How to obtain a Lithuania Schengen visa: a complete guide

If you are going to Lithuania for a business trip, training, or medical treatment, want to attend a cultural or sports event, or visit the country as a tourist, you might have to obtain a Lithuania Schengen visa.

Read on to learn about Lithuania Schengen visa requirements, costs, and processing time.

What is a Lithuania Schengen visa?

In 2004, Lithuania joined the European Union, and in 2007, it became a part of the Schengen Area. Since then, citizens of countries with no Schengen visa-waiver agreement must obtain a Lithuania Schengen visa prior to their visit. The visa allows spending in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days every 6 months. For more extended stays, one should get a national visa.

According to EU statistics, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lithuania issued over 350,000 visas annually, and the Lithuania visa rejection rate remained relatively low: 1—1.3%. In 2021—2022, the country issued about 25,000 visas per year, and the number of rejections increased to 7.8% in 2022. To compare, in France, the rejection rate was 16% and 22% respectively.

Possession of a Lithuania Schengen visa gives you the right to enter Lithuania and other Schengen member states. However, it does not automatically guarantee that you will be admitted to the country: at the border, you have to provide proof of fulfilling the entry conditions, such as a valid passport, a valid visa, a valid purpose of travel, and means of travel.

Lithuania Schengen visa types

All Schengen visas can be classified into several types, depending on the purpose of the visit. The visa type defines the documents you will need to provide together with your application.

Airport transit visa. According to the Schengen legislation, this type of visa should be obtained by citizens of certain countries in case they land in Lithuania to take another flight to a non-Schengen country. This is a type A visa, and it does not allow you to leave the airport transit area.

All other types of Schengen visas are classified as type C short-stay visas:

1. Tourist visas are obtained when an applicant is planning a general visit to Lithuania to travel the country.
2. Business visas are issued to foreigners who go to Lithuania for business-related purposes: attending business conferences, meetings, negotiations, and consultations.
3. Study visas are obtained when an applicant is going to participate in a training or research programme or attend a study course in Lithuania.
4. Medical visas allow entering Lithuania for medical purposes: to seek medical treatment, surgeries, or other therapies in Lithuanian clinics.
5. Cultural, sports, or religious event visas or visas for a film crew should be obtained if a person is going to attend religious, cultural or sports events and activities, such as a concert or a football match. Film crew members taking part in a film production in Lithuania also need to apply for this type of visa.
6. Wife or husband of Lithuanian citizen visas are issued to spouses of Lithuanian citizens wishing to travel to Lithuania and stay there for up to 90 days.

7. Official visit visas should be obtained by members of official delegations that visit Lithuania.
8. Close family or family members visit visas are issued to foreigners who plan to visit their friends or relatives in Lithuania.

Who needs to obtain a Lithuania Schengen visa?

As for a type A airport transit visa, every Schengen country individually defines the countries whose citizens must have it when entering an airport transit zone. As of 2024, Lithuania does not impose this requirement on any of the countries.

A type C short-stay visa must be obtained by every visitor whose passport does not grant them visa-free entry. The up-to-date list of countries that have visa waiver agreements with the Schengen member states should be checked on the European Commission’s official website.

If you are required to have a visa to enter the Schengen Area, you should apply for a Lithuania Schengen visa in the following cases:

1. Lithuania is the sole destination of your visit.
2. If you are going to visit several Schengen states on a trip and your stay in Lithuania is the leading in terms of length or purpose.
3. If the main destination of your visit cannot be determined and you are going to cross the Schengen external border in Lithuania.

Documents to provide with a Lithuania Schengen visa application

To submit a Lithuania Schengen visa application, you should prepare a pack of documents. Each applicant submits a separate pack, even if supporting documents are the same. 

The standard pack of documents includes the following:

1. Lithuania Schengen visa application form — manually or electronically completed and signed.
2. Travel document, usually an international passport, that should be valid for at least 3 months after the intended day of departure from Lithuania or another Schengen state. It should also have at least two blank pages for a visa sticker and a customs stamp and be issued within the previous 10 years.
3. Two passport photos sized 35*45 mm and taken no more than 6 months ago.
4. Documents confirming the purpose of the trip to Lithuania.
5. Two-way tickets to confirm your intention to leave the Schengen Area.
6. Visa fee.
7. Medical insurance for the entire period of the intended stay in Lithuania, valid for all Schengen countries and with a minimum coverage of €30,000.

For minors, the following standard documents should also be included:

• birth certificate;
• consent of the parental authority or legal guardian if the minor travels alone or with only one parent or legal guardian;
• copy of the valid Schengen visa of the parent travelling with the minor if they are not submitting applications at the same time.

Additional documents for different categories of applicants

Depending on the chosen visa type, an applicant has to provide supporting documents to prove the purpose of their visit.

Tourist visa application is to be accompanied by the following documents:

• proof of accommodation, such as a hotel booking; if not available, adequate written description of the planned journey, in cases when the visa authority in your country allows providing it;
• proof of the itinerary, such as a confirmation of the booking of an organised trip, a reserved ticket, or any other appropriate document showing travel plans; if not available, a written description of the planned journey;
• proof of employment with information about the salary; if unavailable, other proof of financial means and intention to return.

When applying for a Lithuania Schengen business visa, one should provide the following documents:

• official invitation from an entity in Lithuania to a meeting, conference, or another business event, with their detailed address and dates of the visit;
• other documents showing the existence of trade relations or relations for work purposes: business correspondence, program of the business trip;
• entry tickets for fairs and congresses, if appropriate;
• documents proving the business activities of the applicant’s company;
• documents proving the applicant’s employment status;
• proof of financing during the trip: this can be stated in the letter of invitation or a cover letter from the applicant’s company, depending on which side is going to cover the applicant’s expenses.

For obtaining a short-stay study visa to Lithuania, the documents to be provided are as follows:

• written request or certificate of enrolment issued by the host educational organisation in Lithuania or certificate of the courses to be attended;
• if not included in the written request, a separate statement on sponsorship from the sending or receiving party, or other proof of financial means.

Medical visa application should be supported by the following:

• medical report issued by a clinic in the applicant’s home country confirming the need for medical treatment in Lithuania;
• official confirmation of the treatment or appointment issued by the receiving clinic in Lithuania.
• proof of financial arrangements.

To obtain a cultural, sports, or religious events visa or a visa for a film crew, an applicant should provide:

• event information, such as entry tickets or an event program;
• written request from the host organisation, if applicable;
• statement on sponsorship either from the sending or receiving party or other proof of financial means.

The wife or husband of a Lithuanian citizen applying for a short-stay visa has to prove their category as follows:

• proof of Lithuanian citizenship of the spouse;
• marriage certificate.

Close family or family members visit visa is to be accompanied by the following supporting documents:

• written request from the host person;
• proof of the nationality of the inviting person and family tie;
• if the written request of the host does not include information on accommodation, the applicant should provide proof of employment with salary information or other proof of financial means and their will to return.

Official visit visa application should include the following:

• letter issued by a competent authority of the applicant’s home country confirming that the applicant is a member of the delegation travelling to Lithuania;
• copy of the official invitation.

Where to apply for a Lithuania Schengen visa

Lithuania Schengen visa applications are reviewed by Lithuanian diplomatic missions and consulates. There are three ways to submit a visa application:

1. Directly apply at the visa authority of the Republic of Lithuania. To do that, check the official website of the Consulate in your country for information about the possibility of applying directly, their location, and working hours.
2. Apply via an approved external service provider. As of 2024, Lithuania has an agreement with VF Services (UK) Ltd. You can find the nearest Lithuania visa centre at the VFS Global official website.
3. If there is no Lithuanian visa authority or visa centre in your country, apply to the visa authority of another Schengen Member State that represents Lithuania in Schengen visa matters.

According to the general rule, you have to apply in the country where you legally reside. However, suppose you have to obtain a visa while not being in the country of your residency. In that case, you should justify submitting an application in the country you are currently in.

Lithuania Schengen visa cost

The cost of obtaining a Lithuania Schengen visa includes the following:

• expenses for document preparation, such as photo cost; cost of document translation, if this is needed; a notary fee for consent of the parental authority or legal guardian for minors travelling alone or with one parent;
• medical insurance cost — expenses depend on the chosen insurance company;
• visa fee — €80, €40, €35, or none, depending on the country and category of an applicant;
• service fee if applying to a visa centre — €15.90 if there is a Lithuanian visa authority in the country, and €30 if there is none.

Visa and service fees are not refundable even if the application has been rejected.

Lithuania Schengen visa fees for different categories of applicants

Some categories of foreigners are free of visa fees. Among them are:

• children under six years;
• students, postgraduates, and accompanying teachers who are travelling for study or educational training;
• researchers travelling to carry out scientific research or participate in a scientific seminar or conference;
• representatives of non-profit organisations over 25 participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations.

What can you do if your application is rejected?

Although the Lithuania visa rejection rate has been low over the years, a chance of getting a refusal still exists. If your application has been rejected and you believe that this might be caused by misunderstanding or incorrect information, you can appeal the decision.

An appeal should be written in Lithuanian and sent to the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court within 14 days from the date you received the decision. All the documents submitted together with the appeal should have a notarised translation into Lithuanian. You will also have to pay a stamp duty of €30 or €22.5 if you submit the appeal electronically.

If your appeal was rejected or you choose not to appeal, you can apply for a visa once again. To reduce the risk of rejection, make sure to check that your application is correct:

• you have not stayed on the Schengen Area territory for 90 days during the current 180-day period;
• you provided a valid travel document that corresponds to the Consulate’s requirements and has no signs of damage;
• you provided sufficient justifications for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay;
• you provided proof of sufficient means of subsistence and of your intention to leave the Schengen Area before the expiry of the visa you applied for;
• all the documents you provided are authentic and trustworthy.

How to enter Lithuania visa-free

To travel visa-free to Lithuania and the rest of Europe, a person can obtain a residence permit in one of the EU countries. One of the options available to non-EU citizens is to get a residence permit by investment.

Some of the EU countries offering a residence permit by investment, or a so-called “golden visa”, are Greece, Spain, and Portugal.

Under the Greece Golden Visa program, foreigners are granted a residence permit for investment of at least €250,000. Investment options include purchasing real estate, 10-year renting of a hotel in a tourist resort complex, purchasing a land plot for construction or farming, opening a deposit in a Greek bank, and purchasing shares and corporate or government bonds.

To get a Portugal residence permit, an applicant has to invest €250,000 or more and choose one of the five options: purchasing investment fund units, supporting arts or research activities, setting up a company, or investing in a business.

A Spain residence permit is granted for investment of at least €500,000 in real estate, shares of Spanish companies, investment fund units, or government bonds, or for opening a deposit in a Spanish bank.

Summary on obtaining a Lithuania Schengen visa

1. To enter Lithuania, citizens of countries that do not have a visa-free regime with the Schengen Area must obtain a Schengen visa.
2. To apply for a visa, you have to correctly define the purpose of your visit and prepare the corresponding pack of documents. Visa applications can be submitted directly to the Lithuanian visa authority or via the approved visa centre.
3. Applications are usually reviewed within 15 calendar days. In exceptional cases, when further scrutiny of the application is needed, this period can be extended for up to a maximum of 45 days.

Frequently Asked Questions