The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania has recently announced that new amounts of state fees related to migration services were approved during the last government meeting.
The affected services by the fee increase include issuing and exchanging Lithuanian passports, identity cards, residence permit for foreigners, and other relevant documents, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
At the same time, there will be an increase in fees for the examination of applications for citizenship in Lithuania.
According to the Ministry, the recalculation of state fees is directly related to the expenses incurred for these services. The increase in state fees is attributed to higher wages for employees working in the Migration Department and the Center for Issuing Personal Documents under the Ministry of the Interior.
Due to the new changes, the state fee for issuing a personal identity card will slightly increase from €8.6 to €10, representing an increase of €1.40. The same stated that individual identity cards can be used as a means of electronic signature, making them an essential and flexible identification document.
The price of the personal identity card of €24.20 means that the previous state fee of €8.6 for issuing or changing the personal identity card is needed to fully cover the costs of providing this service.
Thus, the recent increase of the state fee to €10, which is an increase of €1.40, will close the gap between the actual costs incurred and the revenue generated by the price.
The fee for the issuance and exchange of a passport in the general procedure will also experience a slight change, increasing by €7.
Moreover, the authority noted that while there has been an increase in the state fees for issuing or replacing personal identity cards and passports, specific individuals may still be eligible for reduced prices or be exempted from paying the fee altogether.
These reduced fees or exemptions may apply to specific categories of individuals, such as socially vulnerable persons, senior citizens, students, or people with disabilities. In addition, the government of Lithuania often provides such benefits to ensure that these essential identification documents remain accessible to all segments of society, regardless of their financial circumstances.