Lithuania
Lithuania · Europe (EU) · updated 19.08.2026
A growing EU fintech and tech hub with a relatively affordable cost of living and easy pet imports. Held back by an effective ban on dual citizenship, a 10-year naturalisation period with a Lithuanian exam, the suspension of the Startup Visa for applicants from a number of countries, a cold climate and a border location.
Some descriptions for this country are still Russian only: 86% translated. Numbers, prices and timelines are complete.
Entry
Entry rules depend on citizenship. Choose a passport to see the requirement for that one.
Work and visas
- Salary in IT
- $ 34 140 – $ 75 108
- Median
- $ 51 210
- Visa speed
- Work residence usually takes up to several months; the Startup Visa has two stages (an online assessment plus a residence application)
- Degree required
- no
- Language at work
- B1–B2, international teams; Lithuanian is usually not needed for work
- Changing employer
- At the initial stage residence is tied to the employer; a change requires a new permit or notification
Visa types: EU Blue Card · National D visa / residence for work · Startup Visa
Employers: Nord Security (NordVPN), Vinted, Revolut (the Vilnius hub), Wise, Uber / Booking.com / PwC (BPO centres)
Long-term visas and residence permits
Temporary residence permit for a person entitled to restore Lithuanian citizenship
RepatriationTemporary residence permit for a person of Lithuanian descent
RepatriationTemporary residence permit for family reunification
FamilyTemporary residence permit for employment
WorkEU Blue Card
WorkTemporary residence permit for an intra-corporate transferee
WorkTemporary residence permit for a foreigner engaged in lawful activity
StartupTemporary residence permit for a shareholder of a company with at least five jobs
StartupTemporary residence permit for founding and running a startup
StartupTemporary residence permit for study
StudyTemporary residence permit in the case of guardianship
FamilyTemporary residence permit for a beneficiary of subsidiary protection
OtherTemporary residence permit for a victim cooperating with a pre-trial investigation
OtherTemporary residence permit for a lecturer or researcher
WorkTemporary residence permit for an EU long-term resident from another member state
WorkTemporary residence permit for a graduate or researcher seeking employment
Job seekingTemporary residence permit for nationals of seven designated countries
WorkTemporary residence permit for a foreigner who cannot leave Lithuania
OtherEU long-term resident's residence permit
OtherNational visa (visa D)
OtherWork permit issued by the Employment Service
WorkPermit for seasonal work
WorkProgramme terms change, and the final decision rests with the consulate or the country migration service. The data is collected from official sources on the date shown and is not legal advice.
Residence and citizenship
- Permanent residence after
- 5 years
- Citizenship after
- 10 years
- Language
- Lithuanian (an exam on naturalisation)
- Dual citizenship
- not allowed
Absence limits: The EU standard for long-term residents: absences of no more than ~6 consecutive months without breaking continuity of residence
Naturalisation comes after 10 years of continuous lawful residence and holding permanent residence. An exam in Lithuanian and the basics of the Constitution is required.
Documents
- Document certification
- apostille
The country is party to the 1961 Hague Convention: a degree or certificate is authenticated with a single apostille in the country that issued it.
Family
Partner
- Timeline
- several months
- Right to work
- yes
Family reunification; a spouse gets residence and the right to work.
Children
- Can be brought
- yes
- Age limit
- up to 18 years
Minor children are included in family reunification.
Parents
- Route
- Family reunification (a first-degree relative in the ascending line)
- Timeline
- several months
- Income threshold
- Sufficient income and housing from the sponsor
- Difficulty
- difficult
Only for dependent parents with no support in their country of origin; documentary proof of dependency is required.
Partner's parents
- Difficulty
- difficult
Matters: In a number of countries only a biological child can sponsor a parent, in which case the spouse files the application.
Pets
- Limit
- 5
- Quarantine
- no
- Antibody titre test
- needed
- Preparation
- ~4 months
- Cost per animal
- $ 341 – $ 910
EU rules: a chip, a rabies vaccination, an antibody titre test when bringing an animal from an “unlisted” third country (Russia included), then a 3-month wait before entry, with no quarantine. Up to 5 animals on non-commercial terms.
Safety
- Situation
- calm
Internally a stable member of the EU and NATO. Geopolitically a frontier with Russia (Kaliningrad) and Belarus, on NATO's eastern flank (the Suwałki corridor).
Crime: A safe EU country. The homicide rate is above the EU average but falling fast; violence against foreigners is rare and the main everyday risk is petty theft.
Natural hazards
Lithuania is seismically stable. Perceptible tremors are rare; the 2004 earthquake near Kaliningrad (M≈5) was felt in the country but caused no damage.
Forest and peat fires are possible in a dry summer (major ones during the 2002 drought), but the threat to cities is low.
Spring floods on the Nemunas and Neris; the delta near Rusnė in the west of the country floods regularly.
No hurricanes. Strong Baltic storms are possible on the coast in autumn and winter.
Periodic droughts (2002), but a generally wet climate.
A humid continental climate; heatwaves are rare and short.
No volcanoes.
The Baltic is an enclosed sea, so there is no risk.
A geologically quiet country. The main threats are spring river floods and Baltic storms on the coast.
Climate
- Type
- Humid continental
A cold winter (January around −4 °C in Vilnius), a mild summer (July ~18–19 °C), annual precipitation ~600–700 mm. A snowy winter and short winter days; influenced by both the Baltic and the continent.
Quality of life
- Life expectancy
- 77.2 years
- Migration
- inflow
Healthcare: A universal compulsory health insurance system (VLK). Quality is decent and the infrastructure has been modernised; queues are possible in the public sector.
Air: Air quality is generally good; Vilnius is the European Green Capital 2025.
Flows: Since 2019 there has been a steady positive migration balance (returning citizens, arrivals from Ukraine and Belarus), reversing decades of emigration. The population has stabilised at ~2.8–2.9m.
Cities
Vilnius
tech hubThe capital and the country's main IT and fintech hub. The most vacancies and international companies.
Natural hazards are low. Petty theft in the centre and in tourist spots.
Kaunas
tech hubThe country's second city, a growing IT and manufacturing sector, cheaper than Vilnius.
Natural hazards are low; spring floods on the Nemunas in the lowlands.
Klaipėda
The main Baltic seaport, with access to the sea and the spit.
Baltic storms and winds on the coast; natural hazards are otherwise low.
Šiauliai
An industrial city in the north of the country, cheap housing.
Natural hazards are low.
Panevėžys
An industrial city in the centre of the country on the Via Baltica.
Natural hazards are low.
Grocery basket
- Bread, 500 g
- $ 1,56
- Milk, 1 l
- $ 1,47
- Eggs, 12
- $ 3,39
- Chicken breast, 1 kg
- $ 7,71
- Cheese, 1 kg
- $ 12,2
- Rice, 1 kg
- $ 2,08
- Potatoes, 1 kg
- $ 0,90
- Apples, 1 kg
- $ 1,69
- Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 l
- $ 2,41
- Total
- $ 33,4
The same set for every country, so the comparison is fair.
Cost of living across the country
- Rent, 1 bedroom
- $ 598 a month
- Rent, 3 bedrooms
- $ 1 078 a month
- Utility bills
- $ 216 a month
- Home internet
- $ 16,6 a month
- Monthly transport pass
- $ 37,2 a month
- Single transport ticket
- $ 1,18
- Petrol, litre
- $ 1,75
- Cold medicine
- $ 9,35 for a week
Country averages. City prices, where collected, are shown above and are more precise.
Indicators
- Life expectancy
- 77,2 years2024
- Homicides
- 2,7 per 100k2024
- Theft
- 409,5 per 100k2024
- Burglary
- 23,9 per 100k2024
- Robbery
- 11,6 per 100k2024
- Vehicle and vehicle-part theft
- 27 per 100k2024
- Road deaths
- 6,3 per 100k2021
- Unemployment
- 6,7 %2025
- Unemployment, ages 15–24
- 13,8 %2025
- Inequality (Gini)
- 362023
- Health spending per person
- $ 2 232 a year
- Air pollution, PM2.5
- 10,8 µg/m³2023
- Access to clean water
- 99,9 %2024
- Internet, fixed line
- 208 Mbit/s2026
- Internet, mobile
- 138 Mbit/s2026
Governance
- Political stability
- above average · 0,9
- Control of corruption
- above average · 1
- Rule of law
- high · 1,4
- Government effectiveness
- high · 1,2
World Bank estimates on a −2.5 to +2.5 scale, higher is better.
Natural hazards
- Earthquakes
- 0,1 out of 10
- River floods
- 5,8 out of 10
- Coastal floods
- 3,2 out of 10
- Tropical cyclones
- 0 out of 10
- Droughts
- 2,4 out of 10
- Tsunamis
- 0 out of 10
Policy towards newcomers
- Migrant integration, overall score
- 38 out of 100 · 2019
- Family reunification
- 43 out of 100 · 2019
- Permanent residence
- 52 out of 100 · 2019
- Access to citizenship
- 22 out of 100 · 2019
- Access to the labour market
- 52 out of 100 · 2019
Measures how favourable the law is towards newcomers, not one person's chances of getting a visa.
Each value carries the year it refers to. “Data lags behind” means this country's figure was collected noticeably earlier than the rest. Natural hazards use one 0–10 scale and are meant to be compared against each other.