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Lithuania residence and citizenship

The lowest comparable cited investment amount on file for a residence route in Lithuania is $15,670, for the Business participant or manager residence permit. Ordinary naturalisation in Lithuania needs 10 years of legal residence.

Last updated: 9 November 2026

Checked — Sources last checked 9 November 2026 by the automated residence and citizenship review.

Residence routes in Lithuania

Investment, own-income, remote-work and permanent routes. Scroll across the table to see every column.

RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
Business participant or manager residence permitInvestor$15,670up to 2 months10 years
Long-term resident / permanent residence permitPermanent residence—up to 4 months10 years

"Minimum" is a cited investment threshold in its stated currency. A USD figure appears only when a supported conversion is on file; "—" means no supported amount is on file, not that it is free. "To citizenship" counts the years of residence before a naturalisation application. A zero-year entry states no residence wait; citizenship still needs a separate decision.

Work, family, study and other routes (5)
RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
Startup Visa founder residence permitResidence permit—up to 1 month10 years
Developed-country lawful activity / self-employment permitResidence permit——10 years
Employment temporary residence permitWork—up to 4 months10 years
EU Blue Card for highly qualified employmentWork—up to 2 months10 years
EU/EEA/Swiss free movementEU / EEA free movement——10 years
Each route's conditions and sources

Business participant or manager residence permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

A third-country participant or qualifying manager of an operating Lithuanian company: at least EUR 28,000 company equity including EUR 14,000 invested by the applicant, six months' activity and full-time qualifying local staff whose combined pay is at least two average gross monthly salaries. Deloitte's rule and the statute's indexed text differ from the EU portal's outdated three-job summary, so no fixed headcount is stated. The applicant's EUR 14,000 is the minimum personal business investment (USD 15,670.20); EUR 28,000 is company equity, not a second personal payment. Ordinary TRP fee EUR 220 = USD 246.25. The EU Immigration Portal's Investors section says the general-procedure decision and issuance are within 2 months, so max 2 and no minimum. Ten-year citizenship requires actual qualifying residence. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens use free movement.

Sources: Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Business participant residence requirements (Deloitte, summary), Investor residence-permit decision and issuance (European Commission EU Immigration Portal, summary), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary), Business capital requirements (European Commission EU Immigration Portal, summary)

Long-term resident / permanent residence permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Third-country national after five continuous lawful years in Lithuania, subject to permitted absence and integration rules. Ordinary permanent-permit application fee EUR 220 = USD 246.25. EURES says examination no later than four months, so max 4 with no minimum. This is a settlement step, not immediate investment residence. Ordinary citizenship requires ten qualifying residence years in total, not ten additional years after permanent status.

Sources: Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Lithuanian permanent-residence qualification (European Commission EU Immigration Portal, summary), Permanent-permit processing time (European Commission EURES, summary), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary)

Startup Visa founder residence permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

A third-country founder approved by Startup Visa Lithuania may apply for a TRP. Ordinary TRP fee EUR 220 = USD 246.25. Fragomen's one-month initial processing for startup founders gives max 1 and no minimum. Ten-year citizenship requires qualifying continued residence. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens use free movement.

Sources: Migration Department startup-founder permit category (Lithuanian Migration Department), Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Temporary residence processing (Fragomen, summary), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary)

Developed-country lawful activity / self-employment permit

Only for US citizens.

For citizens of AU, JP, GB, US, CA, NZ and KR working or engaging in other lawful activity, including self-employment. These exact passport codes come from the Migration Department's nationality list; this is not a general remote-work visa. Ordinary TRP fee EUR 220 = USD 246.25. Ten-year citizenship requires actual qualifying residence.

Sources: Developed-country lawful-activity exception (Lithuanian Migration Department), Lawful activity includes self-employment (Lithuanian Migration Department), Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary)

Employment temporary residence permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Third-country employee with qualifying Lithuanian job and, when required, Employment Service decision. Ordinary TRP fee EUR 220 = USD 246.25. The cited EU portal says decision within four months, recorded as max 4 with no minimum. No investment is required. Ten-year citizenship requires qualifying residence. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens use free movement.

Sources: Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Employed worker in Lithuania (European Commission EU Immigration Portal, summary), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary)

EU Blue Card for highly qualified employment

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Third-country highly qualified employee meeting the qualification and salary rules. Ordinary TRP fee EUR 220 = USD 246.25. The cited EU portal says the decision is adopted within two months, recorded as max 2 with no minimum. No investment minimum applies. Five EU Blue Card years, including two in Lithuania, may lead to permanent status; ordinary citizenship still requires ten qualifying years.

Sources: Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Highly qualified worker in Lithuania (European Commission EU Immigration Portal, summary), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary)

EU/EEA/Swiss free movement

Only for EU citizens, Swiss citizens.

EU nationals and EFTA free-movement nationals (IS, LI, NO, CH) can reside when exercising residence rights; registration is required after three months. Lithuanian registration-certificate issuance is EUR 10 = USD 11.19; no investment is needed. No processing bound is stated. Permanent residence follows five continuous lawful years; ordinary Lithuanian naturalisation generally requires ten qualifying years. Eligibility follows the official EU/EFTA nationality wording.

Sources: EU permanent residence rights (European Commission Your Europe), Lithuanian residence permit state fees (Lithuanian Migration Department), ECB euro reference rate, 9 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Union citizen registration certificate fee (Lithuanian Migration Department), EU/EFTA residence in Lithuania (European Commission EURES, summary), Lithuanian naturalisation conditions (European Migration Network / Lithuanian authorities, summary)

Citizenship in Lithuania

  • Years of residence before naturalisation: 10 years
  • Years before permanent residence: 5 years
  • Dual citizenship allowed: No
  • Language: Lithuanian language and fundamentals of the Constitution examinations
  • Residence and presence: Ten years of qualifying lawful residence and permanent-residence status at application; five continuous years for the preceding permanent-residence permit, with limited absences.

Ordinary naturalisation requires the right of permanent residence and ten years of qualifying residence, language and Constitution tests, and generally renunciation of prior citizenship; narrow statutory dual-citizenship exceptions exist. Marriage to a Lithuanian citizen can reduce the residence period to seven years. No citizenship-by-investment programme was identified.

What is the cheapest residence visa in Lithuania?

The lowest comparable cited investment amount on file for a residence route in Lithuania is $15,670, for the Business participant or manager residence permit.

How many years to citizenship in Lithuania?

Ordinary naturalisation in Lithuania needs 10 years of legal residence. Permanent residence is possible after 5 years. Ten years of qualifying lawful residence and permanent-residence status at application; five continuous years for the preceding permanent-residence permit, with limited absences.

Does Lithuania allow dual citizenship?

No. Lithuania generally asks a new citizen to give up another nationality.

Tax and residence days

A residence permit and tax residence are different tests. See the Lithuania tax rates, count your days with the Lithuania day test and see what changed in the data, day by day.

Sources

The Lithuania profile cites 20 sources, 7 of them from a government or a statute. Data as of 2026-Q4.

Rules, fees and minimums change, and many routes have conditions not shown here. Did you find an error? Tell us, with the source.

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This page is general information. It is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Check the official source and ask a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply or invest.