Table of Contents
Requirements by Nationality
Whether you need a visa for a short stay in Lithuania is decided by EU law, not by Lithuania. Find your passport below.
No visa — 15 nationalities
- Passport only, 90 days in any 180
- Nothing to lodge before you travel
- An ETIAS authorisation once it launches
It gets you across the border, not into a job. Living, working or studying here needs a residence permit.
or Biometric only — 9
- Exempt, but on the document rather than the citizenship
- A non-biometric passport applies as an Annex I one does
- Serbia excludes Coordination Directorate passports on top
Two siblings of one nationality can be boarded and refused on the same flight.
or Visa required — 20
- €90 for adults, waived for children and students
- Filled in online in EPM, then lodged in person with biometrics
- Where Lithuania has no mission, another member state takes the file
No visa on arrival exists. Without one you are stopped at check-in, not at the border.
or Suspended — 2
- Annex I applies, and Lithuania goes further than the EU baseline
- Lithuanian missions are not accepting these applications at all
The annex says whether a visa is required; national policy decides whether one is obtainable. The table below carries the date it runs to.
The branch you are on comes from Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 and is the same in every Schengen state. What differs between them is where the file is lodged and what a member state adds nationally.
| Nationality | Short stay | What that means in practice | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇷Argentina | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇦🇺Australia | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇨🇦Canada | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇨🇱Chile | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇮🇱Israel | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇯🇵Japan | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇲🇾Malaysia | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇳🇿New Zealand | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇸🇬Singapore | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇰🇷South Korea | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇦🇪United Arab Emirates | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇺🇸United States | ✓No visa | Passport only, up to 90 days in any 180 | Read |
| 🇦🇱Albania | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇬🇪Georgia | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇽🇰Kosovo | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇲🇩Moldova | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇲🇪Montenegro | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇲🇰North Macedonia | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇷🇸Serbia | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇺🇦Ukraine | ✓Biometric only | Conditional on holding a biometric passport | Read |
| 🇦🇲Armenia | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇦🇿Azerbaijan | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇧🇩Bangladesh | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇨🇳China | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇪🇬Egypt | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇮🇳India | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇮🇩Indonesia | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇰🇿Kazakhstan | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇳🇵Nepal | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇳🇬Nigeria | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇵🇰Pakistan | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇵🇭Philippines | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇿🇦South Africa | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇱🇰Sri Lanka | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇹🇯Tajikistan | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇹🇭Thailand | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇹🇷Turkey | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇺🇿Uzbekistan | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇻🇳Vietnam | ✗Visa required | Apply before travel — €90, no visa on arrival | Read |
| 🇧🇾Belarus | ✗Suspended | Lithuania is not accepting applications until 31 December 2027 | Read |
| 🇷🇺Russia | ✗Suspended | Lithuania is not accepting applications until 31 December 2027 | Read |
Based on Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, consolidated version current to 30 December 2025, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2441. Short stay means 90 days in any 180-day period.
This table covers short visits only. Every nationality on it — including the visa-exempt ones — needs a residence permit to live, work or study in Lithuania. Being visa-free gets you through the border, not into a job.
How the List Is Decided
One regulation governs the whole Schengen area. Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 puts every nationality into one of two annexes, and every member state applies the same split — there is no separate Lithuanian list to check. Annex I is the visa-required branch drawn at the top of this page; Annex II is the visa-free one, around sixty nationalities plus Hong Kong and Macao SAR passports, some of them conditional on a biometric document.
Two smaller categories sit alongside these. Part 3 covers British nationals who are not British citizens — British Nationals (Overseas), British Overseas Territories Citizens, British Overseas Citizens, British Protected Persons and British Subjects — all visa-exempt. Part 4 covers entities not recognised as states by every member state: Taiwan, for passports carrying an identity card number, and Kosovo, for biometric passports.
The Biometric Passport Catch
Several Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership nationalities are visa-exempt only on a biometric passport. The exemption attaches to the document, not to the citizenship, which produces the situation people arrive at the airport in: two siblings with the same nationality, one waved through and one refused boarding.
Nationalities where this applies: Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Serbia has an extra exclusion. The Serbian exemption does not cover passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate. If yours was, you need a visa regardless of whether the document is biometric.
What Changed Recently
The list is not static, and 2025 made it less static than it used to be.
- Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, in force since 30 December 2025, revised the suspension mechanism — the EU can now withdraw a visa waiver more readily than before. Any Annex II nationality should treat its status as current rather than permanent.
- Vanuatu moved to Annex I outright under Regulation (EU) 2025/11. Its waiver had previously been suspended.
- Georgia: visa-free travel suspended for holders of diplomatic, service and official passports from 6 March 2026 to 6 March 2027. Ordinary biometric passport holders are unaffected.
- Russia and Belarus were already in Annex I. Lithuania goes considerably further, having suspended acceptance of their citizens' visa applications entirely until 31 December 2027.
Two border systems also changed what a short stay looks like in practice. EES became fully operational on 10 April 2026 and replaced passport stamping with biometric registration. ETIAS has not launched — see the Schengen guide for where it actually stands.
If You Do Need a Visa: How and Where You Apply
The table above tells you whether a visa is required. It does not tell you where the application goes, and for a good number of nationalities that is not a Lithuanian building.
Fill in the form in EPM
Lithuania's online Schengen application system, at visa.vrm.lt. You complete it online and then submit it in person — the form itself is not lodged electronically.
Find the competent mission
Determined by where you habitually live, not by your nationality. Where Lithuania has no mission of its own, another Schengen state may represent it.
Book, minding both deadlines
You may apply from six months before travel, and as a rule no later than 15 calendar days beforehand.
Attend and give biometrics
Fingerprints and a photograph, unless yours were taken for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months.
Wait for the decision
Due within 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 where further scrutiny is needed. Plan around 45, not 15.
Where Lithuania has no mission, another member state takes your file. In Nigeria, Lithuania is represented by Belgium in Abuja and by France in Lagos, so the application is lodged at another member state's mission. Lithuania has no embassy in Kyrgyzstan at all: Schengen decisions are taken by the Lithuanian Consulate General in Almaty while documents are lodged at the VFS Global centre in Bishkek. And the external service provider is not the same company everywhere — in Turkey, Lithuanian applications are handled by Gateway Management Lojistik A.Ş. rather than VFS Global.
Since December 2024, most people must apply in their own country. A Lithuanian rule introduced in December 2024 restricts which external service provider branch you may use, tying most nationalities to a branch in their own country rather than wherever an appointment happens to be free. American and Canadian citizens are explicitly excluded from that restriction and may apply at any branch. If you were planning to apply from a third country because the queue is shorter there, check the rule before you book anything.
What a Schengen Visa Costs
The state fee is only part of the bill, and the part charged by someone other than the state is the one people do not budget for.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Schengen visa fee | €90 | Adults. Raised from €80 on 11 June 2024 |
| Children aged 6 to 11 | €45 | Half rate |
| Children under 6 | Free | Mandatory waiver |
| Students and accompanying teachers travelling to study | Free | Mandatory waiver |
| Researchers attending a scientific conference | Free | Mandatory waiver |
| Service provider fee | Capped | Half the visa fee in most countries; €80 or €120 where Lithuania has no mission |
| Travel medical insurance | €30,000 cover | Minimum, for the whole stay, across all member states |
Two Nationalities Pay €35, Not €90
Armenian and Azerbaijani citizens pay a facilitated fee of €35 — under the EU–Armenia agreement in force since 1 January 2014 and the EU–Azerbaijan agreement in force since 1 September 2014. The agreements are wider than the fee alone: children under 12 pay nothing, against the standard rule that charges €45 from age six; pensioners, students, teachers, researchers and journalists are listed as exempt in Article 6 of each agreement; and the decision deadline is 10 days, extendable to 30, or two working days in urgent cases. Every other Annex I nationality on this page pays the standard €90 — there is no EU–Kyrgyzstan or EU–Tajikistan facilitation agreement, so those rates do not travel.
The service provider fee is a real number even though it is capped rather than fixed. Published examples show how much it moves: the Schengen service fee in Turkey was €17.90, while the residence permit and national visa service fee there is €110 — the same €110 charged in the Philippines, where residence permit and national visa applications are handled by VFS Services Philippines Private Inc on top of the state fee.
Fees set by the Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, as amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415. The Commission reviews them every three years, with the next review due in 2027. Facilitation rates come from the bilateral agreements, which override the standard fee for those nationalities.
When 90 Days Is Not Enough
The 90-day allowance is for visiting. Living here — working, studying, joining family, founding a company — needs a temporary residence permit, and the permit is what carries the right to work.
The middle option is the national (D) visa, covering 91 days to 12 months for a narrow list of purposes — exchange students, researchers, seafarers, accredited journalists, seasonal workers and posted employees among them. Full-time study and most skilled work moved off the D visa to residence permits on 1 July 2023, which is why so much older advice about it no longer fits.
1 November 2026 splits this page in two
From that date, a work- or study-based residence permit application can only be lodged from inside Lithuania by someone holding a Lithuanian residence permit, a Lithuanian national (D) visa, a residence permit from another Schengen or EU state, or legal visa-free presence.
If your nationality is visa-exempt, that last category is you: you can still apply while in Lithuania, provided the visa-free stay is still running. If your nationality needs a visa, the familiar route of arriving on a Schengen visa and applying once here stops working — plan on applying from abroad through an external service provider instead.
Whether you can lodge a permit application at all can depend on the country you are in. Two examples from the nationality pages behind this table. Since 22 October 2025 an Azerbaijani citizen may apply for a Lithuanian residence permit from Baku only for family reunification, a highly-qualified job, or studies at an approved Lithuanian institution — an ordinary work permit application cannot be lodged there. Lithuania closed its residence permit and national visa channel in Dushanbe on the same date, with document collection ending on 22 July 2026, so there is currently no route from inside Tajikistan for someone seeking to live rather than visit.
Displaced from Ukraine? That is a different status. Temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine now runs to 4 March 2028, extended by Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912 on 30 July 2026. It is a separate status with different rights, and it is not what the visa table on this page describes — see our residence permit guide.
Overstaying is now arithmetic, not a judgement call. Since EES became fully operational the count is computed automatically rather than read off stamps, so overstays are detected by the system. An entry ban entered by Lithuania goes into the Schengen Information System, which means it blocks entry to every member state and not only this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the visa requirement different for Lithuania than for other Schengen countries?
No. Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 applies across the Schengen area, so the same nationalities are visa-exempt everywhere. What can differ is national policy on top — Lithuania, for example, has suspended acceptance of Russian and Belarusian applications, which goes beyond the EU baseline.
What does 90 days in any 180 actually mean?
It is a rolling window. For any given day you are present, count back 180 days and add up your days of presence across all Schengen states in that window — the total must not exceed 90. Arrival and departure days each count as a full day, and leaving the area does not reset the count.
My passport isn't biometric. Does the exemption still apply?
For most Annex II nationalities the passport type is irrelevant. For Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo the exemption is conditional on holding a biometric passport, and a non-biometric one means applying for a Schengen visa.
Can I work in Lithuania if I'm visa-free?
No. Since 1 July 2024 working in Lithuania requires a Lithuanian residence permit. Visa-free entry, a Schengen visa, another country's national visa and another country's residence permit all fail to give work rights here, with narrow exceptions.
Do I need ETIAS?
Not yet. ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being accepted. In April 2026 the Commission said it was scheduled for the last quarter of 2026, but no start date has been confirmed and the launch has been postponed repeatedly. When it starts it will apply to visa-exempt travellers at €20.
Can a visa-free nationality lose that status?
Yes, and it has become easier. Regulation (EU) 2025/2441 revised the suspension mechanism in December 2025. Vanuatu lost its exemption outright, and Georgia's was suspended for diplomatic and service passport holders in March 2026. Check before booking rather than relying on what was true last year.
I hold a Russian or Belarusian passport. Does the table on this page apply to me?
Only as the starting point, and the Lithuanian position goes further than the EU one. Both nationalities already sit in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, which means a Schengen visa is required before travel anywhere in the area. On top of that baseline, Lithuania has suspended acceptance of Russian and Belarusian citizens' visa applications entirely, until 31 December 2027. That is a national measure layered on the EU rule, so it does not change what other member states do — it changes what a Lithuanian mission will accept from you. This is the clearest example on this page of why the EU regulation is a floor rather than the whole answer: the annex tells you whether a visa is required, and national policy can still determine whether one is obtainable. If your circumstances are anything other than a short visit, that is a question for an immigration lawyer rather than a table.
My passport is no longer being stamped. How do I prove how many days I have used?
You cannot do it by flipping through the passport any more, and that is a real change in your own record-keeping rather than a change in the rule. The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026 and replaced passport stamping with biometric registration, so your entries and exits are recorded in a database instead of in ink. The underlying limit is unchanged: 90 days in any 180-day period, counted as a rolling window. For any given day you are present, count back 180 days and add up your days of presence across all Schengen states in that window — the total must not exceed 90. Arrival and departure days each count as a full day, and leaving the area does not reset anything. Keep your own log of boarding passes and dates: if there is ever a dispute about your count, the burden of showing where you were falls on you.
If I do need a visa, what does it cost and how long does it take?
The Schengen short-stay visa fee is €90 for adults, with mandatory waivers for children and for students. The legal decision period is 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 where a file needs further examination — so an application submitted a fortnight before a trip is already tight, and one submitted a week before is a trip you may not take. Apply at a Lithuanian mission, or at the mission of whichever state represents Lithuania where it has none of its own; the representing state varies by country, so establish which one covers you before you start gathering documents. One thing that does not exist and is worth stating plainly: there is no visa on arrival in the Schengen area. If you need a visa and turn up without one, you will be stopped at check-in rather than at the border, because the airline carries the liability for boarding you.
My travel document is not an ordinary national passport. Where do I fit?
Two smaller categories sit alongside the main annexes and cover exactly this. Part 3 deals with British nationals who are not British citizens — British Nationals (Overseas), British Overseas Territories Citizens, British Overseas Citizens, British Protected Persons and British Subjects — and all of them are visa-exempt. Part 4 deals with entities not recognised as states by every member state: Taiwan, where the exemption applies to passports carrying an identity card number, and Kosovo, where it applies to biometric passports. Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region passports sit in Annex II alongside the roughly sixty visa-exempt nationalities. In every one of these cases the exemption attaches to the specific document rather than to a general status, so the wording on your own passport is what decides it — the same principle that produces two siblings of the same nationality, one boarded and one refused, where a biometric condition applies.
Related Guides
Visa-free gets you across the border and no further. Living, working or studying here needs a residence permit, and which grounds you apply under is the decision worth getting right first.
If your passport needs a visa, the paperwork is the next question
The consulate wants the documents, the fee and the insurance certificate in a particular form, and the appointment is usually the slow part. The short-stay guide sets out what to gather and when.
Disclaimer
General guidance, not legal advice. Visa requirements are set at EU level and applied nationally, and the suspension mechanism was revised as recently as December 2025. Confirm your position with the Lithuanian mission responsible for where you live before booking travel.