Why These Licences Require Specialist Support
The four licence categories on this page are managed by four different regulatory authorities, each with its own application format, inspection process, and compliance framework. Unlike financial licences — which are all managed by the Bank of Lithuania under harmonised EU standards — these licences operate under Lithuanian-specific frameworks where requirements can change with local regulations, where zoning conditions depend on local municipal rules, and where inspection outcomes depend on the authority’s assessment of specific premises.
Multiple authorities — one engagement
An alcohol licence involves the VMVT and — for on-premises consumption — the municipal licensing committee. A pharma licence involves the VVKT and may require coordination with the European Medicines Agency for certain products. A food business approval involves the VMVT and, for export health certificates, may involve the Ministry of Agriculture. A construction permit involves the VTPSI, the local municipality’s territorial planning unit, and certified design professionals. Managing each of these as a separate engagement — with different contacts, different timelines, and different document requirements — is the norm for businesses that try to handle licensing without specialist support. We coordinate across all of these authorities from a single point of contact.
Inspection readiness — the factor that most delays licences
Most of these licences involve a physical inspection of the premises by the relevant regulatory authority before the licence is issued. VMVT inspects alcohol retail premises and food businesses. VVKT inspects pharmaceutical wholesale warehouses and pharmacies. VTPSI inspects construction sites against the approved design documents. The outcome of these inspections — and therefore the licence timeline — depends entirely on whether the premises meet the authority’s requirements at the time of inspection. An inspection that finds deficiencies results in a list of remediation requirements and a reinspection, adding weeks or months to the process. We prepare operators for inspections before they take place, not after they fail one.
Zoning and location — the constraint that most surprises applicants
Alcohol licences are subject to minimum distance requirements from schools, childcare centres, churches, and other sensitive locations. These distances vary by licence type and municipality, and are measured differently in different cities — sometimes from the entrance, sometimes from the boundary of the building, sometimes from the boundary of the plot. A premises that appears to be compliant may fail the distance test when the correct measurement is applied. We conduct the distance assessment before an application is submitted — not after the VMVT has refused it.
Licences at a Glance
The table below summarises the four licence categories — the issuing authority, typical processing time, renewal obligation, and whether an inspection is required before the licence is issued.
Each Licence Category in Brief
Alcohol Licence
Lithuania’s alcohol licensing framework is governed by the Law on Alcohol Control (Alkoholio kontrolės įstatymas). The law distinguishes between retail sale for off-premises consumption (sealed containers to take away), on-premises consumption (served in bars, restaurants, or other licensed premises), and wholesale distribution (supply to retailers and hospitality businesses). Each category requires a separate licence, issued by the VMVT. On-premises licences additionally require a separate permit from the relevant city municipality.
All alcohol licences expire on 31 December each year, regardless of when they were issued. A licence obtained in October must be renewed in December — this is a structural feature of the Lithuanian system that catches many new operators unprepared. The VMVT has been progressively tightening enforcement of the zoning restrictions (minimum distances from schools, churches, and other sensitive sites) that have long been part of the framework but were less rigorously checked in earlier years.
Alcohol sales hours
The Law on Alcohol Control restricts the hours during which alcoholic beverages can be sold in Lithuania. In Lithuania, retail sales of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption are generally permitted from 10:00 to 20:00 on Mondays to Saturdays and from 10:00 to 15:00 on Sundays. These restrictions apply to alcoholic beverages generally, rather than only to spirits or wines exceeding 22% alcohol by volume. Additional restrictions apply, including the prohibition on retail alcohol sales on 1 September, subject to statutory exceptions. On-premises alcohol consumption is governed by separate requirements, and municipalities may impose additional restrictions within their statutory powers. Beer and lower-strength wine can be sold until later in most municipalities, subject to local conditions attached to the licence. On-premises consumption is subject to the venue’s operating hours and local municipal conditions. Violations of sales hour restrictions — including selling to minors at any hour — result in immediate licence suspension and are among the most common grounds for licence revocation.
Pharmaceutical Licence
Pharmaceutical activities in Lithuania are regulated by the Law on Pharmacy (Farmacijos įstatymas) and EU pharmaceutical legislation, primarily Directive 2001/83/EC and the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines. The State Medicines Control Agency (VVKT) is the national competent authority for pharmaceutical licensing.
Wholesale distribution of medicines — supplying pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and other authorised recipients — requires a wholesale distribution authorisation from the VVKT. The authorisation process is substantive: the applicant must demonstrate a documented quality management system, premises meeting GDP physical standards (temperature control, security, segregation of goods), a designated Qualified Person (QP) with the required pharmaceutical qualifications, and a recall procedure. A VVKT inspector will conduct a pre-authorisation inspection of the premises against the GDP standard before the authorisation is issued.
Retail pharmacy operation requires a pharmacy licence, which additionally demands a licensed pharmacist as the responsible manager and compliance with physical layout requirements (dispensing counter, consultation area, storage standards). Opening a new pharmacy also requires compliance with minimum distance rules from other pharmacies in some municipalities.
Controlled substances — additional requirements
Pharmaceutical businesses handling controlled substances — narcotics, psychotropic substances, and precursors under Schedule I–IV — must comply with additional requirements under the Law on the Control of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances. These include stricter storage requirements (locked cabinets with access records), transaction documentation, and periodic reporting to the VVKT. The controlled substances framework applies both to wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies that dispense such substances.
Food Business Licence
Food businesses in Lithuania are regulated under EU food law — primarily Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on food hygiene and Regulation (EC) 853/2004 for food of animal origin — and by Lithuanian implementing legislation. The VMVT is the national food safety authority responsible for registration, approval, and supervision of food businesses.
Most food businesses are required to register with the VMVT — this includes restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, food manufacturers working with non-animal products, food distributors, and catering companies. Registration is a lighter-touch process: the business submits a registration notification, the VMVT conducts an initial inspection of the premises, and the business is entered in the register of food business operators. Registration does not expire but is subject to periodic VMVT supervisory inspections — typically annually for higher-risk food businesses, less frequently for lower-risk operations.
Establishments handling products of animal origin may require formal approval by the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, depending on the nature of their activities and the applicable exemptions. However, not every business selling, storing or handling food of animal origin requires approval. Certain retail activities and other operations may be subject to registration rather than approval. The applicable authorisation must be determined according to the product category, processing activities, distribution arrangements and statutory exemptions. The approval process is more demanding: the premises must meet specific structural and equipment standards, the business must demonstrate full HACCP implementation, and an EU approval number is issued upon approval, allowing the business to trade across the EU single market. The VMVT inspects approval premises before issuing the approval and re-inspects periodically thereafter.
HACCP — mandatory for every food business
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is not optional — it is a legal requirement for every food business in Lithuania under EU food hygiene law. HACCP means identifying the specific hazards in your food production or handling process, determining the critical control points where those hazards must be controlled, setting critical limits, and documenting the monitoring and corrective actions. A HACCP plan that exists only on paper and is not actually applied in operations will not satisfy a VMVT inspection. We advise on HACCP implementation and documentation as part of every food business registration engagement.
Construction Permit
The construction permit (statybos leidimas) is issued through the INFOSTATYBA national electronic building permit and inspection system, managed by the State Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate (Valstybinė teritorijų planavimo ir statybos inspekcija — VTPSI). All construction, reconstruction, and demolition above the minor works threshold requires a permit before work begins. Construction carried out without a legally required permit constitutes unauthorised construction under Lithuanian law and may result in administrative penalties, orders to suspend construction, requirements to eliminate violations or demolition orders. Criminal liability is not automatically imposed for every instance of construction without a permit. It may arise where the conduct separately satisfies the elements of an offence under the Lithuanian Criminal Code. The legal consequences depend on the nature of the violation, the building and the circumstances of the case. — and structures built without permits can be ordered demolished regardless of their quality or completion status.
The building permit process has three main stages. First, territorial planning compliance must be confirmed — the intended construction must be consistent with the special plans, comprehensive plans, and detailed plans applicable to the specific site. Second, certified design documentation must be prepared by a licensed designer — architectural drawings, structural calculations, engineering specifications — and stamped by the design organisation’s Responsible Designer. Third, the construction permit application is submitted through the Lithuanian electronic construction information system, Infostatyba. Under Article 27 of the Lithuanian Law on Construction, construction permits are generally issued by municipal administrations, subject to the statutory exceptions. Relevant institutions participate in reviewing the design and application according to their responsibilities. The State Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate (VTPSI) primarily performs construction supervision and other functions assigned by law and should not be identified as the ordinary issuing authority for all construction permits. Post-construction, a completion act (statybos užbaigimo aktas) must be prepared and submitted to confirm that the completed building matches the approved design.
What happens if construction starts without a permit
Construction that begins without a permit or that deviates materially from the approved design documents constitutes an illegal construction (savavališka statyba) under Lithuanian law. The consequences range from administrative fines — typically €1,500–€6,000 for companies and €500–€2,000 for individuals — to a demolition order requiring the owner to demolish the structure at their own cost. In some cases, illegal construction can be legalised retrospectively through a separate legalisation process if it complies with the planning requirements that would have applied at the time of construction — but this is more expensive and less certain than obtaining the permit before building. We advise investors and developers on permit requirements before any groundwork begins.
What We Do Across All Four Categories
We manage licence applications across all four categories from a single point of contact — coordinating with the relevant regulatory authorities, preparing the documentation, and accompanying inspections where appropriate. For businesses that need licences across multiple categories simultaneously — for example, a food business that also sells alcohol, or a construction developer whose building will be a food-licensed premises — we coordinate the parallel applications as a single integrated engagement.
- Eligibility assessment — confirming whether the business and premises meet the applicable requirements before application
- Zoning and location assessment — for alcohol licences, confirming distance compliance before the application is submitted
- Document preparation — compiling the full application document set in the format the authority requires
- HACCP implementation guidance — for food businesses required to document a HACCP food safety system
- Inspection preparation — advising on what each authority checks and ensuring the premises and documentation are ready before inspection day
- Application submission and authority liaison — submitting applications, tracking status, and managing all regulatory correspondence
- Post-licence compliance advisory — advising on ongoing obligations, renewal timelines, and the procedures for notifying the authority of changes
Frequently Asked Questions
