Again, we’re talking about changes in the law. How to become a self-employed person in the status of an asylum seeker? Is it possible and how does it work?
Enrolling a child in school when you don’t have a personal code is a complicated but real task. Political refugee Irina tells her story, what difficulties she faced, how a school director helped her to get into the student register and how they chose the way of intensive integration of the child.
Registration of cars for asylum seekers: Regitra has changed the rules and it is now possible to register a car with an asylum seeker card.
Since June 8, 2024, it is possible for asylum seekers to become self-employed. This form of employment is very popular and convenient for many people. However, in order to do so, you must first go through the process of registering in the tax registry and getting access to a VMI account.
How to obtain a taxpayer code and access your VMI account
Required documents:
- Alien’s registration card with a green stripe
- Copy of your passport (you will need an identification number from your passport)
First, you must visit a VMI office in person to register with the Registry of Taxpayers (MMR). You can make an appointment by clicking on the link. You will be helped to fill in the REG812 form, which you can of course find on the website and fill in yourself, but we do not recommend it as you may make a mistake.
Since asylum seekers do not have the opportunity to access the account through external systems, it is necessary to obtain resources to access the account. After filling in the form, you must apply for access to the VMI information systems. Your login and password for authorization will be sent to you by e-mail in a few days. Once logged in, you will find your tax number under your name on the top right and you will be able to use the functions of ManoVMI and other related services.
How to become self-employed
1. Recognize activity codes
Before starting, it is necessary to know the codes of economic activities. For this purpose, you can contact the Statistics Department. There are now 3 telephone numbers listed on the website:
- +370 689 76 725 (press 2)
- +370 649 34315
- +370 607 08239
You can also send an email to klasifikatoriai@stat.gov.lt, stating what you want to do, and a staff member will find the appropriate code or codes for you, if there are several. It is not possible to become self-employed without them.
2. Submit a request
It will not be possible to become self-employed through ManoVMI without a residence permit: the system will not allow you to submit the form and will indicate that you do not have a residence permit or that it has expired. Therefore, you will have to make another appointment and come to the VMI office to have an employee fill out the form for you.
You will be able to start your activities from the day you submit your request. The certificate itself will appear in your account within 5 working days. Sodra will receive the information that you have become self-employed within 3 working days and will send you the insurance code (Draudėjo kodas) by e-mail.
3. How to pay taxes and what kind of taxes?
General information: You can pay taxes in Sodra with “Draudėjo kodas”. However, in the first year you can take advantage of the exemption and not pay VSD (social insurance tax for Sodra). GPM (income tax for VMI) must be paid according to the general rules regardless of the status. You must pay directly to the institutions to their bank accounts, which can be found directly on their websites. You can ask VMI and Sodra staff for more information.
Nuances related to asylum seeker status: The problem lies in the PSD – health insurance tax. Asylum seekers cannot participate in the health insurance system unless they have a residence permit and a declaration of residence. That is why Sodra’s official response to our inquiry is that asylum seekers can choose not to pay the PSD. You can also ask an employee and make a note so that you will not be charged for the debt.
Contacts:
- VMI: +370 5 260 5060
- Sodra: +370 5 250 0883
Keeping a child educated while waiting to become a refugee
Irina, a political refugee, talked about the difficulties her family faced in enrolling their child in school while waiting for refugee status. We also talked about the importance of learning Lithuanian in order to pass the school exams, and the option of intensive integration they found for themselves.
Upon arriving in Lithuania, Irina’s family immediately began looking for ways to get their child into school as soon as possible. Along the way, they learned more and more nuances.
The first thing they faced was determining their status, as it was impossible to go to school on a C visa. The family decided to apply for asylum so their daughter could start school while they waited.
However, the problem was still not solved, as both the municipality and the schools pointed out the impossibility of registering the child in the student register. The administration also confused the legal status of an asylum seeker with that of a Ukrainian child. We will talk about the difference between these statuses in one of the next issues.
But at one point, the family was lucky because the director of one of the institutions was able to find a way to enroll the girl. She was able to begin her studies. After receiving refugee status, it was decided that she would attend the gymnasium of the Lithuanian House in Vilnius (Vilniaus lietuvių namų), because it provides intensive Lithuanian language learning. This is necessary both for passing exams and for integration in general.
Asylum seekers can now register their cars
Now asylum seekers from Belarus can re-register a car without a residence permit or a residence declaration. This is a temporary registration – for the period of validity of the asylum seeker’s card.
The legal department of the Lithuanian Red Cross applied to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Regitra, asking for help in solving the existing problem of impossibility of re-registration of cars by Belarusian applicants. As a result, the rules were changed and the problem was solved.
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