelessness in Lithuania................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................... 14 2.1.1 Historical background................................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 National legal framework............................................................................................................................. 18 2.2 An overview of the stateless population in Lithuania.......................................................................... 19 2.2.1 Introduction (specifics on the data used)................................................................................................. 19 2.2.2 The target population................................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.2.1 Groups covered by administrative data........................................................................................... 22 2.2.2.2 Groups not covered by administrative data................................................................................... 29 2.3 Qualitative analysis of the situation of stateless persons.................................................................. 30 2.3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... 30 2.3.2 Procedural issues............................................................................................................................................ 32 2.3.3 Obstacles to travel.......................................................................................................................................... 35 2.3.4 Stateless persons’ wishes to acquire Lithuanian citizenship............................................................... 36 2.3.5 The situation of children born in Lithuania with a lack of nationality............................................... 38 2.3.6 Hopes and expectations for the future..................................................................................................... 39 2.4 Conclusions and recommendations.......................................................................................................... 40 3. Determination of statelessness and rights attached to the status....................................... 42 3.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................... 42 3.2 National legal framework............................................................................................................................. 43 3.3 Statelessness determination procedure or other procedures in which statelessness status can be determined............................................................................................................................. 44 4 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