Lithuania Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Lithuania?

If you hold a British, Irish or EU passport, you can visit Lithuania without a visa. Holders of passports that need a Schengen visa, for example Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Chinese or South African, still need a Lithuania short-stay (type C) visa even when they live in the UK.

Lithuania joined Schengen in 2007, and a visa it issues also lets you travel in the other 28 Schengen states, provided Lithuania is the main stop on your trip. Applying from the UK is for lawful UK residents: someone here on a visitor visa will generally apply from home instead, as our UK visitor visa guide explains. Non-British residents show their status at VFS with a UKVI eVisa share code rather than a BRP; our share code guide walks through it.

British visitors may spend up to 90 days in any 180 in Lithuania and the wider area. At your first entry, for example at Vilnius or Kaunas airport, the EU Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo whatever your passport. ETIAS, the €20 authorisation planned for visa-exempt travellers, still has no launch date; our EES and ETIAS guide follows both.

Lithuania visa appointments in the UK

Lithuania takes UK applications through VFS Global at four centres: London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff. Appointments are free and booked in your own name on the VFS Lithuania UK site, and you bring Lithuania’s online form, completed in MIGRIS, printed and signed, to the appointment.

The embassy lists all four centres for Schengen applications without assigning them to UK regions, so you can normally pick whichever suits you, and the Embassy of Lithuania in London decides every application. VFS’s role is administrative: it takes in the paperwork, fees and biometrics and hands your passport back, but the decision is the embassy’s. The embassy itself sees visa applicants only by prior arrangement by email, so most people apply through VFS.

Important: Schengen Visa Support does not book, hold or supply visa appointments. You book your Lithuania slot yourself, free, on VFS Global’s official system. We show you how that system works, guide you through the booking and get your file ready for the day.

London

The London centre is the natural choice for London, the South East and the East of England. Because the embassy is also in London, files reach the decision-makers without a long transfer. Your VFS booking confirmation shows the current address.

Manchester

Manchester is convenient for the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands and North Wales. Lithuanian files handed in here are sent to the embassy in London, which can add a few days.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is convenient for Scotland, the North East and Northern Ireland, with the same transfer to London and a few days added.

Cardiff

Few Schengen states offer Cardiff, which makes Lithuania unusually convenient for South Wales, Bristol and the South West. Files go to London as from the other regional centres, so budget a few more days.

How to book

1. Check that Lithuania is your main stop. Count nights across the whole trip; our guide to choosing the right country covers Baltic routes.
2. Fill in the online form in MIGRIS at migracija.lt: create an account, complete the Schengen visa application, then print and sign it. The old EPM portal (visa.vrm.lt/epm) closed in October 2025, so ignore older guides that point to it.
3. Create a VFS account using your own email, typing each applicant’s name exactly as printed in the passport.
4. Pick a centre and slot, then print the booking confirmation and VFS’s checklist for your purpose of travel.

Lithuania sees far less UK demand than Spain, France or Italy, so dates are usually easier to find. Calendars still tighten from May to August and in late November and December, when Vilnius Christmas markets and family visits peak. If one centre is booked up, the other three feed the same embassy, so switching costs you nothing but travel. More tips are in our Schengen visa appointment guide.

On the day

Bring the originals and one copy of each, and expect a security check at the door. VFS reviews the file for completeness, takes your passport and records fingerprints and a photo, unless you already gave Schengen fingerprints within the last 59 months. Paid add-ons such as courier return or SMS tracking have no effect on the outcome. Our biometrics guide describes the process.

Note: The embassy says non-EU family members travelling with, or joining, an EU or EEA citizen can submit at the London, Manchester or Edinburgh centres (not Cardiff) without an appointment, Monday to Friday between 8.45am and 10am except public holidays. Under EU free-movement rules they pay no visa fee. Check the current hours and documents on the embassy or VFS site before you go.

Lithuania visa document checklist for UK residents

Lithuania’s checklist follows the usual Schengen pattern of form, passport, eVisa, insurance, travel bookings, bank statements and cover letter. The parts worth explaining are what Lithuania adds: its online form in MIGRIS, and electronic invitations that hosts register in the same system.

Lithuania’s online application form is completed in MIGRIS, the Lithuanian Migration Information System, which replaced the old EPM portal from October 2025. Handwritten forms are not accepted: print the completed form and sign it. A wrong passport number, travel date or address usually means correcting the form and printing it again, so check it carefully. Your entry and exit dates should match your return ticket, and the address you give in Lithuania should match your hotel booking or your host’s invitation.

A MIGRIS invitation (mediation letter) is registered online by a person or company in Lithuania. Your host sends you its number, which you quote in your application form; bring a copy to VFS as well. For family and friends visits the embassy asks for an official invitation, so ask your host to register one early and check that every traveller in your group is covered. Because the host undertakes to provide your accommodation and financial support, Lithuanian rules accept it as evidence of funds too.

The general rules are the standard Schengen ones: a passport issued within 10 years with two blank pages and 3 months’ validity after you leave, and €30,000 of medical cover valid in every Schengen state (the embassy notes that an EHIC or GHIC is not enough). The UK embassy’s checklist also asks for proof of a confirmed return ticket, and your bookings should match your form (see our travel insurance and flight and hotel booking guides). Non-British residents add a printed eVisa with the share code, and VFS’s Lithuania UK page asks for UK permission valid for at least 90 days after the return date from Schengen (a UK visitor visa does not qualify); check the current checklist. A short cover letter ties the file together.

By applicant type

Employed, self-employed, student, retired and child applicants add the usual UK proofs, from payslips and SA302s to enrolment letters, pension statements and parental consent, as set out in our full documents checklist and employer letter guide. The Lithuanian difference is for hosted and sponsored trips: family and friends visits need an official MIGRIS invitation, usually with a copy of the host’s passport, ID card or Lithuanian residence permit, and a spouse who supports you should add a marriage certificate and their own bank statements. Our invitation and sponsor letter guide has templates.

How much money do you need for a Lithuania visa?

Lithuania sets a reference figure. Under a 2023 order of the Lithuanian foreign minister, listed by the European Commission in 2026, the amount is €50 per day of your stay, plus the cost of getting home; it does not apply to a child travelling with an adult family member. The UK embassy’s checklist still shows an older figure of €40 a day, so plan on the higher amount. An official MIGRIS invitation can be used as proof of funds instead, because your host undertakes to provide accommodation and financial support. The embassy asks for UK current account statements for the last 3 months, and cash is not accepted as proof.

The table shows the minimum, not a target. A caseworker also checks that your balance still covers the trip once rent and bills leave your account, that income arrives regularly, and that any large recent deposit is explained. Our guide to Schengen bank statements shows how to present them.

Lithuania visa fees from the UK

VFS Global collects the consular fee in pounds at the centre on behalf of the Embassy of Lithuania, at the standard Schengen rates of €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11 and nothing for under-6s. The embassy publishes the sterling amounts on its services and fees page and updates them monthly, and VFS adds its own service charge on top.

The visa fee and VFS charge are not refunded if the visa is refused. Non-EU family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens using free-movement rules are exempt from the fee. Our Schengen visa fee guide compares costs across countries.

How long does a Lithuania visa take from the UK?

The Embassy of Lithuania in London decides every UK application, usually within 15 calendar days of a complete file, and can extend that up to 45 days in individual cases, for example when further checks are needed. London submissions reach the embassy quickly; Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff files are sent to London, which can add a few days.

Lithuania accepts applications from 6 months before travel up to 15 calendar days before. Working back 6 to 8 weeks gives your host time to register a MIGRIS invitation and leaves slack if the embassy wants more evidence.

Summer trips and Christmas in Vilnius call for the earliest of these dates. Our processing time guide compares countries.

Lithuania visa types for UK residents

Lithuania’s type C visa covers stays of up to 90 days in any 180 for tourism, family visits, business, short study, events and medical treatment; most UK applicants use the first two.

Tourist. For Vilnius Old Town, Trakai Island Castle, Kaunas, the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai and the coast at Klaipėda, Palanga and Nida on the Curonian Spit. Hotel bookings and a day-by-day plan are the core evidence.

Family or friends visit. Many UK applicants are partners, parents or in-laws within the large Lithuanian community here or in Lithuania. The embassy asks for an official invitation, which the host in Lithuania registers in MIGRIS; add a copy of the host’s passport, ID card or Lithuanian residence permit. A host who also funds the trip should add proof of their means; see our family visit visa guide.

Business. Vilnius fintech, IT and logistics firms and Klaipėda port draw most business visitors. The embassy asks for a recent signed invitation on the Lithuanian company’s letterhead stating the business, the length of the trip and who covers costs (companies can also register invitations in MIGRIS), and your UK employer adds a letter confirming the trip. Our business visa guide explains both.

Short study, events and medical treatment. Each needs a letter from the Lithuanian university, organiser or clinic.

Transit. Some nationalities need a type A airport transit visa, which only covers waiting in the international area; stepping outside the airport requires a type C visa.

Students on holiday. UK students travelling in a break apply as tourists and add an enrolment letter. A semester at Vilnius University, a job or any stay over 90 days needs a Lithuanian national (D) visa or residence permit instead.

Lithuania-specific tips

Lithuania follows standard Schengen rules, but its online systems and its eastern border catch UK applicants out.

• Print the online form last. Finish your bookings first, then complete the form, so dates and addresses match. Reprinting at the centre is stressful and not always possible.
• Get the MIGRIS invitation number before you fill in the form. Hosts need time to register it, and the number goes into your application form. Ask your host to start early.
• Kaliningrad and Belarus are not Schengen. Lithuania borders both. A Curonian Spit trip south of Nida crosses into Russia, and Belarus is not covered either. Leaving Schengen also uses up a single-entry visa.
• Count your Baltic nights. Vilnius-Riga-Tallinn tours are popular. Apply where you sleep longest; Latvia and Estonia also use VFS Global in the UK.
• Poland is a common pairing. Many trips combine Vilnius with Warsaw or Kraków. Poland handles its own visas at its London embassy, so if most nights are in Poland, read our Poland appointments guide.

Note: Under a 2023 Lithuanian law on restrictive measures, Lithuanian consulates do not accept Schengen visa applications from Russian or Belarusian citizens except in limited categories handled through the Foreign Ministry, such as family members of Lithuanian or EU citizens. If you hold a Russian or Belarusian passport, check the Lithuanian MFA’s keliauk.urm.lt guidance and the embassy before you book.

Why Lithuania visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

In Lithuania, refusals usually reflect missing or inconsistent evidence rather than ineligibility. Watch for:

• Form mismatches: MIGRIS form answers that differ from the passport, flights or bookings.
• A purpose the file does not prove: a family visit with no MIGRIS invitation, host details or proof of the relationship.
• Thin or unexplained funds: a balance that barely covers €50 a day, or big deposits shortly before applying.
• Few UK ties: no employer letter, or UK permission that ends within 90 days of your return.
• Applying to the wrong state: most nights actually in Latvia, Estonia or Poland.
• Insurance gaps: cover under €30,000, or not valid in all Schengen states.

The refusal letter gives the reasons. Lithuanian foreign ministry guidance says a Schengen visa refusal is not open to administrative review: you can appeal to the Regional Administrative Court in Vilnius within 14 days of the decision being delivered. The appeal must be written in Lithuanian, documents in other languages must be translated, and a stamp duty applies (€30 in the ministry’s guidance, 75% of that if filed electronically). With a 14-day deadline and a Lithuanian-language requirement, most UK applicants find it simpler to reapply with the gaps filled. Our Schengen visa refused guide weighs the two options, and our 90/180-day rule guide explains the effect on later trips.