- Digital nomad visa
- No
Overall3/10Harder visas than about 90% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- The 90-day Schengen allowance is shared across all Schengen countries combined — time spent in Poland, Latvia, or Estonia counts against the same 90/180-day total as time in Lithuania, so hopping around the Baltics doesn't give you extra days.
- Check that your passport was issued within the last 10 years and has at least 3 months of validity left after your planned departure — border officers do enforce this and it's a common reason for being denied boarding, not just entry.
- ETIAS pre-travel authorization for currently visa-exempt nationals is expected to become mandatory sometime in late 2026 — worth checking closer to your travel date if you're arriving after that rollout.
- If you're not from a visa-exempt country, you'll need a Schengen Type C visa arranged before arrival — there's no visa-on-arrival option at Lithuanian borders for tourism/short stays.
- Multiple recent guides explicitly state Lithuania does not offer a specific digital nomad visa — if you see a site advertising one, double-check its claims against the official Migration Department (MIGRIS) before relying on them.
- If you're self-employed and want to stay long-term, the business/TRP route requires meaningful investment and hiring commitments, so most short-to-medium-term nomads in Kaunas simply stay within the 90-day Schengen visa-free window instead of pursuing residency.
- Crossing 183 days of physical presence in a calendar year is the main tripwire for becoming a Lithuanian tax resident on worldwide income, so track your days carefully if you plan on a long stay.
Tax Notes
- Filing Authority
- Tax residents file with VMI (Valstybinė mokesčių inspekcija, the State Tax Inspectorate) through its EDS electronic declaration system.
- Worldwide Income
- Once resident, worldwide income becomes taxable in Lithuania; non-residents are taxed only on Lithuania-sourced income.
- Tax Residency Trigger
- An individual becomes a Lithuanian tax resident by meeting any one of: spending 183+ days in Lithuania in a calendar year (or 280+ days across two consecutive years with at least 90 days in one of them), having their center of personal/economic interests in Lithuania, having their only permanent home in Lithuania, or (for Lithuanian citizens) having family based in Lithuania.
- Self Employment Option
- Self-employed nomads can register an 'Individual Activity' certificate with the tax authority, which some sources describe as carrying a reduced effective tax rate (roughly 5–20%) on profits up to about EUR 42,500, with a standard 30% flat expense deduction; this detail is drawn from a single non-official source and is not confirmed against an official VMI page.
Income Tax Rates
- Social Contributions
- Employee social security contributions are commonly cited at around 19.5% for residents, though some sources suggest expatriates earning only foreign-sourced income while employed abroad may be exempt — this exemption claim is not strongly corroborated and should be verified with a tax advisor.
- Note
- Reported as a three-tier progressive personal income tax structure as of the 2026 tax year: 20% up to roughly EUR 82,962, 25% up to roughly EUR 138,270, and 32% above that. Dividends are reported as taxed at a flat 15%. These figures come from a tax-calculator aggregator site rather than a primary VMI (State Tax Inspectorate) source and should be independently verified before relying on them for a specific filing.
Closest Equivalents
National Visa (Type D)
- Renewal Path
- Generally cannot be renewed directly; holders typically must apply for a Temporary Residence Permit to continue staying, or wait a cooling-off period before reapplying for a new National Visa.
- Description
- A long-stay visa valid for up to one year, typically granted for business/work, studies, or family reunification purposes; one source describes a specific 'Other Cases (Remote Work)' sub-category, but this is not corroborated across most other sources reviewed and should be treated as unconfirmed.
Income Requirement
- Unconfirmed Amount Local
- €5,460
- Note
- One source claims a minimum of roughly 2.5x the national average gross salary (cited as approx. EUR 5,460/month) for a remote-work National Visa category; this figure is not corroborated by other sources and could not be confirmed against an official government page, so treat with caution.
Documents Typically Required
- Valid passport (issued within last 10 years, valid at least 3 months beyond visa expiry, 2 blank pages)
- Completed application form and passport photo
- Proof of sufficient funds (bank statements, employment contract, or proof of income)
- Health insurance valid across the Schengen Area with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000
- Documents confirming purpose of stay (remote work/foreign client contracts or business registration)
- Proof of accommodation/registered address in Lithuania
- Official translations of any non-Lithuanian/English documents
Start-Up Visa
- Description
- Aimed at founders/entrepreneurs with an innovative business idea rather than employees or generic freelancers.
Requirements
- Innovative business solution with a minimum viable product or functional prototype
- Applicant must be a founder of the start-up
- Approval from Enterprise Lithuania
- Company must be established within 120 days of arrival
- Path
- Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) via business/self-employment
- Description
- The main long-term route for self-employed nomads who don't qualify for the Start-Up track; typically valid 2 years and renewable.
Requirements
- Business must have been operating at least 6 months before applying
- Minimum equity investment of roughly EUR 28,000, owning at least one-third of shares
- Must employ at least one Lithuanian/EU citizen at a salary at least twice the national average to maintain the permit
- Registered place of residence in Lithuania; permit can be revoked if absent from the EU more than 6 consecutive months
Work permit (employer-sponsored)
- Description
- Requires a Lithuanian employer, a labor market test showing no suitable local candidate, and a minimum salary above the national average; not applicable to independent remote workers without a local employer.
Visa Free Entry
- Zone
- Schengen Area
- Country
- Lithuania
- Member Since
- Lithuania fully applies the Schengen legislation as of December 21, 2007.
- Baseline Rule
- Citizens of visa-exempt countries — including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and most Latin American nations — can enter Lithuania without a visa for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. This is the standard Schengen 90/180-day rule, which applies across all Schengen countries combined, not just Lithuania.
- How Many Days
- Up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen Area combined (not per country). Leaving and re-entering Lithuania or another Schengen state does not reset the count — only 90 consecutive days spent outside the Schengen Area resets the allowance.
- Who Qualifies
- Nationals of the roughly 60 non-EU countries that have visa-waiver agreements with the EU (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, most Latin American states) can enter Lithuania and the rest of the Schengen Area visa-free for short stays. Nationals of countries without such an agreement — including most African, Middle Eastern and many Asian countries, plus China, India, and Russia — must obtain a Schengen Type C visa in advance.
- Beyond 90 Days
- Staying longer than 90/180 days requires a Lithuanian national long-stay Type D visa or a temporary residence permit, applied for separately from the short-stay Schengen framework. Lithuania also has a dedicated national digital nomad-relevant temporary residence route, but that falls outside visa-free entry and is not covered here.
- Overstay Consequences
- Overstaying the 90-day visa-free limit can result in fines and an entry ban to the Schengen Area of up to several years, so travelers should track their cumulative Schengen days carefully, especially if hopping between Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, or other Schengen countries.
- Process For Visa Exempt
- No visa application needed. Travelers must present a passport that was issued within the last 10 years and remains valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure date from the Schengen Area. Proof of accommodation and sufficient funds may be requested at the border.
- Upcoming System Changes
- The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) began phased rollout in late 2025 across Schengen borders, and ETIAS (a pre-travel authorization for otherwise visa-exempt nationals) is expected to launch in late 2026. Once live, visa-exempt travelers will need to register online before arrival, though the underlying 90/180-day limit itself does not change.
- Process For Visa Required Nationals
- Nationals not covered by the visa waiver must apply in advance for a Schengen Type C short-stay visa, generally through a Lithuanian embassy/consulate or visa application center. The standard fee for an adult Schengen visa is 80 EUR, with processing typically taking around 15 working days (longer in peak season).
Lithuania has no dedicated 'digital nomad visa' with that label. Most current guidance describes the closest legal paths as: (1) the National Visa (Type D) long-stay visa, generally issued for business, employment, study, or family reunification rather than a distinct 'remote work' category, (2) the Start-Up Visa for founders, and (3) a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) built around self-employment/business or employer sponsorship.
Visa Ease Tier
low
Baseline Visa Free Stay
Non-EU nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Australia) can enter visa-free and stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period under standard Schengen rules; EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can live and work freely for up to 3 months before needing to register locally.
Visa Ease Tier Rationale
Lithuania has no dedicated digital-nomad visa, relies on a short 90/180-day visa-free baseline for most non-EU nomads, and its actual long-stay paths (Start-Up Visa, business-based TRP with equity/hiring requirements, or employer-sponsored work permits) impose significant capital, business-formation, or sponsorship burdens rather than a simple remote-income application.
Dedicated Digital Nomad Visa Exists
No
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Kaunas
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.