registered in church records, but this is not enough to prove descent for the purposes of restoration of citizenship. To cross-reference this information, the researcher also interviewed two Roma persons reportedly of Lithuanian descent who are citizens of Belarus and of the Russian Federation, residing in the enclave of Kaliningrad.123 They had attempted to restore their Lithuanian citizenship, as they are both descendants of Lithuanian Roma families. There were no records of their parents and grandparents in the national archive. The Lithuanian authorities did not accept church records from Lithuania of their respective parents’ birth on its territory. 2.3.3 Obstacles to travel The issue of obstacles with regard to travelling abroad, including to the country of origin or previous residence, was raised by eight out of the nineteen participants. The short validity of the Stateless Person’s Travel Document, the high fees charged for it, as well as the requirement of visas to travel to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the UK where some of the interviewee’s families resided, was often quoted as the major problem caused by statelessness. Other participants, like A.N. whose case is described in the previous section, were frustrated by the inability to seek employment abroad given the levels of unemployment in Lithuania. CASE STUDY124 N., male, 67 years old Country of birth: Ukraine N. says his only problem being stateless is travelling back to Ukraine to visit his family. When his mother died several years ago, he was almost late for the funeral because he had to arrange the visa. “My daughter helps me with everything. We had to wake up very early and go to the embassy in Vilnius. I am too old to do this on my own. Lithuanian citizens do not need a visa, when we go to visit the relatives, my whole family could just get into the car and drive, but I always become a problem.” CASE STUDY125 V.S., female, 52 years old Country of birth: Belarus Many times throughout the interview, V.S. insists she has not had any problems due to the fact that she has been stateless, except for the fact that she needs a visa for Belarus: “I think this is a problem for everyone. It takes time, money… I constantly need to apply for one and pick it up in Vilnius. I have family in Belarus, I will be travelling there all my life. This is definitely a problem.” V.S. is currently going through the process of acquiring citizenship through naturalization. She should become a citizen soon, and is particularly excited about being able to travel back to Belarus with fewer restrictions. Becoming a Lithuanian citizen of Belarusian nationality, she will be eligible for visas free of charge: “ Now that I will have the document, I will be able to travel freely. I will feel more confident in life.” 123 L.M. and A.A., interviewed on 14 September 2012 by phone. 124 Interviewed on 10 September 2012. 125 Interviewed on 24 August 2012. U N H C R S TO C K H O L M , M AY 2 0 1 6 35