Lithuania is one of the easiest places in Europe for a European to take a job, at least on the legal side. No permit, no sponsorship, and a labour code with specifics that work in the employee's favour. The harder part is language: many jobs in contact with the public require Lithuanian, and English jobs cluster in the big cities.
This guide covers working in Lithuania as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. Third-country nationals, including British arrivals, have a separate route (moving to Lithuania from the UK).
Can you work in Lithuania without a permit?
Yes, if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen: on the same terms as Lithuanians, apart from certain civil service and law-enforcement posts, which require Lithuanian nationality (EURES). After three months, obtain your residence certificate (residence in Lithuania).
To look for work, the public employment service (Užimtumo tarnyba) is free, with advice, offers and an online registration, and its EURES network helps Europeans. The IOM and Go Vilnius cite Work in Lithuania (offers in English), CVonline, CVmarket, CVbankas and CV.lt. Private recruitment agencies are free for candidates (EURES).
What should your employment contract contain?
A written contract in two copies, before your first day, in Lithuanian and in a language you understand. It states your position, salary and place of work. Your employer must register you with Sodra at least one working day before you start. Check it with your "Employee ID". Starting without a contract or registration means you are not insured. A salary partly paid in cash reduces your unemployment, pension and sickness rights.
The probation period cannot exceed three months (six only if a law says so), and during it the employer can end the contract with three days' written notice. Fixed-term contracts run up to two years for the same position and five for different ones (EURES).
How much is the minimum wage, and how long is the working week?
The minimum monthly wage is €1,153 gross in 2026, or €7.05 an hour. On 1 July 2026 the government approved €1,245 and €7.61 from 1 January 2027, under article 141 of the Labour Code.
The working week is 40 hours in principle, 48 hours at most on average including overtime, 12 hours a day and 60 hours over seven days, with at most 180 overtime hours a year. A break of 30 minutes to two hours after five hours of work, and 11 hours of rest between two days. Annual leave is at least 20 working days (five-day week) or 24 (six-day week). Work on a rest day or public holiday is paid at least double (IOM). The pay cycle is twice a month unless you ask in writing for once.
A contract in Lithuanian you cannot read, a probation clause that seems unusual, or a question about what notice applies to you? Moovy can check the points against the rules and draft your questions to the employer, in both languages.
What is the notice period?
If you resign from an open-ended contract with no special ground, it is 20 calendar days. If the employer ends it without fault on your part, it is one month if you have at least a year of service, two weeks otherwise, with compensation. The State Labour Inspectorate confirms the one-month or two-week rule for article 57. The period is doubled within five years of retirement age and tripled for parents of a child under 14 and for some other protected groups (article 57 of the Labour Code). The "two months" quoted in older sources, including the EURES page, does not match the text of the Code. Complaints go to the State Labour Inspectorate (Valstybinė darbo inspekcija).
What about unemployment benefit?
Sodra pays the nedarbo draudimo išmoka if you were insured at least 12 months in the last 24, for unemployed status granted from 1 July 2026. Before that date the window was 30 months, and older guides, including the Commission's, still say so. It lasts up to nine months, with four more (15 in all) since 1 July 2026 for people within five years of retirement age with 20 years of pension insurance. The benefit is between €370 and €1,618.51 in 2026. It has a fixed part of 15% of the minimum monthly wage and a variable part based on your average insured income over the previous 24 months, which steps down from 45% in the first three months to 35% and then 25% (Sodra). Sodra publishes a benefit calculator for your own case.
Your work in another EU country counts through form U1. To look for a job elsewhere in the EU while keeping the benefit, ask Sodra for form U2 before leaving: three months, extendable to six. Without U2, leaving Lithuania ends the benefit. Self-employed people on an individual activity certificate or a patent do not pay unemployment insurance, so they are not covered.
How do you get your diploma recognised?
For study or a non-regulated job, recognition of your qualifications is free, in one month after a complete file, by an authorised university or SKVC, the Lithuanian ENIC-NARIC centre. For a regulated profession (doctor, nurse, architect, lawyer), the competent authority acknowledges receipt in one month and decides in three. Automatic recognition applies for EU diplomas in a handful of professions.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Starting without a written contract or Sodra registration.
- Accepting part of the pay in cash.
- Confusing the minimum and the average wage.
- Forgetting the language. English posts are concentrated in Vilnius and Kaunas.
- Leaving without form U2 if you receive unemployment benefit.
Your employer withholds income tax from your pay. For the tax side of your payslip, ask the tax office (Valstybinė mokesčių inspekcija, VMI).
What are the typical steps when working in Lithuania for the first time?
- Search on Work in Lithuania, CVonline, CVmarket, CVbankas and CV.lt, and register with the public employment service.
- Prepare a CV and a cover letter of one A4 page at most (EURES); for qualified roles, tests and interviews are common.
- Have your diploma recognised if needed.
- Sign a written contract in two copies before day one.
- Check your Sodra registration with your employer's "Employee ID" within three working days.
- Get your personal code and declare your address (Lithuanian personal code).
Ask for a version of your contract in a language you understand.
What are the limits of working time?
The standard is 40 hours a week. On average no more than 48 hours over seven days including overtime, with at most 12 hours a day and 60 hours over seven days, and at most 180 hours of overtime a year. Rest is 11 hours between two working days, and a break of 30 minutes to two hours must be taken at the latest after five hours of work. If you disagree with your employer about hours or pay, the State Labour Inspectorate receives complaints.
Where do you find English-language jobs?
They concentrate in Vilnius and Kaunas, in services and IT. Jobs in contact with the public often require Lithuanian. If you want to compare cities before applying, read best places to live in Lithuania.
What if your job ends?
Register with the employment service and Sodra as soon as your contract ends, ask for form U1 from your previous country if you need your foreign periods to count, and build a personal plan with your adviser. Benefit starts from the eighth day after you obtain unemployment status, and can be reduced if you miss an appointment or refuse suitable jobs twice in twelve months. A dismissal for your own fault brings a three-month waiting period.
Is working in Lithuania realistic without Lithuanian?
In Vilnius and Kaunas, yes, in services and IT, where English-language posts concentrate. In other roles, particularly those in contact with the public, Lithuanian is expected. Foreign diplomas and references must be translated into Lithuanian, and EURES advises a Lithuanian CV. Treat working in Lithuania as a two-stage plan: land the first job in English if your field allows it, then learn the language to widen your options (living in Lithuania).