A Lithuanian notary is not a solicitor and not a rubber stamp. The notaras is a state-appointed officer of the Latin notarial tradition, charged by the Law on the Notariat with establishing that a transaction is lawful before it exists at all — checking the registers, confirming the seller owns what is being sold, explaining to each party what they are signing, and only then certifying it. A deed that has been through that is hard to unwind, which is the point.
For anyone arriving from a common-law country the notary is unavoidable rather than optional. Buying a flat, forming a company, giving someone authority to act for you, inheriting anything, or agreeing what happens to property inside a marriage all run through a notary's office, at prices the Government sets.
Table of Contents
What a Notary Actually Does
The list of acts a notary performs is broader than the certifying most people expect.
Certifies transactions
The ones the Civil Code requires to be in notarial form, and any other the parties choose to put in it.
Issues certificates of inheritance
Establishing who the heirs are, plus the separate certificate of a surviving spouse's share of the marital property.
Certifies copies, extracts and signatures
Including a translator's signature on a translation — what a "notarised translation" here actually is.
Keeps wills and records the date a document was produced
Wills are deposited with a notary; the deposit and the date are both notarial acts.
Makes executory endorsements and affixes apostilles
A notarised contract creating a money debt can be enforced by a bailiff on the notary's endorsement, without a court judgment — which is why a lender prefers one. Since 2016 notaries also affix the apostille that used to come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Explains what you are signing
Article 30 of the Law on the Notariat obliges the notary to explain the meaning and consequences of the act — a duty, not a courtesy, and why a signing takes longer than expected.
When a Notary Is Compulsory
Article 1.74 of the Civil Code lists the transactions that are void unless they are in notarial form, and other articles add to it. A transaction inside the list simply does not exist without the notary.
| Transaction | Notary required? | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer of rights in immovable property, and restrictions | ✓ Yes | CK art. 1.74(1)(1) — sale, gift, exchange, mortgage, usufruct, servitude |
| A marriage contract, before or during the marriage | ✓ Yes | CK art. 1.74(1)(2); binds third parties only once entered in the Register of Marriage Contracts |
| Sale of shares in a private limited company | ✓ Yes | CK art. 1.74(1)(3), where 25%+ of the shares are sold or the price exceeds €14,500; shares held in a securities account are excepted |
| Founding documents of a company | ✓ Yes | Certified as compliant before the Register of Legal Entities will act — €210 for a UAB, €75 for a mažoji bendrija; see company formation cost |
| A power of attorney for a notarial transaction | ✓ Yes | CK art. 2.138 — also a power to act in matters involving legal persons, and one over the management, use or disposal of immovable property |
| An official will, and the certificate of inheritance | ✓ Yes | Civil Code Book V |
| An agreement on the consequences of divorce or separation | ✓ Yes | CK art. 1.74(1)(4); since 2023 the notary can dissolve the marriage itself in the narrow case the divorce page describes |
| A gift above the statutory threshold | ✓ Yes | Above €14,500, per the Chamber of Notaries |
| A tenancy agreement | ✗ No | Written form is enough — see renting a flat |
| An employment contract | ✗ No | Written, two copies, Labour Code — see employment rights |
Article 2.138 has one exception: a power of attorney to act in matters involving legal persons needs no notary if it was created electronically and registered in the Register of Powers of Attorney — how a director authorises an accountant without an appointment.
The Fee List and How It Works
Notaries do not quote. Their charges are fixed by Government resolution No. 498 of 28 June 2023, in force since 1 October 2023, which prices every notarial act, the drafting of a transaction, consultations and technical services. Every notary works from the same list, so shopping around changes the appointment date and not the invoice.
| Act | Point | Fee, before VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Sale of immovable property | 25.1 | 0.37% of the stated price, min €76, max €5,000 |
| Mortgage, property up to €220,000 | 28.1 | 0.25% of the value, €54 to €190 |
| Mortgage, property above that | 28.1 | The same 0.25%, capped at €360 |
| Certificate of inheritance | 30.6 | 0.09% of the estate, €29 to €400 |
| Certifying a will | 30.1 | €40 |
| Accepting or renouncing an inheritance | 30.5 | €34 |
| Marriage contract, or a divorce-consequences agreement, no property to divide | 31.1 | €120 |
| The same, with property to divide | 31.2 | 0.17% of the value divided, €72 to €2,500 |
| Joint application to dissolve a marriage | 31.3 | €10 |
| Power of attorney to a family member | 32.7 | €15 |
| Power of attorney to anyone else | 32.8 | €36 |
| A general power of attorney | 32.6 | €20 |
| Certifying a signature | 34.10 | €10 |
| Apostille | 34.7 | €15 |
Every price on the list is quoted without VAT
Resolution No. 498 states fees excluding VAT, so 21% is added at the counter: the €76 minimum is €91.96 to pay, the €5,000 property-sale cap €6,050.00. Two things bill on top: an act performed away from the office may cost up to 2 times the listed price plus travel, and translation is not a notarial act.
Property, Mortgages and the Register
A property purchase is what most foreigners meet a notary for.
The notary confirms, before certifying, that the person transferring registered property actually holds the right being transferred. That check is the substance of the fee, and it is why a Lithuanian purchase does not need the separate title insurance a common-law conveyance often does.
At 0.37% of the stated price with a €5,000 ceiling, the notary is a small line beside the taxes and registration charges on the buying property page. The mortgage is a separate act with its own fee, so a buyer with a mortgage pays two notarial fees on the same day.
Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance
A marriage contract — the vedybų sutartis — replaces the Civil Code's default joint community property with whatever the spouses agree, before or during the marriage, and binds third parties only once entered in the Register of Marriage Contracts. Point 31.1 prices it at €120 with no property to divide, point 31.2 at 0.17% of the value divided, between €72 and €2,500, where there is. See getting married.
A divorce by mutual consent has been a notarial route since 1 January 2023 for couples who meet five conditions. Points 31.1 and 31.2 price the agreement, point 31.3 adds €10 for the joint application, and creditors get 30 days to object. The conditions are on the divorce page.
Inheritance runs through the notary of the place where the succession opened, and to a clock. Article 5.50 of the Civil Code gives an heir 3 months from the death to declare acceptance; a missed deadline can be restored for important reasons, but only by a court. The certificate of inheritance is issued after those 3 months, at 0.09% of the estate, between €29 and €400. Accepting or renouncing costs €34, certifying a will €40.
Remote Acts and e-notaras
Almost every notarial act can now be performed remotely, over video, through the notarial information system e-notaras. The Chamber of Notaries reports remote acts up 15.6% in 2025 over 2024 and mixed acts — one party in the office, the other on video — up 53%; mortgages and property transactions are the commonest.
Three conditions have to be met at once. You identify yourself through the eNotaras client portal using the state's electronic government gateway and again on the live video, with the notary checking against the Population Register. The notary must be able to explain the act remotely — working video and audio at both ends. And every participant needs a qualified electronic signature: a mobile signature, a smart card or USB token, or Smart-ID.
Three acts that still need you in the room
Certifying a will, certifying that a person is alive and in a particular place, and taking a will into safekeeping cannot be done remotely. Beyond those three the notary keeps a discretion to require attendance in person to protect someone's legitimate interests, so a remote appointment is offered rather than owed.
Working With a Notary Without Lithuanian
Article 15 of the Law on the Notariat keeps the notary's records in the state language and allows a transaction with a foreign party to be drawn up in the state language and another the parties accept — a bilingual deed, Lithuanian text operative. The act around it still happens in Lithuanian.
Article 30 decides how the appointment runs: the notary must explain the meaning and the consequences of the act and be satisfied the explanation landed. A notary who cannot establish that a signatory understood what is being signed has no basis for certifying it, which is why an interpreter is arranged where the notary does not share your language.
An interpreter is not a notarial act. Resolution No. 498 prices what notaries do, and interpreting is not on it, so it is bought separately by the person who needs it — as is the written translation of any document that arrives in another language.
A foreign document needs two things before a notary can use it. Authentication — an apostille from the issuing state, or full legalisation by both foreign ministries where it is outside the Hague Convention; EU public documents covered by EU law need neither, and a multilingual standard form removes the translation too. Then a Lithuanian translation carrying the translator's signature: a "notarised translation" here is the notary certifying that signature, at point 34.10, not checking the translation. A Lithuanian document going abroad takes an apostille from any notary at €15, or €20 per document through a consulate — see translations and apostille.
Ask about language when you book, not when you arrive. Offices in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda commonly work in Russian and often in English, but that is per office rather than a service the profession guarantees. A signing rescheduled for a missing interpreter costs a week rather than a fee.
Finding a Notary
The Chamber of Notaries maintains a public register of every notary office, searchable by municipality. Fees are identical everywhere, so the only variables are location, availability, working languages and whether the office will act remotely.
Inheritance is the exception to free choice: it goes to the notary of the place where the succession opened, and the Chamber publishes a tool identifying that office from the last place of residence. Company formation, property, powers of attorney and family agreements can go to any notary in Lithuania.
Ask what to bring before you book. Identity documents, the register extracts, and any foreign document with its apostille and signed translation. A missing translation turns one appointment into two.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a notary cost in Lithuania?
Whatever Government resolution No. 498 of 28 June 2023 says: it fixes a price for every notarial act and every notary charges from the same list. A property sale is 0.37% of the stated price, min €76, max €5,000. A power of attorney is €15 to a family member, €36 to anyone else. A certificate of inheritance is 0.09% of the estate, €29 to €400. All before VAT, and 21% is added.
Can I choose which notary to use?
For almost everything, yes — any notary in Lithuania, at the same fee. Inheritance is the exception: it goes to the notary of the place where the succession opened, and the Chamber of Notaries publishes a tool identifying that office from the deceased's last place of residence.
Do I need a notary to buy a flat?
Yes. Article 1.74 of the Civil Code makes a transfer of rights in immovable property void unless it is in notarial form. The notary checks the register and confirms the seller holds what is being sold, which is the substance of the fee. A mortgage is a separate notarial act with its own fee, so a buyer borrowing to purchase pays two.
Can a notary act if I do not speak Lithuanian?
Article 15 of the Law on the Notariat allows a transaction with a foreign party to be drawn up in the state language and another language the parties accept. Article 30 obliges the notary to explain the meaning and consequences of the act to you, which is why an interpreter is arranged where the notary does not share your language. The interpreter is not on the fee list and is bought separately.
What is a notarised translation?
The notary certifies the translator's signature on the translation — point 34.10 of the fee list, €10 before VAT — not the translation itself. The Chamber of Notaries' rule is that a document put in front of a notary must be in the state language, and one in another language must have a translation attached, signed by the translator.
Who issues an apostille on a Lithuanian document?
Any Lithuanian notary, at €15 before VAT under point 34.7; the function moved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2016. A consulate abroad charges €20 per document. Documents from other EU member states covered by EU law need neither an apostille nor a translation where a multilingual standard form is attached.
Can I do it all online?
Nearly. Almost every act can be done remotely over video through e-notaras. You identify yourself through the eNotaras portal and again on video, and every participant needs a qualified electronic signature — mobile signature, smart card, USB token or Smart-ID. Certifying a will, certifying a person is alive and in a particular place, and taking a will into safekeeping cannot be done remotely.
How long do I have to accept an inheritance?
Three months from the death, under article 5.50 of the Civil Code, by a declaration to the notary of the place where the succession opened. A missed deadline can be restored only by a court, and only where the reasons were important. The certificate of inheritance is issued once those three months have run.
Do I need a notary for a rental agreement or an employment contract?
No to both. A tenancy needs written form only, and an employment contract is concluded in writing in two copies under article 43 of the Labour Code. Notarial form is required only where the Civil Code says so — property, marriage contracts, certain company share sales, the powers of attorney article 2.138 lists, official wills and inheritance.
Is a marriage contract worth notarising before the wedding?
The cost is not the obstacle: point 31.1 charges €120 before VAT where there is no property to divide, and the contract can be made before or during the marriage. Without one the Civil Code applies its default regime of joint community property to everything acquired after the marriage. A contract binds third parties only once entered in the Register of Marriage Contracts.
What is an executory endorsement?
A notary's endorsement on a notarised contract creating a money obligation, letting the creditor go straight to a bailiff without a court judgment. One of the functions notaries gained in 2016, and why a lender prefers a notarised loan agreement to the same terms on plain paper.
Can someone else sign for me if I am abroad?
Yes, under a power of attorney in notarial form. Article 2.138 requires it for a power to conclude a transaction that must itself be notarial, and for one over the management, use or disposal of immovable property. A power granted abroad must be legalised and translated first.