Work in Lithuania

Ukrainians arriving in Lithuania will be able to work here practically immediately.

Upon registration after arrival, Ukrainians will be able to start working in Lithuania without any work permit requirements if they:

  • Are still under the visa-free regime or have a valid Schengen visa (e.g. have not spent more than 90 days within the past 180-day period in the Schengen area); or
  • Have a temporary residence permit under humanitarian grounds; or
  • Have a national (D) visa issued under force majeure grounds.

In addition, Ukrainians can apply for a work-related residence permit or an EU Blue Card (a special residence permit for high qualification work, valid for up to three years) without having to pass a local labour market test. This means that the employer will not have to advertise the vacant job position and obtain a decision of the Employment Service confirming that there are no suitable local candidates.

Individuals who choose to apply for asylum in Lithuania will have the right to work immediately upon registering their application (previously, this right was available only after six months).

Employers hiring Ukrainian employees should make sure that their salary is not lower than the average salary of local employees performing the same job at the same company. If there are no employees performing the same job at the company, the salary must be no less than the average salary in that economic sector (according to the data of the Statistics Department for the latest quarter).

When hiring Ukrainian citizens, employers should:

  1. Check whether the potential employee has one of the documents confirming exemption from the obligation to obtain a work permit (e.g. a still valid visa-free regime, a Lithuanian national (D) visa issued on the grounds of force majeure, a temporary residence permit issued on humanitarian grounds, a document confirming application for asylum/refugee status etc.);
  2. Sign an employment contract in Lithuanian and another language the employee understands (e.g. English, Russian, Ukrainian, or other);
  3. Submit the LDU notification via the SODRA information system EDAS regarding the employment of a foreign citizen. This notification must be submitted no later than one working day before the start of work.

Arrival in Lithuania and registration

  • After arrival in Lithuania, Ukrainian nationals should register at the assigned registration centre (if they do not have a place to stay in Lithuania) or at any one of the listed migration offices in Lithuania (if they already have a place to stay in Lithuania).
  • Upon registration, they may receive a special registration certificate.
  • Ukrainian nationals and their family members, as well as individuals without citizenship who were residing in Ukraine and had to leave due to the war, even if they do not have a valid passport with them, can be issued a Lithuanian foreigner‘s registration certificate while their legal status in Lithuania is being resolved.
  • Lithuanian Government and NGOs are supporting Ukrainian nationals by providing accommodation, food and medical care when needed.

Residency options

After the abovementioned registration, Ukrainian nationals currently have the following options for further residency in Lithuania (besides other types of visas and residence permits unrelated to humanitarian circumstances):

  • A temporary residence permit under humanitarian grounds, which will be valid for one year. The legal ground for such a residence permit is not asylum, but not being able to return to the country of origin due to humanitarian reasons.
  • A national (D) visa under force majeure grounds (also valid for one year, but only available to those who have biometric passports).

Since the abovementioned residency options are not based on asylum, arriving in another safe country first (e.g. Poland, Romania or others) before coming to Lithuania will have no effect on eligibility to stay in Lithuania.

Ukrainians may also choose to formally apply for asylum, but this is a much longer process and may involve additional legal issues (e.g. first safe country of entry and similar).

When applying for visas or residence permits, Ukrainian nationals will not be required to have a valid passport, health insurance, or other documents, which would normally grant them the right to arrive in Lithuania (if it is not possible due to objective reasons). No visa or residence permit application fee will be applied.

You can also find more information here:

Read about relocating and employing Ukrainian citizens in Latvia and Estonia.