In Lithuania, a bank account is more than a place to put your salary. It is usually your electronic key to public portals, and the thing your employer, landlord and utilities ask for in week one. The good news is that the right to an account is protected by European rules.
This guide covers opening a bank account in Lithuania as a newcomer.
Which banks can you use for a bank account in Lithuania?
The big names are mostly Nordic: Swedbank, SEB and Luminor. Artea (the former Šiaulių bankas), Citadele and URBO are also cited, as are Revolut, which has its bank in Lithuania, and Paysera. Online banks sometimes open an account remotely and free of charge, while traditional banks often ask you to come to a branch.
Opening fees for foreigners go from nothing up to €200 depending on the bank, according to the IOM and Go Vilnius. Compare before you walk in.
What documents do you need?
- a valid passport or ID card;
- your Lithuanian residence document, if you have one, and ideally your personal code (Lithuanian personal code);
- proof of your link with Lithuania: an employment contract, a study certificate or a property title.
Explain why you need the account: work, studies, housing. Banks must also ask "know your customer" questions about the origin of your income, your activity and your tax residence. These are anti-money-laundering duties, and an incomplete answer can block the opening. Cards arrive around five working days after the file is submitted (IOM).
What is the basic payment account?
If you legally reside in the EU, you have the right to a basic payment account, which a bank can refuse only for specific reasons, such as money-laundering concerns. In Lithuania the Bank of Lithuania says banks and credit unions must offer the basic basket for at most €1 a month (€0.50 for low-income customers) since 1 January 2025. Before 2025 it cost €1.47 (€0.73). The basket includes at least €800 of cash withdrawals a month.
If you are refused, ask for the reason in writing: the bank must give it unless the law forbids. Then ask for a basic account. You can also complain to the Bank of Lithuania, which handles out-of-court disputes between consumers and banks, in Lithuanian.
Refused by a bank, or unsure which documents prove your link with Lithuania? Moovy can look at your situation and draft a request for a basic payment account, in Lithuanian with an English version.
How safe is your money?
Deposits are guaranteed up to €100,000 per person per bank, through Indėlių ir investicijų draudimas. Some high temporary balances are protected beyond that if they arrived in the six months before the bank failed: up to €300,000 for the proceeds of selling your home, and up to €200,000 for an inheritance, a life insurance payout or certain compensation. The claim must be made within a month, with proof.
Be careful with names. Only a bank, such as UAB Revolut Bank, is covered. A payment or electronic-money institution normally safeguards your funds in separate accounts, without the €100,000 guarantee. Check the status of your provider.
What about euro payments and your old account?
Euro transfers within the EU cost the same as a domestic transfer, and an employer or supplier who accepts national SEPA transfers cannot refuse your foreign IBAN. Your account in your home country stays usable. If your home tax authority requires you to declare foreign accounts, as France does, declare the new one.
What about a mortgage?
Since 1 August 2026, Bank of Lithuania rules allow lending up to 85% of the property's value, or 90% for a first purchase if you have not owned a home in the last five years. Repayments are limited to 50% of income, calculated with an interest rate of at least 6%. The maximum term is 30 years. A temporary residence permit makes a loan harder to obtain. Details are in buying property in Lithuania.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Arriving without proof of a link with Lithuania.
- Thinking every app is a bank. Check the status of your provider.
- Paying a seller before the bank agrees to lend.
- Giving your login codes by phone. A bank never asks for them.
Your bank login will also open the doors described in Lithuania e-services. Open the account in your first weeks, not your fifth.
How does a Lithuanian bank decide whether to open your account?
A bank must identify you and understand why you need an account. That is a legal duty under anti-money-laundering rules, not a judgement about you. The practical consequence is that people with a clear story (a job offer, a lease, a place at university) are accepted more easily than people who arrive with nothing to show. Bring the employment contract and the lease even if they are not requested in the first email.
British citizens, in particular, are often asked for the Lithuanian residence permit and may face deeper checks, even though the UK is in SEPA (moving to Lithuania from the UK).
What can you do while waiting for a bank account in Lithuania?
Your account in your home country stays usable. Transfers in euros between EU countries cost the same as domestic transfers, so your employer can pay you to a foreign IBAN if it accepts national SEPA transfers. That is a stopgap, not a plan: electronic identification for public portals works best with a Lithuanian bank (Lithuania e-services).
Online banks and payment apps can fill the gap, but check their status first. A bank such as UAB Revolut Bank is in the deposit guarantee scheme; a payment or e-money institution safeguards your money differently.
How do you complain about a refusal?
Ask for the reason in writing. Ask for a basic payment account. If the bank still refuses, the Bank of Lithuania handles consumer disputes with banks, credit unions, payment providers and some insurers, and is a member of FIN-NET, the European network. The complaint is lodged in Lithuanian, so prepare a translation or ask for help.
What should you check before choosing?
- the monthly fee and the cost of cards and transfers;
- whether you can open the account remotely or must visit a branch;
- whether the bank's login works as electronic identification on public portals;
- the status of the provider (bank or not);
- the languages of customer support.
A final practical point: banks send important letters and codes to your phone and to your online banking inbox, so give a number you will keep. If you leave Lithuania later, ask the bank how to close or keep the account, and remember that your declared address and your health contributions are separate matters that you must also settle (residence in Lithuania). Keep your statements: the tax office, an employer or a landlord may ask for proof of income or of your link with the country long after you open the account, and a clean paper trail saves time at every counter.