Customs and daily life

Daily life

• Languages: Lithuanian is the official language. In Vilnius, some schools also teach in Russian and Polish (Go Vilnius). For a CV, EURES recommends Lithuanian and advises also having your diplomas, certificates and references with a Lithuanian translation. Lithuanian courses exist in Vilnius (Go Vilnius, "Learn Lithuanian" section).
• Work: 40 hours per week in principle, 48 hours on average at most including overtime, at least 20 working days of leave for a 5-day week, notice for dismissal through no fault of the employee of 1 month (2 weeks with less than a year of service, see LT-TRAVAIL-TOUS-001), probation period of up to 3 months (EURES, 2025; notice periods: IOM). Salary is paid twice a month, or once if you ask for that in writing (EURES).
• Phone and internet: prepaid SIM card from €5 to €10 per month, at a kiosk, supermarket or petrol station; a contract often requires a residence permit and a deposit (Go Vilnius).
• Bank: the main banks are mostly Scandinavian; bring your identity document and sometimes proof of your link with Lithuania (employment contract, lease, enrolment in studies). Opening fees for a non-resident can be up to €200 depending on the bank (Go Vilnius).
• Tipping, shop opening hours, Sundays: these are customs, not rules: no official source consulted sets a tip or common opening hours, and each shop displays its own. Check the hours on site or online before going out on a Sunday.

Festivals and traditions

• Joninės (Midsummer night, 23 to 24 June): the shortest night of the year, people gather around large bonfires, weave flower wreaths and sing; public holiday on 24 June (Lithuania Travel; EURES).
• Vėlinės: around 1 and 2 November, people tend graves and light candles on them; cemeteries are lit up in the night (Lithuania Travel, which places this vigil on 1 November). 1 November is All Saints' Day (Visų šventųjų diena), 2 November is All Souls' Day: both are public holidays (EURES).
• Christmas Eve (24 December): public holiday in Lithuania (EURES).
• Kaziukas Fair (Kaziuko mugė) in Vilnius, around St Casimir's Day, before Easter, three days from Friday to Sunday (Lithuania Travel), and the Song Festival (Dainų šventė), a large gathering of choirs, dancers and musicians, roughly every 5 years (Lithuania Travel).

Public holidays 2026

List from EURES (2025 page), with the 2026 dates (Easter on 5 April 2026):

• Thursday 1 January: New Year;
• Monday 16 February: Restoration of the Lithuanian State (1918);
• Wednesday 11 March: Restoration of Independence (1990);
• Sunday 5 and Monday 6 April: Easter;
• Friday 1 May: Labour Day;
• Sunday 3 May: Mother's Day (first Sunday of May);
• Sunday 7 June: Father's Day (first Sunday of June);
• Wednesday 24 June: Midsummer (Joninės);
• Monday 6 July: Statehood Day (coronation of King Mindaugas);
• Saturday 15 August: Assumption;
• Sunday 1 and Monday 2 November: All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day;
• Thursday 24 December: Christmas Eve;
• Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December: Christmas.

This list is confirmed by Article 123, paragraph 1 of the Labour Code in the official register of legal texts (e-tar.lt): the same 14 items appear in the consolidated versions from 07/06 to 31/10/2026, from 01/11 to 31/12/2026 and from 01/01/2027. 13 January (Freedom Defenders' Day) is not on it; a bill wanted to add it by removing 2 November, but according to the Lithuanian press (LRT) the Seimas did not adopt it on 19/06/2025.

Common pitfalls

• Coming with a French identity card "extended by 5 years". Lithuania does not accept it as a travel document: take a valid passport (French embassy).
• Counting on English for the administration. Forms and counters are often in Lithuanian: plan for help or a translator.
• Underestimating winter. Days are short and the cold can be severe: equip yourself and plan for winter tyres if you drive: compulsory from 10 November (Your Europe; details in sheet LT-PERMIS-TOUS-001).
• Forgetting that holidays sometimes fall on weekdays. 24 June and 2 November shut down the administrations: plan your appointments ahead.

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: no difference for daily life; 112 works as everywhere in the EU.
• British citizens (Scots included): Go Vilnius states that a phone contract requires a residence permit and a deposit; for a bank account, bring your passport and, depending on the bank, proof of your link with Lithuania (employment contract, lease, enrolment in studies).
• French citizens: the French embassy in Vilnius offers France Consulaire (+370 521 40 246, on weekdays from 10:00 to 18:00) and honorary consuls in Kaunas and Klaipėda.