Before you start

A qualifying basis — employment, EU Blue Card, approved startup, study or family
A MIGRIS account and a booked biometrics appointment
Health insurance covering the period until Lithuanian compulsory insurance starts
Documented accommodation in Lithuania

Step-by-step

1
Work out which basis fits, and whether the Blue Card is cheaper for you
For a qualifying ICT specialist the EU Blue Card's 1.2× average-wage shortage coefficient is often a lower bar than the ordinary employment permit's test, and it skips the labour market check. Ask your employer which they intend to file — many default to the ordinary permit out of habit.
OnlineWho: You
2
Create a MIGRIS account and prepare the file
Everything — the form, document upload, and the appointment — runs through MIGRIS. Applicants outside Lithuania submit through the Migration Department's contracted external service provider.
OnlineWho: You
3
Book the biometrics appointment early
The legal decision clock starts from a submitted application, and you cannot submit without the appointment. Slots, not the assessment, are what usually determine your start date.
OnlineWho: You
4
Pay the state fee
€120 for the general two-month track, €240 for the urgent one-month track. The EU Blue Card is €160, or €320 expedited.
OnlineWho: You€120–320 depending on route and speed
5
Collect the residence card and declare your address
Once the permit is granted, collect the card, then declare your place of residence at the seniūnija covering your street or through the e-government portal. The declaration is what attaches you to municipal services.
In personWho: You
6
Register with Sodra and pick a family doctor's clinic
Your employer registers you with Sodra; that registration is what turns on compulsory health insurance. Attaching yourself to a family doctor is a separate step you must take yourself.
Via employerWho: Your employer, then you

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Employment contract or the approved basis for your route
Evidence of accommodation in Lithuania
Health insurance covering the gap before Lithuanian cover starts
Proof of qualifications where the route requires them
Biometrics taken at the appointment

Things most newcomers don’t know

Lithuania has no digital nomad visa, and no scheme is coming to rescue that.

Aggregator sites list one for almost every EU country; for Lithuania there is nothing. A remote worker paid by a foreign employer has no dedicated route and must find another basis — employment with a Lithuanian entity, an approved startup, study or family. Planning a move here on the assumption of a nomad permit is planning on a permit that does not exist.

Source: Migration Department route list, verified August 2026

The Blue Card's 1.2× coefficient is why the fintech cluster could staff itself.

Lithuania sets the Blue Card salary floor at 1.5× the average gross wage generally, but 1.2× for occupations on the high value-added list, which covers much of ICT. That is a materially lower bar than most of Western Europe and it removed the labour market test as well. If you are an engineer, check the list before accepting the ordinary permit route.

Source: European Commission — EU Blue Card in Lithuania

The salary floor moves every quarter, so a signed contract can fall below it.

The employment test is the country's average gross monthly earnings (BDU) as published by the State Data Agency, and that series is republished quarterly. A contract negotiated against last quarter's figure can be under the threshold by the time the file is assessed. Ask for the salary to be expressed with a headroom margin rather than exactly at the line.

Source: Migration Department — employment residence permit conditions

The national (D) visa gives presence, not status.

It is a genuinely useful bridge — it lets a new hire or an approved founder arrive and begin while the residence permit is decided. But time on a visa does not count toward the five years for permanent residence. People treat it as a soft residence permit and lose a year of the clock.

Source: Migration Department — visas and state fees

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a Lithuanian digital nomad visa exists. It does not.
Leaving the MIGRIS biometrics appointment to the end — the slot, not the decision, sets your date.
Signing a contract at exactly the average wage and being caught by the quarterly revision.
Defaulting to the ordinary employment permit when an ICT role qualifies for the Blue Card's lower coefficient.
Forgetting to declare your place of residence after collecting the card — it gates municipal services and your GP clinic.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.