Skip to content
voymo
EN
Menu

Countries

Lithuania: visas, tax & cost of living

Moving to Lithuania as a remote worker: cost of living, why there is no nomad visa, the 183 day tax rule, healthcare and banking, all sourced estimates.

Lithuania: visas, tax & cost of living
Your passport

United KingdomLithuania

Your move to Lithuania on a United Kingdom passport

  • VisitEasyVisa-free entry
  • NomadMediumNo nomad visa, other route
  • RelocateMediumResidence with conditions

Visiting

Visa-free for up to 90 days. Travel on a passport valid for your whole stay, with a return or onward ticket and proof you can support yourself.

Passport validity: For non-EU visitors the passport should be issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure from the Schengen area.

Heads-up: The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) started on 12 October 2025 and has been fully operational at Schengen borders since 10 April 2026. ETIAS, the pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt non-EU nationals, is not yet in operation; the EU says it will announce the start date several months ahead.

At the border: Passport plus, where relevant, proof of funds, accommodation, and onward or return travel; non-EU visitors get biometric registration under EES.

Working remotely

No dedicated nomad visa; the usual route is a standard residence permit.

Tax and residency

You are a Lithuanian tax resident if your permanent place of residence or the centre of your personal, social or economic interests is in Lithuania during the calendar year, if you are present for 183 days or more in that year, or if you are present for 280 days or more across successive years with at least 90 days in one of them (Law on Personal Income Tax, art. 4). Residents are taxed on worldwide income and non-residents only on Lithuanian-source income; a foreign citizen who is resident only through the day counts, and whom a tax-treaty country confirms as its own tax resident for the same year, is taxed on Lithuanian-source income only (art. 5). (estimate)

The UK decides residence with its Statutory Residence Test (days in the UK plus your ties). As a non-resident you are usually taxed only on UK income; where one exists, a double-tax treaty with the destination decides who taxes what.

Practical

Currency: EUR. Cost of living: mid.

Healthcare: EU and EEA visitors use the European Health Insurance Card for medically necessary public care; other visitors need their own insurance, and a national visa requires cover of at least EUR 30,000. The state scheme (compulsory health insurance, PSD) is tied to resident status and to paying monthly contributions, so it does not start just because you arrive.

Driving: EU and EEA licences are valid; many non-EU visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence.

Sources: Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior, visas · Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners, art. 17 (Seimas legal acts register, in Lithuanian) · Migration Information Centre (IOM Lithuania), national visa D categories and fees · Law on Personal Income Tax, 2026 English text (State Tax Inspectorate, VMI) · National Health Insurance Fund, compulsory health insurance · European Commission, Entry/Exit System (EES) · Your Europe, travel documents for non-EU nationals · Lithuania in the Schengen Area (Foreign Ministry) · GOV.UK: tax on foreign income · HMRC: double-taxation treaties

Estimates, not advice. Confirm with the official sources before you act.

Should you move to Lithuania?

Lithuania is one of those quietly excellent bases that rarely tops a “best of” list yet keeps winning people over once they land. It is in the EU, in the Schengen area, and on the euro, so borders and currency stop being a daily worry. Vilnius and Kaunas run on fast, cheap fibre, English is widely spoken among younger people and in the tech scene, and the whole country is compact enough that a weekend by the Baltic coast or across the border into Latvia or Poland is genuinely easy.

The honest trade-offs are the winters, which are long and dark, and the language, which is beautiful and hard. But for a remote worker who wants a real European address, a low-drama fintech-friendly banking scene and costs well below Western Europe, Lithuania is a strong, underrated pick. If you are weighing it against Portugal or Estonia, it usually wins on price and loses on daylight.

Cost of living in Lithuania

Lithuania is noticeably cheaper than most of Western Europe, though Vilnius has crept up in recent years. As rough, current estimates:

  • A single person in Vilnius can expect roughly 1,500 to 2,000 euros a month all in, per 2026 cost-of-living trackers.
  • A one-bedroom flat in central Vilnius runs about 650 to 1,000 euros, and 400 to 600 euros outside the centre.
  • Utilities for a mid-size flat land around 150 to 200 euros, and a monthly transit pass is roughly 30 euros.

Kaunas, the second city, is meaningfully cheaper, with comparisons putting it around 20 percent below Vilnius and central one-bedrooms closer to 400 to 550 euros. Smaller towns are cheaper again. Treat every figure here as a sourced estimate that shifts with the rental market and the season, and price your own shortlist of flats before you commit.

Lithuania digital nomad visa and entry

Here is the plain truth: Lithuania does not have a digital nomad visa. The Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners has no remote-work category. The closest thing is the national visa (D), which covers a long-term stay of up to 12 months, and the published list of who qualifies (exchange students, researchers, posted and seasonal workers, investors in a new company and similar) does not include remote work for a foreign employer.

So there is no income bar to clear, because there is no remote-work route to apply for. If you do fit one of the listed categories, the national visa needs health insurance of at least 30,000 euros valid across the Schengen area. Everyone else from outside the EU arrives as a visitor: your passport should be issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area, and you get biometric registration under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), fully operational since 10 April 2026. ETIAS, the pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt non-EU nationals, is not yet in operation.

If you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport, none of this applies. You can move freely and simply register your residence after arrival. Because these rules change, confirm the current visa categories directly with Lithuania’s Migration Department (migracija.lrv.lt) before you plan anything. You can sanity-check which route fits your nationality and situation with Voymo’s digital nomad visa checker.

Tax residency and the 183 day rule

Spend 183 days or more in Lithuania in a calendar year and you generally become a tax resident. There is also a secondary trigger of 280 days or more across successive years, with at least 90 days in one of them. Days are not the only test either: having your permanent place of residence, or the centre of your personal, social or economic interests, in Lithuania during the year also makes you resident. Once you cross that line, tax matters.

Lithuania moved to a progressive personal income tax in 2026. Article 6(1) of the Law on Personal Income Tax taxes the share of your annual income up to 36 times the average wage (VDU) used for that year’s social-insurance base at 20 percent, the share between 36 and 60 times at 25 percent, and anything above 60 times at 32 percent. The VDU is set every year, so check the current euro thresholds before relying on a figure you read elsewhere. One important nuance for newcomers: under article 5 of the Law on Personal Income Tax, a foreign citizen who is resident solely through the day counts, and whom a tax-treaty country confirms as its own tax resident for the same year, is taxed on Lithuanian-source income only rather than worldwide income, which is a big deal if your salary is paid abroad. This is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with a Lithuanian tax adviser and the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI), because the wrong assumption is expensive. Map out where your days actually land with Voymo’s tax residency checker, and treat these rates as estimates, not advice.

Healthcare and insurance

Lithuania runs a compulsory public health insurance scheme, PSD (Privalomasis sveikatos draudimas), which funds treatment through public facilities. Cover is tied to resident status and to paying monthly contributions, so it does not start just because you arrive. A national visa requires your own health insurance of at least 30,000 euros valid across the Schengen area, while EU and EEA visitors use the European Health Insurance Card for medically necessary public care.

Private care is widely used to skip queues and is relatively affordable, with private policies often quoted in the low hundreds of euros a year. As always, confirm your specific eligibility and any coverage gaps with your insurer and the National Health Insurance Fund before you rely on it.

Money, banking and settling in

Banking is one of Lithuania’s genuine strengths. The country has become a European fintech hub, and Revolut has been licensed here since 2018, so its Lithuanian entity is fully featured with real IBANs, cards and deposit protection. Local banks like Swedbank and SEB are solid too. Opening an account is usually straightforward once you have an address and, for longer stays, a residence document.

Being on the euro removes exchange headaches for anyone coming from the eurozone, contactless is universal, and day-to-day admin is heavily digitised. Line up your right to stay, a place to live and health cover first, and the money side tends to fall into place quickly.

Figures are estimates. Always check the official source.

Frequently asked questions

Lithuania: is there a digital nomad visa?
No dedicated digital nomad visa; most people use a standard residence permit instead.
Lithuania: when do you become a tax resident?
You are a Lithuanian tax resident if your permanent place of residence or the centre of your personal, social or economic interests is in Lithuania during the calendar year, if you are present for 183 days or more in that year, or if you are present for 280 days or more across successive years with at least 90 days in one of them (Law on Personal Income Tax, art. 4). Residents are taxed on worldwide income and non-residents only on Lithuanian-source income; a foreign citizen who is resident only through the day counts, and whom a tax-treaty country confirms as its own tax resident for the same year, is taxed on Lithuanian-source income only (art. 5).
Lithuania: what is the cost of living?
The cost of living is moderate and the local currency is the EUR. Treat any figures as estimates.
Lithuania: do you need health insurance?
EU and EEA visitors use the European Health Insurance Card for medically necessary public care; other visitors need their own insurance, and a national visa requires cover of at least EUR 30,000. The state scheme (compulsory health insurance, PSD) is tied to resident status and to paying monthly contributions, so it does not start just because you arrive.
Lithuania: can you drive on a foreign licence?
EU and EEA licences are valid; many non-EU visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence.

Terms worth knowing

Europe: more countries to explore

Put it to work

Last verified: 2026-07-26

Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.

← Back to all countries