Vilnius mayor launches petition to tighten language rules for long-term foreign residents

Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas has announced a month-long petition drive to push for stricter language requirements for non-EU residents staying in Lithuania long-term, state news agency ELTA reported Wednesday.

The proposed legal amendment would require non-EU nationals seeking to extend their residency beyond three years to demonstrate at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian. Currently, no such language requirement exists for long-term temporary residents, leaving “no real incentive to learn the language despite it being essential for successful integration,” according to the mayor’s statement.

Benkunskas argued that voluntary language courses—even high-quality ones—have failed to generate sufficient demand without a legal mandate. “I previously raised this issue with the minister but received no constructive response,” he said. “Perhaps the minister lacks public support for leadership on this, so we are mobilising citizens. Each signature will send a clear political signal about the need to revise current regulations.”

The city will collect signatures throughout May, both in person at various Vilnius locations and online via the Peticijos.lt platform. The initiative follows Vilnius City Council’s adoption of an integration action plan, which designates Lithuanian language training as a priority and allocates €4.3 million to support foreign residents, including 76,000 non-citizens—one in ten Vilnius inhabitants.

Surveys by the International House Vilnius relocation centre indicate that roughly one-third of the capital’s foreign-born residents do not speak Lithuanian at all.