Functions and responsibilities

What cases are heard in Vilnius Regional Administrative Court?

The jurisdiction of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court is established by the Law on Administrative Proceedings as well as other legal acts regulating investigation of complaints on decisions in special spheres of public administration. Just like other administrative courts of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius Regional Administrative Court deals with disputes arising from administrative legal relations. The court also investigates complaints on resolutions in cases of violations of administrative law that were investigated by state authorised officials.
It is not assigned to hear cases on disputes in the field of civil and criminal law, on conformity to the Constitution of laws and Government resolutions; it is not assigned to investigate activities of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, of the Parliament, of the members of Parliament, of the Prime Minister, of the Government as a collegial authority, of other courts; actions of judges, prosecutors, interrogators, court bailiffs related to jurisdiction or investigation of cases and execution of decisions.
Vilnius Regional Administrative Court is hearing cases when a defendant is a local municipal or territorial state governance establishment the registered office of which is in the coverage area of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court and also when a defendant is a central state governance establishment irrespective of whether its registered office is in the coverage area of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court (additional court‘s jurisdiction), relating to:
• legality of individual administrative acts and actions adopted by state and municipal administrative subjects (e.g. ministries, departments, inspectorates, services, commissions and other central or territorial state and municipal establishments), and legality and validity of refusals to perform actions assigned within the competence of such subjects or delay of performing such actions;
• indemnification of material and non-material (moral) damage which was caused by illegal actions of state or local municipal establishment, institution, service and their officials or by inaction in the field of public administration;
• payment, refund or recovery of taxes, other mandatory payments, duties, application of financial sanctions;
• office-related disputes - when on of the parties is a state or municipality official having authorisation of public administration;
• according to complaints on a decision of polling district committee or a decision of polling area referendum committee relating to mistakes made in a voter list or in a list of citizens having the right to take part in a referendum;
• decisions of administrative disputes commissions of municipalities, counties, the Chief Administrative Disputes Commission and other institutions in the events of advance extrajudicial investigation of disputes provided by the law; also cases according to requests to ensure the execution of decisions made by administrative disputes commissions;
• legality of normative administrative acts adopted by territorial or municipal administrative subjects;
• according to statements of the Seimas ombudsmen with reference to the Law on the Seimas Ombudsmen;
• according to statements of municipality boards on infringement of their rights when respondents are central or territorial state governance subjects;
• according to statements of the Government representative on acts of local municipal establishments and their officials that are against the Constitution and laws, on non-compliance of laws and Government resolutions, on legality of acts and actions infringing the rights of residents and organisations;
• according to statements when disputes arise between public administration subjects non-dependant upon each other on competence or on violation of a law regulating administrative relations;
• according to complaints of foreigners on refusal to issue permits of residence or work in Lithuania or on annulment of such permits, also complaints on refugee status.
Vilnius Regional Administrative Court exclusively as a court of the first instance investigates cases (additional jurisdiction) where a claimant or defendant is a central administrative subject (Department of Customs, the Ministry of Interior, etc.), except cases on legality of normative administrative acts adopted by central administrative subjects.
Vilnius Regional Administrative Court as a court of the first instance also investigates complaints (requests) on decisions made by the Chief Administrative Disputes Commission, the Commission on Tax Disputes and in the events provided by the law on decisions made by institutions by the procedure of advance extrajudicial investigation of disputes.
Vilnius Regional Administrative Court investigates complaints on resolution to imposing administrative penalty in a case on violation of administrative law only when resolutions were adopted by officials whose service registered office is in the coverage area of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court.

Coverage Area

In cases on administrative disputes where one of the parties is local municipal or territorial state governance subjects and in cases on violations of administrative law the coverage area of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court covers:
Territories of Druskininkai city, Vilnius city, Visaginas city, Ignalina district, Molėtai district, Trakai district, Šalčininkai district, Širvintai district, Švenčionys district, Ukmergė district, Varėna district, Vilnius district and Zarasai district.
In cases on administrative disputes according to additional jurisdiction of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court and when one of the parties is a central state governance establishment, the coverage area of Vilnius Regional Administrative Court covers the whole territory of the Republic of Lithuania.