Lithuania student visa (residence permit for studies)

The permit is for foreigners enrolled at a Lithuanian higher education and research institution in a study programme or doctoral studies. The same ground also covers pupils in general or formal vocational education, trainees who are still studying abroad (or graduated within the last two years) and have a traineeship agreement with a Lithuanian host, and people invited for up-skilling at a higher education institution; for these groups the permit is limited to one year.

Your university sends an admission confirmation that you upload in MIGRIS. Diplomas and other documents issued by state authorities must be legalised or apostilled, and documents not in Lithuanian or English need a certified translation.

The Migration Department ties the means of subsistence to the minimum monthly wage, which is EUR 1,153 in 2026; the funds must cover a year, or the whole validity of a shorter permit. For students, the accommodation rule is lighter: at least 4 square metres of living space per person at the address where you will declare residence, instead of the usual 7. Health insurance must be valid for the stay, with a minimum cover of EUR 5,792 under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules.

Students admitted to a study or doctoral programme pay a reduced state fee of EUR 80, available only in the general procedure. Some groups are fully exempt, for example those coming under international agreements or programmes of Lithuanian ministries and state institutions. VFS adds its own service fee. Graduates of Lithuanian studies pay no state fee once, for a permit of their choice later on.

You start in MIGRIS (migracija.lt): choose your citizenship, the permit you want and the ground, fill in the form and upload scans. When asked where to lodge, choose the external service provider and then book a visit separately with VFS Global. Since 1 December 2024 a VFS branch accepts residence permit and national visa applications from citizens of the country where it is located, and from other nationals only on a few grounds such as family reunification, highly qualified work or studies. VFS charges its own service fee, which includes delivery of the finished card to the centre.

Every applicant must meet the general conditions of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners: health insurance (at least EUR 5,792 under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules, unless you are covered by compulsory insurance as an employee), sufficient means of subsistence, a written pledge to declare your residence at a home with at least 7 square metres per adult, a list of the countries you visited or lived in, and a detailed questionnaire on your ties with people in Lithuania and with foreign security or military bodies. Children from the age of two attend in person. Your passport must be valid three months longer than the permit, or the card will be issued for a shorter period.

The Migration Department decides. Its standard time is three months in the general procedure and 1.5 months in the urgent one, with shorter legal limits for some grounds. The approved card is sent to VFS, and you travel to Lithuania with the card itself, so no separate visa is needed. Within one month of collecting the permit you declare your place of residence.

Students on a study programme are exempt from the work permit requirement. After you finish, you can apply for a one-year temporary residence permit to look for a job or start self-employment, and for ten years after graduating you can take a job without the usual Employment Service decision on labour-market needs. Half of the time spent on a study permit counts towards permanent residence, or all of it if you complete a Lithuanian degree.

The permit can be renewed if you still meet the general conditions, have not stopped studying and collected at least 40 credits in the previous year of study, or have justified reasons for collecting fewer. If, in the situations set out in the law, you have to transfer to an equivalent programme at another institution, you notify the Migration Department and have two months to prove the new enrolment. In the final year the permit can be extended by up to six months from the last day of studies.

Renewal applications may be filed no earlier than six months before expiry; the Migration Department recommends at least four months ahead.