Moving to Lithuania from the US: which visa or residence route fits

Lithuania is part of the Schengen area, so a US passport gets you in without a visa for short visits. Living there is a different matter. Anything beyond 90 days in a 180-day period needs a Lithuanian national visa (type D) or a temporary residence permit, and the ground you apply on decides what you must prove. This guide compares the main routes open to Americans: employment, running or owning a company, and the Startup Visa for founders. It also covers where you can file and what changed for foreign workers in 2024.

The starting point: 90 days in any 180

The Consulate General of Lithuania in Chicago states that a US citizen may visit Lithuania or any other Schengen country without a visa and, as a general rule, stay for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. The same page sets two passport conditions: the US passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your departure from the Schengen area, and it must have been issued within the last ten years.

The consulate is explicit about the next step. A US citizen staying in Lithuania for more than 90 days within a 180-day period must apply for a national visa type D or for a temporary residence permit. Non-EU visitors must also carry proof of medical insurance covering hospitalization and treatment in Lithuania, and proof of sufficient funds for the stay.

Time spent in other Schengen countries counts toward the same 90 days. If you spend a month in Germany before arriving in Vilnius, that month is already used.

Two instruments: national D visa and temporary residence permit

Lithuanian immigration law uses two documents for longer stays, and they do different jobs.

• National visa (type D). According to the European Commission's EU Immigration Portal page for employed workers in Lithuania, a national long-term visa lets you enter and stay for up to one year. It is issued within 15 days.
• Temporary residence permit (TRP). For stays longer than a year, or where the law requires it, you apply for a temporary residence permit. The EU Immigration Portal says the decision is taken within 4 months at the latest, or within 2 months for an additional fee.

Applications run through MIGRIS, the Migration Department's online information system, at migracija.lt. You fill in the form online and then attend an appointment, either at a Migration Department office in Lithuania (if you are already there legally) or abroad at a Lithuanian embassy, consulate or external service provider.

Where Americans can apply

On 31 October 2024 the Migration Department announced that from 1 December 2024, most foreigners can apply at an external service provider's branch only in their own country of citizenship. The announcement carves out a group of countries whose citizens keep full flexibility: Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea. Their citizens can continue to submit applications for a temporary residence permit or a national visa at any external service provider branch.

In practice that means a US citizen living in, for example, Spain or Mexico can still file at an external service provider branch there instead of flying back to the US. You can also apply inside Lithuania at a Migration Department office if you are staying there legally, for example during your visa-free 90 days.

Route 1: working for a Lithuanian employer

From 1 July 2024, Lithuania tightened the rules on foreign workers. The Migration Department explains that foreigners who came in visa-free, on national or Schengen visas, or with residence permits from other countries can no longer work in Lithuania on that basis; they need a temporary residence permit issued in Lithuania.

The same announcement lists exceptions, and one of them matters directly to Americans. The exemption covers nationals of economically developed countries (Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea) who come to work or engage in other legal activities. Other listed exceptions include entrepreneurs who are shareholders and managers of companies, researchers and lecturers with contracts at scientific institutions, accredited journalists, and people coming for no more than three months a year for contract work, staff training or equipment installation.

That exemption concerns the right to work. It does not change the 90/180 limit on how long you may stay. If the job lasts longer than your visa-free time, you still need a D visa or a temporary residence permit.

For the employment-based permit itself, the EU Immigration Portal describes the usual steps:

1. Your employer registers the vacancy with the local Employment Service.
2. The employer applies for a work permit, or for a decision that your work matches Lithuanian labour market needs. The portal says this is processed within 7 working days.
3. You apply for a national visa (if a work permit was issued) or a temporary residence permit (if the labour market decision was issued, or your profession is on the shortage list).

Professions on Lithuania's shortage list skip the labour market test. Your employer should confirm which path applies to your role before you start the paperwork.

When renewing, the EU Immigration Portal notes that you must apply for a new temporary residence permit before your national visa or current permit expires. Otherwise you have to leave and wait abroad. The Migration Department advises applying at least 4 months before your documents expire.

Route 2: owning or managing a company

Lithuania offers residence on the ground of legal business activity. The Migration Department's guidance document for company participants and managers (Article 70.10 of the visa procedure) sets out the national visa version of this route. It applies to a company registered in Lithuania's Register of Legal Entities no earlier than one year before the application, where:

• the company's equity is at least 28,000 euros, of which at least 14,000 euros are funds or assets invested by the foreigner (for a participant), or
• the foreigner is the head of the company and the purpose of the trip is to work for it.

The same document lists what you bring: the electronic application from visa.vrm.lt, a passport issued within the last ten years and valid at least three months beyond the visa, company documents, proof of equity, proof of sufficient funds, and health insurance. The guidance defines sufficient funds as one minimum monthly salary per month for subsistence plus one minimum monthly salary for the return trip. Health insurance must cover at least 30,000 euros and be valid across the Schengen area. The guidance lists a fee of 120 euros for this visa and states that ten fingerprints and a photo are collected.

These thresholds come from the Migration Department document as published. Confirm the current figures in MIGRIS before you apply, since equity and fee amounts are set by regulation and can change.

Route 3: the Startup Visa

The Startup Visa is run by Lithuania's Innovation Agency (Inovacijų agentūra). The agency describes it as a programme for innovative startups from third countries: if the business idea is judged promising, participants can gain the right to a temporary residence permit in Lithuania to develop the startup there.

The sequence runs in two stages:

1. Innovation Agency assessment. You submit your startup for evaluation. The agency decides whether you are developing an innovative startup, whether you have the qualifications, funding and business plan to carry it out, and whether your presence in Lithuania is necessary for the company.
2. Temporary residence permit application. With a positive decision, you apply through MIGRIS for a temporary residence permit on the startup ground.

This route suits founders whose product is technology or innovation based. It does not suit a consulting practice, a small shop or freelance work that is not a scalable product.

Which route fits you

• You have a job offer from a Lithuanian employer. Use the employment route. US citizenship exempts you from the post-July 2024 work permit restriction, but you still need a D visa or temporary residence permit to stay past 90 days.
• You are setting up or buying into a Lithuanian company. Look at the company participant or manager route and check the equity and investment thresholds.
• You are building a technology startup. Apply to the Innovation Agency's Startup Visa programme first, then file the residence permit.
• You want to stay a few months with no job or business. You are limited to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Other grounds exist in Lithuanian law (family, study, research), but they each have their own requirements.

Practical points for Americans

• Passport age matters. A US passport issued more than ten years ago does not meet the Schengen entry rule, even if it has not expired.
• Check every document on the MIGRIS list. Each residence ground has its own checklist in MIGRIS. Ask the Migration Department or a Lithuanian consulate if a US document needs legalization for your ground.
• Insurance from day one. Both the visa-free entry rules and the national visa rules require health insurance. Arrange it before travel.
• Keep track of your days. If you plan to apply from inside Lithuania, file well before day 90.

What this guide does not cover

Permanent residence, EU long-term resident status, family reunification and study permits each follow different rules.

Common questions

Can a US citizen work in Lithuania without a work permit? The Migration Department lists US nationals among the citizens of economically developed countries exempt from the rule introduced on 1 July 2024 that required a Lithuanian temporary residence permit to work. You still need a national D visa or temporary residence permit if you stay longer than 90 days in 180.

Do I have to apply for a Lithuanian residence permit in the United States? No. The Migration Department confirmed that US citizens can submit temporary residence permit and national visa applications at any external service provider branch, not only in the US. You can also apply in Lithuania at a Migration Department office if you are staying there legally.

How long does a Lithuanian national D visa last? According to the EU Immigration Portal, a national long-term visa lets you enter and stay in Lithuania for up to one year, and it is issued within 15 days. For longer stays you apply for a temporary residence permit.

Who decides on the Startup Visa? Lithuania's Innovation Agency assesses whether your startup is innovative and whether you have the qualifications, funding and business plan to run it. With its positive decision you then apply to the Migration Department for a temporary residence permit.