If you are foreigner and want to work in Lithuania, you must, in general, obtain: 

• A work permit or a decision of the Employment Service that your work will correspond to the demands of the Lithuanian labour market needs
• A national long-term visa or a temporary residence permit. 

Work permits are usually issued for one year. It allows you to apply for a national work visa. National visas D are issued only to seconded, seasonal workers or crew members of a ship.  

A decision on the compliance of foreign work with Lithuanian labour market needs is issued for up to two years. Based on this document, a foreigner can apply for a residence permit in Lithuania. The foreigner can only start working after obtaining a residence permit. 

IMPORTANT: If you are applying for a Blue Card, you don’t need to get approval for your job's compatibility with the Lithuanian labor market. 

How to get a work permit in Lithuania? 

• Start by finding a job in Lithuania and getting a job offer
• Give the necessary documents to your employer so he can ask for permission to employ you. These documents are usually proof of your qualifications for the job, such as previous professional experience and education
• Your employer will apply for your work permit or approval
• The Lithuanian Employment Service will issue the permit
• Once you have your permit, you can apply for a national visa (D) or a residence permit. 

Who must get a permit to work in Lithuania? 

In Lithuania, the Public Employment Service (known as Užimtumo tarnyba – UŽT) issues work permits to foreigners if they meet certain conditions:

• If they come to Lithuania to work in a profession not on the list of jobs in high demand
• If they come to work in a profession that is in high demand, but the quota for work permits has already been used
• They work for a non-EU/EFTA company, have a permanent contract, and are temporarily sent to Lithuania while being insured in your home country
• They are a foreigner, such as an asylum seeker who has obtained the right to work under the Lithuanian law

Who does not need to obtain permit for work in Lithuania? 

Some foreigners do not need to obtain a work permit or a compliance decision. These include EU and EFTA nationals, foreigners with a permanent residence permit, and third-country nationals who are family members of Lithuanian citizens. Additionally, foreigners aiming to work in professions experiencing a workforce shortage in Lithuania and those intending to work as trainees or interns are also exempt. 

Qualification requirements for foreigners  

Please note that a work permit or a decision on compliance with the needs of the Lithuanian labour market is issued if the foreigner has: 

• qualifications relevant to the work to be done, AND one year of work experience in the last three years relevant to the work to be done, or 
• the foreigner is expected to be paid a monthly salary not less than the last published average monthly gross salary in the national economy (including wage data for individual enterprises) for the calendar year (hereinafter – “last published gross salary”)

What is Quota? 

To manage the flow of migrant workers, Lithuania has set up quotas for specific jobs that are in high demand. For 2024, there are 40,250 quotas available, and as of September 2024, around 15,000 are still open. You can see the current number of available quotas  here. With the quota it is easier for an employer to hire migrant workers. 

Even if the quota is filled, employers can still hire foreign workers for these high-demand jobs. They just need to apply for a work permit or get approval from the Employment Service to confirm that the job meets labor market needs. 

Cost of work permit

To get a work permit (or a duplicate, if needed) in Lithuania, there’s a state fee that the employer or person hosting the foreigner needs to pay. This fee must be paid before you submit the application to the Employment Service.  

The amount of the fee is set by the Lithuanian Government. 

• Issuance of a work permit for up to 1 year – €121
• Renewal of a work permit – €52
• Issuance of a duplicate work permit – €8.60
• Decision on the compliance - €28 

IMPORTANT: The fees for a work permit are paid by the employer. So, if someone asks you to pay for it, there's a good chance the permit isn't real. If that happens, it's a good idea to contact the Public Employment Service to make sure the permit is legitimate.