Do you need car insurance in Lithuania? Yes โ and unlike health cover, this one is not a judgement call. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle used on Lithuanian roads, the fine falls on the owner and the driver separately, and if you cause an accident uninsured you personally repay every euro the Motor Insurers' Bureau pays your victim. This page covers what the law asks for, what it costs, and the two things that catch foreigners out: buying with a foreign licence, and how long you can keep foreign plates.
Cover is compulsory for every vehicle used in Lithuania, and the owner is responsible for it rather than the driver. Under the Law on Compulsory Insurance Against Civil Liability of Vehicle Owners, any vehicle used here must carry third-party liability cover, known locally as TPVCA. The person registered as the vehicle's owner buys it โ or the lessee, if the car is on a lease. Minimum cover is โฌ6,450,000 for injury and โฌ1,300,000 for property damage per accident. Driving uninsured is a fine for the driver and a separate fine for the owner.
Table of Contents
What the Law Actually Requires
Nothing on this page is paid placement and no provider pays to appear. Where one runs an affiliate programme we may earn a commission if you sign up through our link; where one does not, we link to them anyway. Ordering reflects published terms and how well each option works for someone arriving from abroad โ never what it pays.
The governing statute is the Law on Compulsory Insurance Against Civil Liability of Vehicle Owners, re-enacted in full in December 2023. Article 4(1) is short and leaves no room: vehicles used in Lithuania must be insured. Everything else follows from that one sentence.
The duty sits with the owner, not whoever happens to be driving. Article 4(2) puts responsibility on the person recorded as the vehicle's owner in the state registers. There is one important exception: if the car is on a finance lease or hire-purchase, the person using it under that contract is responsible โ so if you lease, the obligation is yours, not the leasing company's.
Drivers are caught too. Article 4(3) forbids using an uninsured vehicle, or letting anyone else use one. And the law's definition of a vehicle "keeper" is deliberately wide: it covers anyone holding or using the vehicle by ownership, lease, loan or any lawful basis โ and explicitly includes a person driving it unlawfully. Borrowing a friend's uninsured car is not a loophole.
When cover must start. At the latest, when the vehicle is registered. If it is already registered, before you start using it or hand it to someone else โ and no later than the final day of your existing policy.
The minimum cover is set by law, not by the insurer. Since 23 December 2023, every compulsory policy sold in Lithuania must cover at least โฌ6,450,000 for personal injury (including non-pecuniary damage) and โฌ1,300,000 for property damage, per accident, regardless of how many people were hurt. These came from EU Directive 2021/2118. You cannot buy less, and an insurer offering "more liability cover" on the compulsory policy is offering you something the law already gives you.
What Happens If You Don't
There are two consequences, and the second is the one that should worry you.
The fine. Article 415(1) of the Code of Administrative Offences sets three separate amounts:
| Who is fined | Amount |
|---|---|
| The driver of an uninsured vehicle | โฌ50โ100 |
| The owner responsible for insuring it | โฌ60โ120 |
| A company director responsible for a company vehicle | โฌ120โ240 |
Note that these stack. The Ministry of Finance made the point explicitly when the rule was introduced: both the driver and the owner are fined for the same uninsured vehicle. If you lend your uninsured car to someone, you both pay.
The part that is not capped. If you cause an accident in an uninsured vehicle, your victim still gets paid โ the Motor Insurers' Bureau pays them under Article 17. It then comes after you under Article 23 to recover every euro. The Bureau puts it to drivers in plain terms: you compensate it from your own funds, and "failing that, cover the damage with your personal property."
This is not theoretical. In 2024 the Bureau paid out โฌ3.3 million across 956 accidents involving uninsured vehicles, and recovered โฌ2.9 million by recourse against the drivers responsible. Against a policy that starts in single-figure euros per month, the arithmetic is not close.
What It Costs
Nobody publishes a tariff. Every Lithuanian insurer prices compulsory cover individually โ on the car, your age, your claims history and who else drives it โ so the number does not exist until you run their calculator with a registration number. So a single "average" price for Lithuania does not exist, whatever you find quoted elsewhere.
Only one insurer advertises a number. Balcia offers compulsory cover from โฌ4.49 a month, an entry price rather than a quote. Its own blog puts the usual spread at roughly โฌ40โ250 a year for compulsory cover and โฌ200โ1,500 for KASKO.
What is actually worth comparing is the add-ons, because these are published. If lists them individually:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Roadside assistance | โฌ17 |
| Driver accident cover | โฌ7 |
| Replacement car | โฌ45 |
| Cover for collision with an animal | โฌ66 |
| Theft cover | โฌ17 |
| Green Card | โฌ0 |
A 2026 tax change that does not affect most private drivers. A 10% security contribution on non-life insurance premiums took effect on 1 January 2026. Compulsory motor cover on a car that is not used for business is specifically carved out of the base, so a private driver's TPVCA is unaffected โ but KASKO and business-use policies are. The tax is paid by the insurer, not added to your bill as a line item. See the State Tax Inspectorate's guidance.
How to Buy It
Nine insurers are licensed to sell compulsory motor cover in Lithuania. The authoritative list is the Motor Insurers' Bureau membership, and it is worth checking against, because two names in circulation are no longer answers.
Balcia
Best for: a published entry price
Key features
- Publishes an entry price
- Full English site
- Online calculator
- Bureau member
Policy details
- Advertised from
- โฌ4.49/month
- Quote
- Calculator, plate required
- Green Card
- With the policy
Summary
- The only insurer here publishing any price at all
- English throughout, which is rare in this market
- โฌ4.49 is an entry price, not your price
- Smaller than the incumbents
ERGO
Best for: a large insurer absorbing Gjensidige's book
Key features
- Free Green Card
- Online calculator
- Absorbing Gjensidige
- Bureau member
Policy details
- Quote
- online.ergo.lt
- Green Card
- Issued free
- Asks about
- Drivers under 25
Summary
- States it issues the Green Card free of charge
- Gjensidige policies transfer here through 2026
- No published price of any kind
- Calculator is in Lithuanian
Lietuvos draudimas
Best for: the largest motor insurer
Key features
- Largest motor insurer
- Online calculator
- Claims certificate on request
- Bureau member
Policy details
- Quote
- Plate + personal code
- Claims history
- 5 years, on request
- Also trades as
- PZU group
Summary
- Issues the 5-year claims certificate you need when you move on
- Publishes the statutory limits clearly on the product page
- Calculator needs a Lithuanian personal code
- No published price
BTA
Best for: an extra portal discount
Key features
- Portal discount offered
- Policy by email
- Online calculator
- Bureau member
Policy details
- Quote
- Calculator on product page
- Delivery
- Policy by email
- Discount
- Amount not published
Summary
- Offers a further discount for registering in its portal
- Whole flow completes online, policy arrives by email
- Discount size is not published
- No published base price
Compensa
Best for: a preliminary figure without committing
Key features
- Preliminary price calculator
- Compulsory and KASKO together
- Online eshop
- Bureau member
Policy details
- Quote
- eshop.compensa.lt
- Covers
- Compulsory and KASKO
- Output
- Preliminary price
Summary
- Describes its calculator as giving a preliminary price up front
- Quotes compulsory cover and KASKO in one place
- Preliminary is not the final premium
- No English on the calculator
Four more insurers, and two names to skip
Also licensed: If P&C, Swedbank P&C, BAN and Gjensidige are all Motor Insurers' Bureau members and sell compulsory cover. If publishes its add-on prices, which none of the others do, though its calculator runs in Lithuanian only. Skip: Gjensidige, whose quote page already redirects to ERGO as the brands merge through 2026, and PZU, which does not write compulsory motor cover in Lithuania at all.
The process itself is the same everywhere and takes minutes: enter the registration number and the owner's personal code, answer whether anyone under 25 or with under two years' experience will drive, pay, and the policy arrives by email. There is no paper to carry โ enforcement checks the Bureau's database, not your glovebox.
Compare more than one. The Bank of Lithuania's own advice on motor cover is that the premium for the same driver can differ meaningfully between insurers โ and since every quote is individually calculated, the only way to find out is to run two or three.
Why You Can Trust This Guide
Foreign Licences and Foreign Plates
Two questions come up constantly, and they have different answers.
Can you buy with a foreign driving licence?
The statute imposes no licence condition on the buyer. Article 6 in fact obliges insurers to contract with anyone responsible for insuring a vehicle who applies with the necessary documents, and cover attaches to the vehicle's keepers generally rather than to a named licensed driver.
The practical obstacle is different: the online calculators are keyed to a Lithuanian registration number and a Lithuanian personal code, not to your licence. So the barrier is usually the asmens kodas and the plate, not the licence in your pocket. No insurer publishes a position either way on foreign licences โ if this is your situation, ask before you rely on it.
How long can you keep foreign plates?
This one has a clear answer, and it depends on where the car is registered.
| Vehicle registered in | How long you can use it in Lithuania |
|---|---|
| An EEA country | No time limit โ Lithuanian registration is not required |
| A non-EEA country | 90 days per year, then it must be registered in Lithuania |
| Bought already on Lithuanian plates | Re-register within 10 days of declaring the change of ownership |
The EEA rule comes from Article 27 of the Road Traffic Safety Act, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states it plainly for returning residents. A foreign-based car is covered by its home policy: Lithuania recognises other Member States' policies and Green Cards, so an EEA-registered car with valid cover at home needs nothing extra here.
Your no-claims history transfers โ if it is from the EU
This is written into the statute rather than left to insurer discretion. Article 11(4) provides that a claims-history certificate issued in another EU Member State is treated as equivalent to a Lithuanian one. Ask your previous insurer for it before you leave; Lithuanian insurers must issue the same thing covering at least the last five years.
Two limits worth knowing. The equivalence rule names EU Member States, and nothing addresses certificates from the UK, US or other non-EU countries. And no insurer publishes how much of a discount a foreign certificate actually earns โ the law makes it admissible, not automatically valuable.
KASKO vs Compulsory Cover
These are two different products and the names are not interchangeable. The Bank of Lithuania draws the line cleanly: compulsory cover insures your liability for damage you cause to someone else; KASKO insures damage to your own car.
Compulsory (TPVCA)
Required by law for every vehicle:
- Their car: damage you cause to other people and property
- Set minimums: โฌ6.45m injury, โฌ1.3m property
- Valid across the EEA and Switzerland at no extra cost
- Not your car: damage to the vehicle that caused the accident is excluded by statute
- Not theft, fire or vandalism
KASKO
Optional by law, compulsory by contract:
- Your car: damage regardless of who caused the accident
- Theft, fire, vandalism, natural events
- Required by lenders on a leased or financed car
- Costs several times more than compulsory cover
- Does not replace TPVCA โ you need both
If your car is on a lease, KASKO is effectively mandatory. Not by law, but because the lender requires it: SEB states that you must obtain KASKO from an insurer it accepts, and sets conditions on the sum insured, the deductible and naming the bank as beneficiary. Remember the split from earlier: the leasing company may dictate the KASKO, but the compulsory policy is your responsibility as lessee.
Driving Abroad and the Green Card
Your ordinary Lithuanian policy already covers you across the whole EEA and Switzerland at no extra charge, plus a handful of countries where insurance checks have been abolished by agreement โ the Bureau lists Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and the United Kingdom among these.
Beyond that, you need a Green Card: an international certificate proving your cover is valid in a member country of the Green Card system. Your insurer issues it with your policy and it is free โ ERGO states it issues one at no charge alongside compulsory cover, and If lists it at โฌ0.
Green Cards no longer work in Russia or Belarus
Both had their membership of the Green Card system suspended on 30 June 2023, so a Green Card issued by a Lithuanian insurer is not valid there. Iran's membership was suspended on 1 January 2024. If you are driving into any of the three, your Lithuanian policy is not the answer and you need cover bought locally at the border.
Common Mistakes
Most of what goes wrong here is procedural rather than a matter of picking the wrong insurer.
Assuming the seller's policy covers you
It does not transfer with the car. Cover must be in place before you use the vehicle โ and if it is already registered, that means before you drive it away, not within some grace period afterwards.
Thinking the fine is the worst case
The fine is โฌ50โ100 for the driver, โฌ60โ120 for the owner and โฌ120โ240 for a company director. The recourse claim after an uninsured accident is unlimited and lands on you personally. In 2024 the Bureau recovered โฌ2.9 million from drivers this way.
Leaving a car uninsured because it is parked up
The obligation attaches to vehicles used in Lithuania, and a lapse in cover is a ground for suspending the vehicle's permit to be in traffic. If you genuinely will not use a car for a long period, take advice on suspending the permit through Regitra rather than simply letting the policy expire.
Assuming KASKO covers your liability
It does not. KASKO pays for your own car. If you carry KASKO and let the compulsory policy lapse, you are uninsured in the way that matters legally.
Driving to Russia or Belarus on a Green Card
Suspended since June 2023. The card is not valid there, whatever the printed list on an older card says.
Getting a quote from Gjensidige or PZU
Gjensidige is being folded into ERGO through 2026 and its quote page already redirects. PZU does not write compulsory motor cover in Lithuania at all โ its Lithuanian site points you to Lietuvos draudimas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is car insurance compulsory in Lithuania?
Yes. Third-party liability cover (TPVCA) is required for every vehicle used in Lithuania under Article 4(1) of the Law on Compulsory Insurance Against Civil Liability of Vehicle Owners. It is the owner's legal responsibility to buy it โ or the lessee's, if the car is on a finance lease.
How much is the fine for driving without insurance?
Under Article 415(1) of the Code of Administrative Offences: โฌ50โ100 for the driver, โฌ60โ120 for the individual responsible for insuring the vehicle, and โฌ120โ240 for a company officer responsible for a company car. The driver and the owner are fined separately for the same vehicle.
What happens if I cause an accident while uninsured?
The victim is still compensated โ the Motor Insurers' Bureau pays them. The Bureau then recovers the full amount from you personally under Article 23, including against your personal property if you cannot pay. In 2024 it recovered โฌ2.9 million this way across 956 accidents.
How much does compulsory car insurance cost?
There is no published tariff. Every insurer prices individually on the vehicle, your age, your claims history and who else drives, so you have to run a calculator to get a real number. Balcia advertises cover from โฌ4.49 a month as an entry price, and no official average is published.
Can I buy it with a foreign driving licence?
The law sets no licence condition on the buyer, and insurers are obliged to contract with the person responsible for insuring the vehicle. In practice the obstacle is different: the online calculators ask for a Lithuanian registration number and a Lithuanian personal code. No insurer publishes a position on foreign licences specifically, so ask before relying on it.
How long can I drive my foreign-registered car in Lithuania?
If it is registered in an EEA country, there is no time limit and you do not need to re-register it. If it is registered outside the EEA, up to 90 days per year, after which Lithuanian registration is required. A car you buy that is already on Lithuanian plates must be re-registered within 10 days.
Does my no-claims discount transfer from another country?
From another EU Member State, yes โ Article 11(4) makes a claims-history certificate issued elsewhere in the EU equivalent to a Lithuanian one, so ask your old insurer for it before you move. The rule names EU Member States, and nothing covers certificates from the UK, US or other non-EU countries. No insurer publishes how much discount a foreign certificate actually earns.
Do I need a Green Card to drive to another EU country?
No. Your ordinary Lithuanian policy covers the whole EEA and Switzerland automatically, plus Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and the UK. You need a Green Card for other countries in the Green Card system, and your insurer issues one free with your policy.
Is KASKO compulsory?
Not by law. It becomes compulsory by contract if your car is leased or financed โ SEB, for example, requires KASKO from an approved insurer with conditions on the sum insured and deductible. KASKO covers your own car; it does not replace compulsory third-party cover, and you need both.
Can I check whether a vehicle is insured?
Not freely. The Motor Insurers' Bureau runs a check, but it is designed for accident victims โ you must give the accident date and time and confirm you were involved, and it is capped at six queries a day. Separately, the Bureau offers a free VIN-based check of a car's accident history over the last five years, which is genuinely useful before buying a used car.
Important disclaimer
Insurance rules, premiums and penalties change. This page is general guidance, not legal or financial advice โ confirm current requirements with an insurer or the Motor Insurers' Bureau before relying on anything here.
Related
Ready to Insure Your Car?
Nobody publishes a tariff here โ every premium is calculated individually, and the Bank of Lithuania's own advice is that the same driver can be quoted meaningfully different prices. So run two or three of the insurers above rather than taking the first number you see.