Alcohol Licence in Lithuania

AT A GLANCE

Any business that sells alcoholic beverages in Lithuania — whether to take away, for on-premises consumption, or at wholesale — must hold a valid alcohol licence issued by the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT).
There are four main alcohol licence types in Lithuania: off-premises retail, on-premises consumption, wholesale distribution, and the simplified beer-and-wine-only licence for eligible premises.
All alcohol licences expire on 31 December each year regardless of when they were issued — a licence obtained in July must be renewed in December. Failure to renew results in an illegal operation from 1 January.
Zoning restrictions impose minimum distances from schools, childcare centres, churches, and healthcare facilities — these must be confirmed before the lease is signed, not after the application is submitted.
We manage the complete alcohol licensing process: licence type assessment, zoning check, document preparation, VMVT submission, inspection preparation, and annual renewal.

Short answer

An alcohol licence in Lithuania authorises a business to sell alcoholic beverages — either to consumers for off-premises consumption, for consumption in the licensed premises, or to other businesses at wholesale. The licence is issued by the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) and must be renewed annually. The application requires confirmed premises, a responsible person certificate, zoning compliance, and company documentation. We prepare and submit the complete application, conduct the zoning check in advance, and manage the VMVT inspection — typically achieving licence issuance within 2–6 weeks of a complete application.

Types of Alcohol Licence in Lithuania

The Law on Alcohol Control (Alkoholio kontrolės įstatymas) defines four categories of alcohol retail and wholesale licence. Each authorises a specific type of alcohol-related commercial activity — holding the wrong licence type, or lacking a licence for one of the activities being conducted, is treated as operating without a licence.

Off-Premises Retail Licence (Licence A)

For: Supermarkets, grocery stores, off-licences, petrol station shops, and any retail premises selling alcohol in sealed containers for consumption away from the premises.

Covers: Sale of beer, wine, and spirits in sealed containers to members of the public for consumption off the premises. Does not authorise consumption on the premises.

On-Premises Consumption Licence (Licence B)

For: Bars, restaurants, cafés, hotels, clubs, entertainment venues, and any premises where alcohol is served and consumed on site.

Covers: Service of beer, wine, and spirits for immediate consumption on the licensed premises. Typically combined with the food business registration. Does not authorise take-away alcohol sales.

Wholesale Distribution Licence (Licence C)

For: Companies that supply alcoholic beverages to retailers, restaurants, bars, and other authorised recipients — importers, distributors, and cash-and-carry operators.

Covers: Wholesale supply of alcoholic beverages to businesses. Does not authorise direct sale to consumers. Requires warehouse premises meeting VMVT storage standards.

Beer and Wine Retail Licence (Simplified)

For: Cafés, kiosks, petrol stations, and small food service operators selling only beer and wine (not spirits) — issued by the municipal authority rather than VMVT in many cases.

Covers: Retail sale of beer, cider, and wine only. Does not cover spirits or beverages above 22% ABV. Simplified licensing process with lower threshold requirements in some municipalities.

     Which licence do I need?

    Most food service businesses — restaurants, cafés, bars — need Licence B (on-premises consumption). Retail shops need Licence A (off-premises retail). Companies that supply alcohol to other businesses need Licence C (wholesale). A business that serves alcohol in a restaurant and also sells sealed bottles of wine for take-away needs both Licence A and Licence B. A supermarket with a café area where customers can drink a glass of beer at a table needs both. The two licences can be applied for simultaneously from the same VMVT application.

Alcohol Licence Requirements

The eligibility conditions for an alcohol licence in Lithuania are established by the Law on Alcohol Control and the implementing regulations. All conditions must be satisfied at the time of application — a licence will not be issued if any condition is unmet, and the VMVT will not accept undertakings to satisfy conditions after the fact.

Registered Company and Activity

The applicant must be a registered Lithuanian company or sole trader with retail or wholesale trade as a registered activity. The company must have no outstanding tax debts with VMI at the time of application.

Lithuanian UAB, MB, individual enterprise, or sole trader registration
Retail trade activity (NACE 47.xx) registered in JAR for retail licences; wholesale trade (46.xx) for wholesale licence
No outstanding VMI tax debts — a clean tax compliance certificate (pažyma) must be obtained from VMI
Active company status — companies undergoing liquidation or insolvency cannot hold an alcohol licence
Director and management person — no prior convictions for alcohol control violations or relevant criminal offences

Premises Requirements

The licence is tied to specific premises — it cannot be transferred to a different address. The premises must be confirmed (owned or leased) before the application is submitted, and must comply with the zoning restrictions imposed by the Law on Alcohol Control.

Confirmed premises — either ownership title or a signed lease for the premises where alcohol will be sold
Zoning compliance — minimum distances from schools, childcare centres, churches, healthcare facilities, and other sensitive locations (detailed below)
Premises condition — the sales area must be separate from residential use; structural requirements apply to wholesale storage
Permitted use — the premises must be in a zone where commercial retail or food service use is permitted under the local territorial plan
Municipal on-premises conditions — for Licence B, the relevant city municipality may impose additional conditions on operating hours, noise, or outdoor seating

Responsible Person Certificate

The person responsible for alcohol sales at the premises must hold a certificate of professional competence in alcohol trade — obtained by passing a test administered by a VMVT-authorised institution. The responsible person must be either an employee or the owner of the business.

Certificate of professional competence in alcohol trade (Alkoholio kontrolės srities darbuotojo pažymėjimas)
Obtained by passing a test on alcohol control legislation, responsible service, and age verification obligations
The test is available in Lithuanian — non-Lithuanian speakers must complete it in Lithuanian
The responsible person must be designated in the licence application — named individually
If the responsible person changes, the licence must be amended to reflect the new responsible person before they take up the role
We advise on approved testing institutions and examination preparation

Documentation

The VMVT requires a defined set of documents with every licence application. Missing or incorrect documents result in the application being returned and the process restarting.

Completed VMVT application form — signed by the authorised company representative
Company registration extract from JAR — issued within the last 3 months
VMI tax compliance certificate — confirming no outstanding tax debts, issued within the last 30 days
Responsible person's competence certificate — original or certified copy
Proof of premises — ownership title or lease agreement for the licensed address
Floor plan of the premises — showing the sales area and, for on-premises consumption, the service and consumption areas
For wholesale licences — warehouse layout plan and description of storage conditions
State fee payment confirmation — fee paid before or at the time of application submission

Zoning Requirements: Distance Rules for Alcohol Licences

The zoning requirements are the most common source of alcohol licence refusals in Lithuania — and the most preventable. The minimum distances between alcohol retail premises and sensitive locations are defined in the Law on Alcohol Control and are measured in a specific way. A business that has signed a lease without confirming zoning compliance first is in a very difficult position if the premises fail the distance test.

What the distances apply to

Minimum distance requirements apply to the following sensitive locations: general education institutions (schools); pre-school childcare institutions (kindergartens and nurseries); children’s welfare institutions; religious institutions (churches, mosques, synagogues, and other places of worship); healthcare institutions (hospitals, polyclinics, and outpatient clinics); and social care institutions. The Law on Alcohol Control lists the specific categories — not all similar facilities necessarily trigger the requirement. We confirm the applicable sensitive location categories at the assessment stage.

How distances are measured

The distance is measured from the nearest entrance of the alcohol premises (the public entrance through which customers enter to purchase alcohol) to the nearest entrance of the sensitive location. It is a straight-line measurement — not a road distance. In practice, a premises that appears to be 100 metres from a school when measured along the street may be only 45 metres in a straight line if the school’s boundary is closer than it appears. The VMVT uses its own measurement methodology, and we replicate this measurement before any application is submitted.

Minimum distance thresholds

Under the current Law on Alcohol Control, the minimum distances are:

Off-premises retail (Licence A) — 50 metres from general education institutions and pre-school childcare institutions; 30 metres from religious institutions and healthcare facilities in most cases
On-premises consumption (Licence B) — typically 30 metres from educational and childcare institutions; some municipalities impose stricter conditions through local decisions
Wholesale distribution (Licence C) — distance requirements apply to warehouse premises used for storage and distribution; typically 50 metres from educational and childcare institutions
Beer and wine only licence — distance requirements may be relaxed compared to full retail; varies by municipality

 Municipal additions to distance requirements

In addition to the national minimum distances set by the Law on Alcohol Control, individual municipalities may adopt additional restrictions through local council decisions. Vilnius City Council, for example, has historically restricted alcohol retail in certain areas of the old town and near public parks during specific events. These additional restrictions are not always published centrally — they require direct enquiry with the relevant municipal administration. We check both national and applicable municipal restrictions as part of every zoning assessment.

What happens if the premises fail the distance test

If the premises do not comply with the minimum distance requirements, the VMVT will refuse the licence application. The refusal is not subject to an appeal on the merits — the distance is either compliant or it is not. The options available to the operator are: find alternative premises that do comply; wait for any circumstance that changes the calculation (for example, if the sensitive location closes or relocates); or — in some cases — apply to the municipal council for an exemption, which are rarely granted and not available in all circumstances. This is why the zoning assessment must happen before the lease is signed.

The Alcohol Licence Application Process

We manage the complete alcohol licence application from initial zoning assessment through to licence collection and renewal scheduling. The typical timeline from instruction to licence issuance is 2–6 weeks, depending on the licence type and the VMVT’s current workload.

Zoning assessment
Before any application is prepared, we conduct a zoning assessment of the intended premises. We identify all sensitive locations within the applicable distance from the premises entrance, measure the straight-line distances using the VMVT’s methodology, and confirm in writing whether the premises are compliant. This step must be completed before the lease is signed — not after. For premises that fail the test, we identify the closest compliant alternative location in the same area where possible.

Licence type confirmation
We confirm the correct licence type or combination of types for the intended business activity. A restaurant that wants to serve alcohol at the table and also sell bottled wine to take away needs both Licence A and Licence B — we identify this at the outset, not when the first licence has been issued and the operator tries to sell take-away wine without the second licence.

Responsible person examination
The responsible person designated in the application must hold a valid competence certificate. If the intended responsible person does not already hold the certificate, we advise on approved testing institutions and the examination process. The examination can typically be scheduled within 1–2 weeks. We confirm the certificate is valid and correctly issued before including it in the application.

Document preparation
We prepare the complete application document set: VMVT application form, JAR extract, VMI tax compliance certificate, responsible person’s certificate, premises proof, floor plan, and state fee payment. Documents in foreign languages require certified Lithuanian translations. We review all documents for completeness and correctness before submission.

Application submission to VMVT
The complete application is submitted to the VMVT territorial unit responsible for the premises location. In Vilnius, this is the Vilnius VMVT Regional Department. We submit the application, pay the applicable state fee, and obtain a submission receipt confirming the application reference number.

VMVT inspection
The VMVT inspects the premises before issuing the licence — confirming that the physical premises match the floor plan submitted, that the sales area is appropriately configured, that the zoning requirements are met, and that the responsible person is present and aware of their obligations. We prepare the operator for the inspection: advising on what the inspector will check, ensuring the premises are ready, and accompanying the inspection where appropriate.

Licence issuance and display
On successful inspection and review, the VMVT issues the alcohol licence. The licence must be displayed visibly in the premises during all operating hours — typically at the point of sale or at the venue entrance. We collect the licence, confirm all details are correct, and advise on the display requirements.

Annual renewal — December deadline
All alcohol licences expire on 31 December each year. Renewal applications must be submitted before expiry — the VMVT processes renewals from October. A business operating on an expired licence after 1 January is operating without a licence, regardless of whether the renewal application has been submitted. We track renewal deadlines for all clients and initiate the renewal process in October of each year.

Ongoing Compliance: What Licence Holders Must Do

Display obligations

The alcohol licence must be displayed visibly in the licensed premises at all times during commercial operations. For off-premises retail, the licence is typically displayed at the point of sale or at the store entrance. For on-premises consumption, the licence must be visible near the bar or reception. The responsible person’s name and certificate number must also be displayed. VMVT inspectors check compliance with display requirements during routine inspections.

Sales hours restrictions

The Law on Alcohol Control restricts the hours during which alcohol may be sold. Spirits and beverages above 22% ABV may not be sold in off-premises retail between 22:00 and 08:00. Beer and lower-strength wine may be sold during extended hours in most municipalities, but local conditions may apply. For on-premises consumption, service hours are determined by the licence conditions and the venue’s operating hours. Selling alcohol outside permitted hours is one of the most commonly cited violations and results in immediate licence suspension.

Age verification obligation

All staff involved in alcohol sales must verify the age of any customer who appears to be under 30 years old. The age of sale for alcoholic beverages in Lithuania is 20 years old — higher than the 18-year limit in most other EU member states. Acceptable identification documents include the Lithuanian identity card, passport, EU driving licence, and residence permit. Selling alcohol to a person under 20 is a criminal offence for the selling employee and an administrative violation for the business — resulting in licence suspension and significant fines.

Responsible person obligations

The designated responsible person is legally responsible for ensuring that alcohol sales comply with the Law on Alcohol Control. This includes staff training on age verification procedures, sales hours compliance, and the conditions of the licence. The responsible person must be accessible during all operating hours and must be named in any VMVT inspection report. If the responsible person changes — through resignation, dismissal, or any other reason — the VMVT must be notified and the licence amended before the new responsible person takes up the role.

Prohibition of sales to intoxicated persons

The Law on Alcohol Control prohibits the sale of alcohol to visibly intoxicated persons. This obligation applies to all licence types — retail, on-premises, and wholesale (though wholesale operators rarely face this situation in practice). Staff must be trained to identify signs of intoxication and to refuse service. Selling to a visibly intoxicated person is an administrative violation that can result in licence suspension and is a recurring finding in VMVT inspection reports for bars and nightclubs.

Alcohol Licence Fees and Our Service Pricing

VMVT state fees

The VMVT charges state fees for issuing alcohol licences. The fees are set by government resolution and are subject to change. Current indicative fees (subject to confirmation at the time of application) are:

Licence Type	State Fee (indicative)
Off-premises retail (Licence A) — new issue	€1,900
Off-premises retail (Licence A) — annual renewal	€1,900
On-premises consumption (Licence B) — new issue	€1,700
On-premises consumption (Licence B) — renewal	€1,700
Wholesale distribution (Licence C) — new issue	€2,800
Wholesale distribution (Licence C) — renewal	€2,800
Beer and wine only (simplified) — new/renewal	€173–€435 (varies by municipality)
Licence amendment (address, responsible person)	€400

 State fees are paid to VMVT directly

State fees are payable to the VMVT separately from our service fees — they are not included in our quoted prices. We provide the current confirmed fee at the time of each engagement proposal. State fees must be paid before or at the time of application submission and are not refundable if the application is refused.

Our service fees

Service	Price
Alcohol licence eligibility and zoning assessment — Written assessment: licence type, zoning check with distance measurements, compliance confirmation	€300
Licence A (off-premises retail) — new application — Complete application preparation, VMVT submission, inspection preparation, and licence collection	€1,900
Licence B (on-premises consumption) — new application — Complete application preparation, VMVT submission, inspection preparation, and licence collection	€1,700
Licence A + B combined application (same premises) — Both licence types in a single engagement — saving vs. two separate applications	€3,500
Licence C (wholesale distribution) — new application — Wholesale licence including warehouse documentation and VMVT inspection preparation	€2,800
Beer and wine only licence (simplified) — Simplified process; municipal submission where applicable	€1,000
Annual renewal — per licence — Renewal application preparation, VMVT submission, and confirmation; October–December annually	€300
Licence amendment (address change, responsible person change) — VMVT notification and amended licence collection	€400
Responsible person examination guidance — Advising on approved testing institutions, exam content, and scheduling	€550
Ongoing compliance advisory — annual retainer — Renewal management, regulatory update monitoring, and VMVT correspondence throughout the year	On request

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, but with restrictions. Remote selling and home delivery of alcohol is permitted in Lithuania subject to specific conditions: the seller must hold a valid off-premises retail alcohol licence (Licence A); the delivery must be made to an adult of at least 20 years old; age verification must be conducted at the point of delivery (the delivery person must check the recipient’s ID); and the delivery may only take place during permitted alcohol sales hours. Online alcohol retail is also subject to the standard VMVT licence requirements including zoning — the warehouse or collection point from which deliveries are dispatched must comply with the distance rules. We advise on online alcohol retail licensing as part of our standard Licence A engagement.

Yes — and most food service businesses (restaurants, cafés, bars) do exactly this. The food business registration and the on-premises alcohol licence are separate authorisations that apply simultaneously to the same premises. Both must be obtained before the business opens. The VMVT is the issuing authority for both the food business registration and the alcohol licence — in most cases the authority conducts a combined inspection of the premises, checking compliance with both sets of requirements at the same time. We manage the food business registration and alcohol licence applications simultaneously to minimise the total setup time.

The minimum age for purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages in Lithuania is 20 years — two years higher than the 18-year minimum that applies in most EU member states. This means that any customer who appears to be under 30 must be asked for identification before alcohol is sold to them, and any customer who is under 20 must be refused. The 20-year minimum applies to all alcohol sales — including beer and low-strength beverages. Selling to an under-20 is a criminal offence for the individual employee who makes the sale, and an administrative violation for the business that results in licence suspension. All staff involved in alcohol sales must be trained on age verification before their first shift.

The consequences of a VMVT inspection finding depend on the severity of the violation. Minor procedural violations — such as a missing display of the licence, incorrect pricing information, or a documentation gap — typically result in a written warning with a specified deadline for correction. Serious violations — such as selling to minors, selling outside permitted hours, or operating without the responsible person present — result in licence suspension for a defined period (typically 3 to 12 months). Repeated serious violations can result in licence revocation. A licence that has been suspended or revoked cannot be reissued to the same person or at the same premises for a defined period. We advise on VMVT inspection preparation and compliance review as part of our ongoing advisory service.

Renewal applications can be submitted from 1 October. The VMVT processes renewals throughout October and November, and issues renewed licences to be valid from 1 January of the following year. We recommend submitting renewal applications in October to allow time for any documentation issues to be resolved before the 31 December deadline. An application submitted in late November or December creates the risk that any VMVT queries cannot be resolved before expiry. A business operating on an expired licence — even for one day after 31 December — is operating without a licence. We track renewal deadlines for all clients and initiate the renewal process automatically in October without the client needing to prompt us.

Yes — the same responsible person can be named on multiple alcohol licences held by the same company (for example, a chain of shops or a restaurant group with multiple premises). However, the responsible person must be genuinely accessible at each licensed premises during operating hours — they cannot simultaneously be the responsible person at a Vilnius bar and a Kaunas restaurant if both are operating at the same time and the person cannot be in both places. In practice, large chains designate a separate responsible person for each location, with the company’s head of compliance or operations director named as the overall responsible manager at company level. We advise on responsible person structures for multi-site operators.

This depends on the straight-line distance from the public entrance of your restaurant to the nearest entrance of the school. If the distance is 50 metres or more (for an off-premises retail licence) or 30 metres or more (for an on-premises consumption licence), the premises should be compliant with the zoning requirement for that licence type. If the distance is less than the applicable threshold, the alcohol licence will be refused — and no exception is available under current legislation. We conduct the distance measurement before you sign the lease, using the same methodology the VMVT applies. This one step prevents the costly outcome of opening a restaurant only to discover the alcohol licence cannot be obtained for that address.

Ready to apply for your alcohol licence?

Contact us to discuss your intended premises, business type, and licence requirements. We will conduct the zoning assessment, confirm the correct licence type, and provide a fixed-fee quote for the complete application. We manage alcohol licensing for restaurants, bars, retail shops, and wholesale distributors across Lithuania..