Licensing in Lithuania

Why Licensing in Lithuania Requires Specialist Support

A licence is not just a permission slip — it is the result of a regulated authority concluding that the applicant has the legal structure, the financial resources, the governance framework, and the operational capabilities to conduct a regulated activity responsibly. Meeting that conclusion requires preparation that starts well before the application is submitted.

For financial licences, the Bank of Lithuania reviews the entity’s capital adequacy, its AML/KYC compliance programme, the fit and propriety of its key function holders, its IT infrastructure, its business plan, and its internal control framework — simultaneously, across multiple Bank of Lithuania departments. An application that is submitted before any of these elements is ready will receive information requests that extend the review timeline by months. An application that is submitted with all elements in place and internally consistent moves through the process significantly faster.

For non-financial licences, the regulatory authority and the specific requirements differ by activity — the Road Administration for haulage, the municipal licensing committees for alcohol and taxis, the State Food and Veterinary Service for food businesses. Each has its own documentation requirements, eligibility conditions, and procedural timelines. We advise on all three categories from a single point of contact, coordinating with the specialist regulatory bodies relevant to each application.

Licensing and company registration

Every licence requires a registered Lithuanian legal entity as the applicant — a licence cannot be applied for before the company is incorporated. For most financial licences, the entity must also have its registered share capital paid in, its bank account open, and its key function holders designated before the application is submitted. We coordinate company registration, bank account opening, capital payment, and licence application as a single integrated process — not as sequential steps that add months to the total timeline.

Choose Your Licence Category

Select the category that matches the regulated activity you need a licence for. Each category page provides a complete guide to the specific licences available, the eligibility conditions, the application process, and the ongoing compliance obligations after the licence is granted.

What We Do: From Structure to Licence

Licensing is not a single service — it is a project that spans company registration, corporate governance, compliance programme design, capital raising, key personnel recruitment, and regulatory communication. We manage this as an integrated engagement, not as separate services that the client must coordinate between providers.

Pre-application: structure and preparation

Before any application is submitted, the licensing project requires a foundation: the correct entity type must be registered, the share capital must be paid in, the governance framework must be designed, key function holders must be identified and prepared for fit-and-proper assessment, the AML/KYC compliance programme must be documented, and the business plan must be drafted in the format the regulatory authority expects. Gaps at this stage become information requests during the review — every information request adds weeks. We build the foundation before the application is filed.

Application: preparation and submission

The formal application package for a financial licence involves 20–35 documents depending on the licence type — covering the business plan, capital adequacy model, governance structure, compliance programme, IT infrastructure description, outsourcing register, remuneration policy, business continuity plan, and fit-and-proper documentation for each key function holder. We prepare, review, and coordinate the complete package for submission, ensuring all documents are internally consistent and presented in the format the regulatory authority expects.

Review: managing the regulatory dialogue

Financial licence reviews are not passive processes — the regulatory authority asks questions, requests supplementary information, and may schedule interviews with key personnel during the review period. Every query must be answered promptly and completely. Slow or incomplete responses are the most common cause of extended review timelines. We manage all regulatory correspondence during the review, prepare query responses, and coordinate the fit-and-proper interviews for key personnel.

Post-licence: compliance and conditions

Every financial licence is granted with conditions — specific requirements the company must fulfil within defined timeframes. Post-licence compliance management ensures those conditions are met, that periodic regulatory reporting is submitted correctly, and that the company is prepared for its first supervisory examination. We provide ongoing compliance support after the licence is granted as part of our fintech industry service offering.

Licensing Services Overview

The table below maps all licences across the three categories and the services we provide for each. Every licensing engagement includes company registration advice, regulatory authority liaison, and application management as standard.

Financial Licences: Lithuania’s Regulatory Advantage

Lithuania’s position as a leading EU fintech licensing jurisdiction is not incidental — it is the result of deliberate regulatory policy. The Bank of Lithuania has invested in building a licensing process that is genuinely accessible to well-prepared applicants while maintaining the substantive standards required by EU law. The results are visible: Lithuania has issued more EMI and payment institution licences than France, Germany, and Italy combined on a per-GDP basis, and has established a functioning MiCA authorisation framework ahead of most EU peers.

Why financial companies choose Lithuania

Accessible regulation does not mean lax regulation. Lithuanian-licensed EMIs and payment institutions are subject to the same EU-level obligations as their peers in any other member state — PSD2, the AML Directives, DORA, MiCA, and the applicable EBA guidelines all apply. What differs is the Bank of Lithuania’s approach to pre-application engagement, the predictability of the review timeline, and the cost of establishing and maintaining the entity compared to higher-cost EU jurisdictions. For a payment company, crypto exchange, or investment platform seeking EU market access, Lithuania offers a combination of regulatory credibility, application accessibility, and cost efficiency that is difficult to match elsewhere in the EU.

Passporting — one licence, 27 markets

Every financial licence issued by the Bank of Lithuania carries EU passporting rights — the right to provide licensed services across all 27 EU member states without obtaining a separate licence in each country. A Lithuanian EMI can issue e-money and provide payment services to customers in Germany, France, Poland, and any other EU member state through a passporting notification to the Bank of Lithuania. The notification process requires documentation but does not require a separate licensing process in each country. For businesses targeting the EU market rather than just Lithuania, the passporting benefit of a Lithuanian licence is its most commercially significant feature.

What We Do: From Structure to Licence

Licensing is not a single service — it is a project that spans company registration, corporate governance, compliance programme design, capital raising, key personnel recruitment, and regulatory communication. We manage this as an integrated engagement, not as separate services that the client must coordinate between providers.

Pre-application: structure and preparation

Before any application is submitted, the licensing project requires a foundation: the correct entity type must be registered, the share capital must be paid in, the governance framework must be designed, key function holders must be identified and prepared for fit-and-proper assessment, the AML/KYC compliance programme must be documented, and the business plan must be drafted in the format the regulatory authority expects. Gaps at this stage become information requests during the review — every information request adds weeks. We build the foundation before the application is filed.

Application: preparation and submission

The formal application package for a financial licence involves 20–35 documents depending on the licence type — covering the business plan, capital adequacy model, governance structure, compliance programme, IT infrastructure description, outsourcing register, remuneration policy, business continuity plan, and fit-and-proper documentation for each key function holder. We prepare, review, and coordinate the complete package for submission, ensuring all documents are internally consistent and presented in the format the regulatory authority expects.

Review: managing the regulatory dialogue

Financial licence reviews are not passive processes — the regulatory authority asks questions, requests supplementary information, and may schedule interviews with key personnel during the review period. Every query must be answered promptly and completely. Slow or incomplete responses are the most common cause of extended review timelines. We manage all regulatory correspondence during the review, prepare query responses, and coordinate the fit-and-proper interviews for key personnel.

Post-licence: compliance and conditions

Every financial licence is granted with conditions — specific requirements the company must fulfil within defined timeframes. Post-licence compliance management ensures those conditions are met, that periodic regulatory reporting is submitted correctly, and that the company is prepared for its first supervisory examination. We provide ongoing compliance support after the licence is granted as part of our fintech industry service offering.

Licensing Services Overview

The table below maps all licences across the three categories and the services we provide for each. Every licensing engagement includes company registration advice, regulatory authority liaison, and application management as standard.

Transport Licences: Road Haulage and Taxi Operations

Commercial transport is a regulated sector in Lithuania — operating goods vehicles or passenger-for-hire vehicles without the correct licence exposes both the company and individual drivers to significant fines, vehicle seizure, and prohibition from operating. The applicable regulatory authority, the eligibility conditions, and the ongoing compliance obligations differ between the two main transport licence types.

Road Haulage Licence

A company that carries goods commercially — for hire or reward, on behalf of third parties — using motor vehicles with a maximum permissible weight above 3.5 tonnes requires a road haulage operator licence. For international road haulage operations (carrying goods between Lithuania and other countries), the Community Licence (issued under EU Regulation 1072/2009) is required. For domestic Lithuanian haulage only, a national licence is sufficient. The Community Licence is issued by the Lithuanian Road Administration (Valstybinė kelių transporto inspekcija — VKTI) and carries certified copies that must be kept in each vehicle operating under it.

To obtain a road haulage Community Licence, the applicant company must satisfy four conditions: good repute (no serious criminal or regulatory convictions for the company’s management); financial standing (€9,000 for the first vehicle and €5,000 for each additional vehicle in own funds or equivalent security); professional competence (at least one transport manager within the company must hold a Certificate of Professional Competence in Road Haulage, obtained by passing the relevant examination); and establishment in Lithuania (genuine and stable establishment with premises and actual business activity). We advise on all four conditions, assist with the CPC qualification where needed, and manage the full VKTI application.

Taxi Licence

A company or individual providing paid passenger transport services — including taxis, executive car hire, and ride-hailing — requires a taxi licence (Keleivių vežimo lengvaisiais automobiliais licencija). Unlike road haulage, taxi licences are issued by the municipal authority of the city in which the service is based — Vilnius City Municipality, Kaunas City Municipality, or the relevant municipality for other cities. The licence is not national — a Vilnius taxi licence authorises operations in Vilnius; a separate licence is required for operations based in Kaunas.

Requirements for a taxi licence include: a valid company registration with transport as a registered activity; vehicles meeting the municipality’s technical and safety requirements (typically not more than 5 years old for new licences); drivers holding a valid driving licence with Category B and at least 3 years of driving experience, and having passed the professional driver knowledge test; and public liability insurance covering passengers. The company must also be registered with SoDra as an employer before the licence application is submitted. Individual drivers operating under the company’s licence must each be approved by the municipality.

Other Regulated Licences: Alcohol, Pharma, Food, and Construction

Beyond financial services and transport, a range of commercial activities in Lithuania require sector-specific licences or permits before the business can legally operate. The issuing authority, the eligibility conditions, and the ongoing compliance obligations vary significantly by sector — there is no single regulatory framework governing this category. We advise on and manage all four types.

Alcohol Licence

The retail and wholesale of alcoholic beverages in Lithuania is strictly regulated. There are two principal licence types: a retail licence for the sale of alcohol directly to consumers (either for on-premises consumption in a bar or restaurant, or for off-premises consumption in a shop), and a wholesale licence for the supply of alcohol to other businesses. Both licence types are issued by the State Food and Veterinary Service (Valstybinė maisto ir veterinarijos tarnyba — VMVT).

Key conditions for an alcohol retail licence include: the applicant must be a registered Lithuanian company or sole trader; the premises must comply with the zoning requirements for alcohol retail (distance restrictions from schools, churches, and other sensitive locations apply); the premises must pass a VMVT inspection; the company must have no outstanding tax debts; and the responsible person designated for alcohol sales must hold the relevant professional certificate. Licences are issued for one year and must be renewed annually. Violations — including selling to minors or selling outside permitted hours — can result in immediate licence suspension.

Pharmaceutical Licence

The manufacture, wholesale distribution, and retail dispensing of medicines in Lithuania is regulated by the State Medicines Control Agency (Valstybinė vaistų kontrolės agentūra — VVKT). There are three main licence types relevant to businesses entering the pharmaceutical sector: the wholesale distribution authorisation (for companies that distribute medicines to pharmacies, hospitals, and other authorised recipients), the pharmacy operating licence (for retail pharmacies dispensing medicines to the public), and the import authorisation (for companies importing medicines from outside the EU). Manufacturing licences are issued under a separate framework and require Good Manufacturing Practice compliance.

A wholesale distribution authorisation requires: a qualified person responsible for distribution (with specific pharmaceutical qualifications and experience); premises meeting the applicable Good Distribution Practice standards; a quality management system; an effective recall procedure; and compliance with controlled substances regulations where applicable. The VVKT conducts an on-site inspection before issuing any pharmaceutical authorisation. A pharmacy operating licence additionally requires a pharmacist as the responsible manager and compliance with pharmacy layout and dispensing equipment standards. We advise on the applicable licence type for the specific pharmaceutical business model and manage the VVKT application and inspection process.

Food Business Licence

Food businesses operating in Lithuania — manufacturers, processors, distributors, and food service operators — are subject to registration and inspection requirements under EU food law and Lithuanian implementing regulations. The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) is the primary authority for food business approvals. Most food businesses must be registered with the VMVT before commencing operations; businesses producing or processing food of animal origin additionally require an approval (rather than simple registration), which involves a pre-approval inspection.

The registration requirements depend on the type of food business: retail food businesses (shops, restaurants, cafés) register with the local VMVT territorial unit; manufacturers and processors of food of non-animal origin register and comply with HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) self-monitoring requirements; manufacturers and processors of food of animal origin require a formal approval from VMVT, an EU approval number, and compliance with structural and operational standards specified in EU regulations. Businesses that export food from Lithuania to non-EU countries may require additional export health certificates issued by VMVT. We advise on the applicable registration or approval tier for each food business and manage the VMVT engagement through to approval.

Construction Permit

Construction, reconstruction, and demolition of buildings in Lithuania above the minor works threshold requires a building permit (statybos leidimas) issued by the State Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate (Valstybinė teritorijų planavimo ir statybos inspekcija prie AM — VTPSI). The permit process involves three stages: territorial planning (confirming that the intended construction is consistent with the land use plan for the site); preparation of design documentation (architectural and engineering drawings prepared by a certified designer); and permit application (submitted through the Lithuanian building permit information system, INFOSTATYBA).

The specific documentation required depends on the type and scale of construction: new build, reconstruction, major repair, or change of use each has its own documentation requirements. Simplified procedures apply to smaller structures and certain categories of repair work. Construction by a company that does not hold the required building permit is a serious administrative violation — the structure may be subject to a demolition order regardless of its quality or completion status. We advise investors and developers on the permit process, coordinate with certified designers and surveyors, and manage the VTPSI application through to permit issuance.