The exam on the fundamentals of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania is one of two state exams that most foreigners must pass before they can apply for a permanent residence permit or for Lithuanian citizenship. It has a fixed format, a modest fee and a clear syllabus, so with a couple of weeks of focused practice it is passed by the majority of candidates on the first attempt. This guide collects the practical facts in one place: who has to sit the exam, how registration works, what happens on the day and how you get the certificate.
Who has to take the exam
The requirement comes from two laws. The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens lists the Constitution exam among the conditions for a permanent residence permit (leidimas nuolat gyventi), which a foreigner can apply for after five years of continuous legal residence on temporary permits. The Law on Citizenship lists the same exam among the conditions for naturalisation, together with ten years of legal residence, a lawful source of income and the state language exam.
The exam is the same in both cases and the certificate is issued once. If you passed it for permanent residence, you do not have to take it again for citizenship: the certificate has no expiry date.
Some groups are exempt on the grounds of age or health. For citizenship the Law on Citizenship names persons who have reached 65 years of age, persons with an established 0–55 % working capacity, persons of pension age with a severe or moderate level of special needs, and persons with severe chronic mental disorders. The rules for permanent residence follow a similar logic. Because these lists change and the Migration Department decides each case individually, check your own situation on migracija.lt before you register.
Who organises it
The exam is administered by the National Agency for Education (Nacionalinė švietimo agentūra, NŠA) under a programme approved jointly by the Minister of Education and the Minister of Justice. It is held in so-called base schools (bazinės mokyklos) in every municipality: ordinary gymnasiums and adult education centres that host the computer-based test on scheduled dates.
How to register
For permanent residence and citizenship purposes registration goes through MIGRIS, the Migration Department's online system at migracija.lt. You need a Lithuanian e-signature method to log in: Smart-ID, mobile signature or e-banking.
- Log in to MIGRIS and open the "Egzaminai" (Exams) section.
- Press "Rezervuoti egzaminą" (Reserve an exam) and choose "Konstitucijos pagrindai".
- Pick the base school. You can only sit the exam in the municipality where you live, study or work; if the nearest school has no free places, choose another school in the same municipality.
- Select a date and time and confirm the reservation.
- Press "Atlikti mokėjimą" (Make a payment) and pay online. Candidates who have not paid are not included in the list of examinees.
Registration closes 15 calendar days before the exam date. Reserve early: popular centres in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda fill up weeks ahead.
Fee
According to the NŠA memo for candidates, the Constitution fundamentals exam costs 21 €. The state language exam costs 57 €. The fee is paid per attempt and is not refunded if you fail or do not show up.
Exam format
The programme fixes the format precisely:
- 20 questions, each with three answer options and exactly one correct answer.
- The exam is written and taken on a computer at the base school.
- You pass with 14 or more correct answers (70 %).
- The questions are drawn from all chapters of the Constitution according to the fourteen topic groups of the official programme: the State of Lithuania, the individual and the State, society and the State, the national economy and labour, the Seimas, the President, the Government, the Constitutional Court, the courts, local self-government, finances and the budget, State Control, foreign policy and national defence, and amending the Constitution.
- Candidates who cannot take a written exam for objective reasons, for example a disability, may take it orally on the same programme.
The time allocated is generous: candidates report about 60 minutes, and most finish in 15–25 minutes. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank.
The exam is in Lithuanian only. The questions use the wording of the Constitution itself, which is why practising with the original Lithuanian text next to a translation matters more than memorising facts in your own language.
What to bring
An identity document: a passport or a residence permit card. Phones and notes are not allowed at the workstation. Arrive 15 minutes early, as the invigilators check identity and seat candidates before the session starts.
Language exam first or Constitution first?
The NŠA memo states that a candidate who has not passed the state language exam cannot take the Constitution exam. In practice most people book the language exam first and the Constitution exam on a later date, or on the same day after the language test. Some 2026 sources report that MIGRIS now allows booking in any order; check what the system offers when you reserve.
Exam dates in 2026
The NŠA publishes the annual schedule in December for the following year. For 2026 the Constitution fundamentals exam sessions were scheduled on 13 February, 30 April, 9 July, 24 September, 10 November and 8 December. Dates and times can differ between municipalities and can be moved, so always confirm the date shown in MIGRIS when you reserve.
Results and certificate
Results are known no later than 12 working days after the exam; in most centres the computer shows the score immediately and the base school confirms it by phone. The certificate is printed by the NŠA and handed out by the school where you sat the exam, usually within one to two weeks. You then upload or present it with your application for a residence permit or citizenship.
If you fail
There is no limit on retakes. You reserve a new date in MIGRIS, pay the fee again and try at the next session, typically six to eight weeks later. Because the exam draws random questions from the whole syllabus, a second attempt after targeted revision of your weak topics usually succeeds.
How to prepare
The syllabus is the Constitution itself: 154 articles in 14 chapters plus the preamble. Read it once in your language to understand the structure, then work through practice questions in Lithuanian with a translation, so that you recognise the legal vocabulary the real test uses: Seimas, Respublikos Prezidentas, Vyriausybė, Konstitucinis Teismas, referendumas, neliečiamybė, apkalta. Focus on numbers and procedures, which make up most of the questions: how many members the Seimas has, for how long the President is elected, who appoints judges, how the Constitution is amended. The Konstitucijos testas app follows exactly this structure with 350+ questions in the fourteen sections of the programme and a simulator that reproduces the 20-question, 14-to-pass format.
This article is a practical summary and not legal advice. Fees, dates and exemptions are set by the NŠA and the Migration Department and can change; verify them on nsa.smsm.lt and migracija.lt before you register.