I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. These rules regulate the order of accreditation of representatives (hereafter – representatives from foreign information production entities) from foreign public information production entities (hereafter - foreign information production entities) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (hereafter – the Ministry).
2. The Ministry accredits representatives from foreign information production entities that have been authorized by foreign information production entities, which they represent, to systematically inform the society about the events in the Republic of Lithuania.
3. The Ministry accredits representatives from foreign information production entities in accordance with the Law on Provision of Information to the Public of the Republic of Lithuania (The Official Gazette, 1996, No. 71-1706; 2006, No. 82-3254) and the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Right to Obtain Information from State and Local Government Institutions (The Official Gazette, 2000, No. 10-236; 2005, No. 139-5008) and other laws, regulating provision of the public information.
4. Concepts used in these rules correspond to the ones in the Law on Provision of Information to the Public of the Republic of Lithuania and other laws that are currently in force.
5. Accredited by the Ministry, representatives have equal rights with Lithuanian representatives to collect and disseminate information.
6. Representatives from foreign information production entities, who hold the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania and public information production entities that are registered in Lithuania and that produce information for foreign information production entities shall be accredited according to general procedures.
7. The order of participation of representatives from foreign information production entities in the international events that are organised in Lithuania (conferences, meetings and symposiums) is set by the organisers of these events. Representatives from foreign information production entities shall address the organisers of these events for a special accreditation.
8. Representatives from foreign information production entities, who are not accredited with the Ministry, and who wish to come to Lithuania and to take an interview from heads or other officials of the Ministry, to take videos or photographs in the premises of the Ministry, to take party in the press conferences that are organised by the Ministry, shall address the Press and Public Relations Division of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry (hereafter – the Press and Public Relations Division) for a onetime permit.
II. PROVISION OF ACCREDITATION
9. An accreditation is provided for a term of one year with a possibility to extend it.
10. In order to receive an accreditation, a representative from a foreign information production entity shall personally address a diplomatic mission or a consular post of the Republic of Lithuania, or a representation of the Republic of Lithuania to an international organisation. In case there is no diplomatic mission or a consular post of the Republic of Lithuania, or a representation of the Republic of Lithuania to an international organisation in the country of residence, or if the representative from a foreign information production entity resides in Lithuania, s/he can address the Press and Public Relations Division of the Ministry directly and submit the following documents by post or e-mail:
10.1. a request for accreditation printed on an original blank of the represented foreign information production entity and signed by its head. The application shall contain information on the character of the public information production entity, topics, fields of activities of the foreign information production entity, a desirable period for accreditation and place of residence of the representative from a foreign information production entity;
10.2. a filled-in accreditation form;
10.3. a national Press Card and its copy, issued by the national journalist union and/or the represented foreign information production entity.
10.4. two recent photographs (3x4); the photographs should have been taken within the past six months.
10.5. a passport or a copy of the identity card.
11. The Press and Public Relations Division may additionally request the representative from a foreign information production entity to submit:
11.1. publications on the Republic of Lithuania that were prepared during the latter year, their list or review.
11.2. a registration certificate of the represented foreign information production entity.
11.3 . an official letter of the diplomatic mission in Lithuania of the country, in which the foreign information production entity is registered, confirming that the represented entity is a public information production entity.
12. The Press and Public Relations Division of the Ministry makes a decision regarding the accreditation of a representative within 30 working days after receiving all the documents, as is specified in the subsections 10.1-10.5.
13. A representative from the foreign information production entity is considered accredited when his/her accreditation card is issued. The card shall include a photograph of the representative from the foreign information production entity, his/her first name and last name, the represented country with the headquarters of the foreign information production entity, its title, the title of the foreign information production entity, functions of the representative from the foreign information production entity, number of the card, the date of its issuance and the expiry date. The card is signed and sealed by the head of the Press and Public Relations Division.
14. While withdrawing the card, the representative shall submit his/her passport or the identity card.
15. For some events that are organised by the Ministry, special accreditation may be required. Information about such events can be found on the website of the MFA Press Centre: http://media.mfa.lt. There may be additional requirements for the special accreditation.
16. False information on the accreditation form may be grounds for not providing the accreditation.
III. EXTENSION OF ACCREDITATION
17. In compliance with an application of the foreign information production entity, the accreditation of its representative may be extended for a period of one year. In case the data requested in the accreditation form has not changed, the foreign information production entity submits an original application for an extension of accreditation to the Press and Public Relations Division, which shall be printed on an original blank of the represented foreign information production entity and signed by its head, one photograph and returns the invalid accreditation card. If requested by the Press and Public Relations Division, the representative from the foreign information production entity shall submit the publications that were prepared during the accreditation period, their list or review. The Press and Public Relations Division makes a decision regarding the extension of accreditation for the representative within 30 working days after receiving the application and informs the representative from the foreign information production entity about it.
18. In case it is found that the publications or reports prepared by the representative from the foreign information production entity include tendentious or distorted information on the Republic of Lithuania, and/or that there is false information on the accreditation form, the accreditation shall not be extended.
IV. TERMINATION AND END OF ACCREDITATION
19. Accreditation ends:
19.1. on the expiry of an accreditation card;
19.2. at the request of the foreign information production entity;
19.3. if the foreign information production entity is liquidated;
19.4. on suspension of labour relations between the representative from the foreign information production entity and his/her represented foreign information production entity;
19.5. if it is found that the representative from the foreign information production entity included false information on the accreditation form.
19.6. if it is found that the publications or reports prepared by the representative from the foreign information production entity include tendentious or distorted information on the Republic of Lithuania;
19.7 if the representative from the foreign information production entity violates the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Legal Status of Aliens and other laws of the Republic of Lithuania, or these rules.
20. information about an earlier termination of validity of an accreditation card is submitted to the representative from the foreign information production entity and institutions of a respective country: the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania, the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Migration Department of the Republic of Lithuania under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and the State Border Guard Service at the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania.
V. FINAL PROVISIONS
21. In case of loosing the accreditation card, the representative from the foreign information production entity shall inform the Press and Public Relations Division. A decision on issuing its duplicate is made within three working days after receiving of an application.
22. Disputes regarding the accreditation are arbitrated in compliance with the laws of the Republic of Lithuania. | 
