Buying a flat in Lithuania as a foreigner is simpler than in many countries. A notary handles the deed and the title is registered in a national register. The complications are land, the mortgage and the temptation to treat a purchase as a way to obtain residence, which it is not.
This article covers buying property in Lithuania, from who may buy to what it costs.
Can foreigners buy property in Lithuania?
An EU citizen can buy a house or flat without special authorisation, even without living in the country. Land is different. It is reserved for people who meet the "European and transatlantic" criteria of article 47 of the Constitution: citizens and permanent residents of the EU and EFTA, and permanent residents of Lithuania.
Agricultural land also falls under its own law (maximum area, farming experience, approval from the National Land Service), and we could not read its current conditions, so confirm them with a notary. For British buyers, land needs permanent residence in Lithuania or an EU or EFTA state, according to the IOM: confirm with the notary. An heir who does not meet the criteria receives the value of the land, not the land.
What are the steps of buying property in Lithuania?
- Set your budget, mortgage included, and wait for the bank's written agreement before paying the seller anything.
- Find the property, sold by the owner or an agency.
- Check it in the register. An extract shows the owner, mortgages and restrictions.
- Optionally sign a preliminary agreement (preliminari pirkimo-pardavimo sutartis), which can also be registered.
- Sign the deed of sale (pirkimo-pardavimo sutartis) before a notary, who checks the legal situation of the property and tells you the exact fees.
- Pay, with savings or a loan secured by a mortgage.
- Register ownership at the Centre of Registers. The notary often sends the application.
- Declare your address if you live there, and look at property tax.
Buying from abroad, with a mortgage, or with a plot of land? Moovy can check which rules apply to your profile and list the questions to put to the notary and the bank.
What does it cost?
- Notary: 0.37% of the price, minimum €33, maximum €5,000 (Ministry of Justice order 1R-96, in force since 1 June 2020). The IOM mentions 0.45%, an outdated figure. Register checks come on top.
- Registration of ownership (Centre of Registers, 2026): €17.19 in five working days, €22.35 in three, €34.38 in one.
- Register extract: €2.64 in electronic form.
- No transfer tax: no tax on buying property appears in the EU tax database for Lithuania (2026).
- Annual property tax: a main home is taxed only above €450,000; other property above €50,000, on a scale from 0.2% to 1% (EU tax database, 2026).
Indicative prices (IOM, December 2025): central Vilnius from €2,300 to €8,500 a square metre, Kaunas €1,950 to €4,200, Klaipėda €1,300 to €3,800 and Šiauliai €960 to €2,500.
What are the mortgage rules in 2026?
Since 1 August 2026 the Bank of Lithuania allows lending up to 85% of the value of the property, or 90% for a first buyer who has not owned a home in the last five years. A second and later mortgages are limited to 70%, unless more than half of each previous loan has been repaid. Monthly repayments are limited to 50% of your income, calculated with an interest rate of at least 6%, and the maximum term is 30 years. A simple temporary residence permit makes a loan rarely accepted, and many banks ask for 6 to 12 months of work in Lithuania (bank account in Lithuania).
Which documents do you need?
Passport or ID, a residence permit for non-Europeans, your personal code if you have one, and for a loan your contract, payslips and bank statements. For land, a cadastral plan.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Paying the seller before the bank has agreed.
- Thinking a purchase gives residence. It does not.
- Buying land without meeting the criteria.
- Forgetting annual property tax on a second home or a high-value property.
If you are not sure you will stay, rent first. Renting in Lithuania explains the lease and the notice you give.
What does the notary do when you buy property in Lithuania?
The notary (notaras) does more than witness a signature. He or she checks the legal situation of the property in the registers (mortgages, seizures and other restrictions), draws up the deed and tells you the exact fees, and often sends the ownership registration to the Centre of Registers. That is why the notary's role is central, and why you should ask for the fee estimate in writing before the signing day.
Which taxes follow a purchase?
After the purchase, the annual property tax is the main recurring item. For a main home (the one where you have declared your address), tax is due only if its value exceeds €450,000, a threshold the municipality can raise, at a rate of 0.1% to 1% set by the municipality. A second home, a rented flat or a garage is taxed on the total value above €50,000. You should also know the capital gains rule when you sell: exempt after five years of ownership from 2026. Ask the tax office how it applies to your case.
What about Britons and Swiss buyers?
A British buyer can purchase a flat or house. For land, the IOM says a permanent resident of Lithuania or of an EU or EFTA state is needed, so check with the notary. A loan is often harder with a temporary residence permit. For Swiss buyers, EFTA is part of the criteria, so land purchase is possible according to the IOM.
Is buying a good idea as a newcomer?
That is a personal decision, and we will not pretend a single answer fits. Two facts are worth keeping in mind: buying gives no residence right, and the mortgage rules cap the loan at 85% of the value, or 90% for a first purchase, with repayments limited to 50% of income. If you have just arrived and your job or the city is still uncertain, a year of renting teaches you more about neighbourhoods, heating costs and commutes than any listing (renting in Lithuania).
How should you prepare to buy property in Lithuania?
- Get the bank's written agreement before paying anyone.
- Order the register extract and read it with someone who reads Lithuanian.
- Ask the notary for a written fee estimate.
- Plan for translation of the deed if you do not read Lithuanian.
Buying property in Lithuania is, in the end, a notary-led process with a short list of checks: the bank's agreement, the register extract, the fee estimate and the title registration. Do those four things in that order, and the rest is paperwork. Keep copies of the deed, the registration and the notary's receipt, since the tax office and the municipality may ask for them when your property tax or address declaration comes up. If you rent the property out, income from rent is taxed, so ask the tax office how to declare it before the first tenant arrives.