Updated 13.08.2026
Company registration · Lithuania
Company registration in Lithuania theEuropean fintech hub with licences
The country where most European electronic money and payment institution licences are issued, alongside a reduced corporate rate for small companies. A serious base for financial technology.
Launch package
What the base package covers
- 01Name check and preparation of the articles
- 02Capital deposit and filing with the registry
- 03Legal address for the first year
- 04Full set of corporate documents
- 05Tax registration and a Lithuanian accountant
- 06A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
and 3 more documents
The actual timing, cost and tax treatment depend on the corporate form, the activity and the structure of the company. Government fees are paid separately at the official tariffs.
Quick selection
Find the right structure
Where will the clients be?
What will the company do?
What do you need?
How many owners?
Reply within one business day
Fit
Who Lithuania suits
- Payment and electronic money projects needing an EU licence
- Fintech products passporting across the Union
- IT companies with a local development team
- Small companies eligible for the reduced rate
- Businesses that need a regulated European entity
- A licence is expected quickly and cheaply: it is neither
- There is no capital or qualified management for the regulator
- You are counting on anonymity: the registry is public
- A fully remote company with no local substance
Company types
What company you can open in Lithuania
The private limited company is the base for both ordinary business and licensed projects.
A company with limited liability and a defined minimum capital.
- For whom
- IT, services, trade, fintech projects.
- Advantage
- Fast registration and the standard vehicle for licence applications.
- Limit
- Capital must be deposited before registration.
A simplified form for a small number of individual members.
- For whom
- Small service businesses.
- Advantage
- Low entry cost and simple administration.
- Limit
- Only individuals may be members; not suitable for licensing.
A company with substantial capital that may issue shares publicly.
- For whom
- Larger businesses and listed structures.
- Advantage
- Higher standing and access to public capital.
- Limit
- Higher capital requirement and heavier governance.
For licensed activity the regulator expects local management, qualified personnel and genuine operations in the country.
Comparison
Lithuania or Ireland for fintech
Two European jurisdictions where payment businesses are licensed.
| Lithuania | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing speed | faster on average | slower and more selective |
| Regulator approach | pragmatic, with growing scrutiny | conservative |
| Cost of the project | lower | higher |
| Passporting | across the EU | across the EU |
| Substance expected | local management and staff | local management and staff |
| Corporate tax | reduced rate for small companies | 12.5% on trading income |
| Who it suits better | launching a new payment product | established groups with capital |
Lithuania is the faster route to an EU payment licence. Ireland is slower but carries more weight with institutional partners.
Where to register
What shapes the structure in Lithuania
For a licensed project the requirements dictate almost everything.
What we check
- Whether a licence is needed and of which type
- What capital can be committed to the project
- Who will act as management and where they live
- Whether an office and staff will be maintained locally
- What the anti-money-laundering framework will look like
- Which bank or partner will hold client funds
- Whether passporting to other member states is planned
- Whether the reduced corporate rate applies
- How the source of capital is evidenced
- The upkeep budget for the next three years
The regulator has tightened its expectations in recent years. Applications without real management, staff and controls are rejected.
Licensing
Activities and licences
Ordinary business needs no licence; financial activity is the reason most clients come here.
No licence required.
Licensed by the central bank with a defined capital requirement.
A lighter licence with a lower capital requirement.
A dedicated licence with a substantially higher capital requirement.
Registered and supervised under sector rules.
Subject to registration and tightening requirements.
What sets the licence
- Which licence the business model requires
- What capital is available
- Who will be the responsible managers
- What controls and systems are planned
- Whether passporting is intended
- How client funds will be safeguarded
Prices
Three ways to launch
The scope is built from real scenarios, from an ordinary company to a licensed institution.
from $1 700
An EU entity for contracts and invoicing
1-2 weeks
Included
- Name check and preparation of the articles
- Capital deposit and filing with the registry
- Legal address for the first year
- Full set of corporate documents
- Tax registration and a Lithuanian accountant
- A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
Government fees, paid separately
- Registry fees
Not included
- EU VAT number
- A financial licence
from $3 200
An operating business with EU settlements
3-8 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company package
- VAT and EU VAT registration
- Bank or payment institution profile and submission
- Monthly accounting set-up
- Support with correspondence with the tax inspectorate
Government fees, paid separately
- Bank tariffs
Not included
- A guarantee that the account opens — the institution decides
by project
A payment or electronic money project
from 6 months
Included
- Everything in the Company, VAT and account package
- Preparation of the full licence application
- Business plan, policies and control framework
- Recruitment of responsible managers and staff
- Office and operational set-up
- Support with the regulator through to authorisation
Government fees, paid separately
- Regulatory capital
- Regulator fees
- Audit and office costs
Regulatory capital, regulator fees and payroll appear as separate lines in the quote. Licensing projects are always priced individually.
Estimate
Preliminary quote
Seven questions about the model, the licence, capital and staff. A preliminary budget in return.
The range is indicative: licensing projects are priced individually.
Add-ons
Add-ons for any package
Switched on as the task requires.
Full support of the application to the central bank.
Policies, procedures and the anti-money-laundering system.
Recruitment of candidates the regulator will approve.
Application and periodic returns.
A Lithuanian accountant, monthly filings and annual accounts.
Premises and hiring for the substance requirements.
Selection of a bank or a partner institution.
Proper closure of the company.
Banking
The bank account after incorporation
For ordinary business the account is straightforward; for licensed projects safeguarding arrangements come first.
The activity, the customers, expected turnover, the local presence and the source of funds.
The corporate set, management identification, contracts and, for licensed projects, the authorisation.
With Lithuanian banks, and with European institutions for safeguarding client funds.
We prepare the file, choose the institution and run the submission through to the result.
Safeguarding accounts for a new payment institution are genuinely hard to arrange. We start that conversation at the same time as the licence application, not after it.
Tax
Taxes in Lithuania
A standard corporate rate with a reduced rate for small companies.
Charged on taxable profit at the statutory rate.
Available to small companies within statutory limits on turnover and headcount.
A qualifying new small company may benefit from a nil rate in its first period.
The standard rate applies, with reduced rates for certain supplies.
Employer and employee contributions apply on top of gross salary.
Owning a foreign company creates obligations in the beneficiary country of residence.
Verified on 13 August 2026. This is not tax advice: eligibility for the reduced rate is assessed case by case.
Documents
What we need from you
The set is collected remotely; documents are translated into Lithuanian.
- 01Passport with a certified copy
- 02Proof of residential address
- 03Curriculum vitae
- 04Description of the planned activity
- 05Evidence of the source of funds
The regulator reviews the business plan, the managers and the control framework in detail. Superficial applications are returned.
Annual administration
What we handle every year
For an ordinary company upkeep is low; for a licensed one it is a serious budget.
Renewed annually.
Maintained by a Lithuanian accountant.
Filed where the company is registered.
Prepared and filed with the registry.
Filed after the financial year ends.
Regular filings to the central bank for licensed institutions.
Mandatory for licensed institutions and above the size thresholds.
Filed and paid monthly where staff are employed.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the company over three years
A company is not a one-off payment for incorporation: the annual items below repeat every year. We count ownership, not entry.
- Registration and corporate documents
- Legal address
- Monthly accounting
- VAT returns
- Annual accounts
- Corporate tax return
- Regulatory reporting
- Audit
- Payroll and contributions
- Legal address
- Monthly accounting
- VAT returns
- Annual accounts
- Corporate tax return
- Regulatory reporting
- Audit
- Payroll and contributions
- Legal address
- Monthly accounting
- VAT returns
- Annual accounts
- Corporate tax return
- Regulatory reporting
- Audit
- Payroll and contributions
What falls into each year depends on the corporate form, the activity and the requirements of the bank and the regulator. The three-year calculation comes together with the incorporation quote — before the engagement.
Process
How the work runs
Timelines are split by who is responsible.
Model, licence type, capital, staff, banking.
One meetingWe fix the scope of work and the amount.
1-2 daysCapital deposit and filing with the registry.
3-7 daysBusiness plan, policies, recruitment, systems.
2-4 monthsApplication, queries and authorisation.
from 3 monthsOperating and safeguarding accounts, start of operations.
The institutions set the timingThe outcome is a European company, and where required a licensed institution with passporting rights, real staff and full reporting.
Scenarios
A company for a specific task
The structure follows the client task and the banking model, not the name of the jurisdiction.
BusinessThe customers are EU companies; an EU counterparty and VAT are required.
DirectionAn operating company in the EU with a VAT number and reporting.
BankingAn EU bank looks at contracts, turnover and presence.
BusinessDevelopment, consulting and digital work for European clients.
DirectionA company with the relevant activity and local accounting.
BankingCustomer contracts and payment providers are required.
BusinessSupplies of goods between EU countries.
DirectionA company with VAT and VIES registration.
BankingThe bank checks the supply chain and the counterparties.
BusinessHolding shares in EU companies and distributing profit.
DirectionA holding structure set up with the directives and tax treaties in mind.
BankingAn account for dividends and intra-group settlements.
A scenario does not assign a corporate form automatically: the actual form, licence and bank are checked against the current requirements for your activity.
Why BRIDGES
Who runs the incorporation and what we answer for
The difference shows in how the work is run, not in the promises.
A payment licence takes months, real capital and real people. Anyone promising it in weeks is selling a refusal.
Client funds need somewhere to sit. We arrange it alongside the application.
Responsible managers must be approvable, not nominal.
Where the company qualifies, the saving is real; where it does not, we say so.
Capital, staff, office, audit — three years ahead.
Accounts, returns, regulatory reporting and changes stay with us.
FAQ
Questions and answers
It has issued more electronic money and payment institution licences than most European countries, and the regulator built a dedicated process for them.
Realistically six months or more from the start of preparation to authorisation.
It depends on the licence type: a payment institution needs materially less than an electronic money institution.
Yes. The regulator expects management and key functions to be genuinely present in the country.
Yes, authorisation allows the service to be offered across the European Union.
The standard rate applies, with a reduced rate and a first-year relief for qualifying small companies.
Three to seven days for an ordinary company once the capital is deposited.
Straightforward for ordinary business; safeguarding accounts for new payment institutions are genuinely difficult.
Calculation
Get the structure and a full quote before incorporation
Tell us what the product does and whether it needs authorisation. We will identify the right licence, plan the capital and staffing and prepare an honest launch and upkeep budget.
The structure, budget and scope are fixed after the business and the owners are reviewed. Account opening and registration decisions are taken by banks and state authorities.