Lithuania's EU Blue Card: about $4,110 a month gets you in, family included
The 2026 salary floor is €3,617.10 gross a month, your employer files a letter backing your hire, and Americans can apply from inside Lithuania on a visa-free stay.
For Americans holding a Lithuanian job offer, or close to one. Here are the 2026 numbers, how filing works, what your family gets, and where the card leads after five years.
The Blue Card in four numbers (September 2026)
$4,110
Monthly salary floor, gross
€3,617.10 since May 2026
$3,290
Floor for shortage-list jobs
€2,893.68, 1.2x the average
$180
State fee, standard
€160; €320 for 15-day handling
3 years
How long the card lasts
or the contract plus 3 months
Before you apply
Your offer has to clear three bars
The card rests on a job with an employer in Lithuania. The contract has to run at least six months, pay at least 1.5 times the national average wage, and fit your qualifications.
A degree works, and so do five years of professional experience at that level. IT and telecom managers and specialists can qualify with three years of experience from the last seven.
For a lot of U.S. professionals, the pay bar is modest: €3,617.10 a month is about $49,300 a year before tax. Since May 22, 2026, employers also have to pay you at least what locals earn in the same role. If your income comes from a U.S. employer, savings or a pension, this isn't your permit.
The floor moves every spring
Lithuania resets the figure from the average wage each year. It went from €3,334.50 in 2025 to €3,617.10 on May 12, 2026, and employer letters quoting the old number get sent back. If your offer sits near the line, build in some margin.
How filing works
Gather the papers
Your passport, your employer's mediation letter confirming the job and your qualifications, and a criminal record certificate under six months old from any country you've lived in for six months or more in the last two years.
Start online in MIGRIS
Every application begins in the Migration Department's online system. Then you hand over documents and fingerprints in person.
In Lithuania or at VFS
Visa-free Americans can file at a Migration Department office in Lithuania, where decisions take 15 days to a month. Through a VFS Global center abroad, plan on one to two months.
Declare your address
Register where you live when you apply or within a month of getting the card.
Family
Your spouse and kids skip the two-year wait
Most permit holders have to live in Lithuania for two years before family can join. Blue Card holders don't.
Family permits run as long as your card, and a spouse on one can take a job without a work permit. Expect up to four months for a decision, or two with expedited handling.
Filing after November 1, 2026?
From that date, the Migration Department takes work-based permit applications in Lithuania only from people there legally: on a permit, a Lithuanian national visa, another EU or Schengen residence permit, or a visa-free stay. Americans still qualify, so file while your visa-free stay is valid. Everyone else goes through VFS Global.
The long game
Year one, year five, and the citizenship wall
After 12 months
Since May 22, 2026, you can switch employers without separate permission. You can also use simplified EU rules to take your Blue Card career to another member state, though Denmark and Ireland don't issue the card. If illness, disability or childcare leave leaves you short of the card's conditions, you get up to 12 months' grace.
After five years
You can apply for permanent residence: five years on a temporary permit, or five years in the EU with at least two unbroken years in Lithuania. You'll pass an A2 Lithuanian exam (€52 in 2026) and a constitution exam, and pay €160 (about $180). Keep trips out under six months at a stretch and 10 months in total.
Citizenship
Naturalizing takes 10 years of continuous legal residence and means giving up your U.S. passport. A 2024 vote to allow dual citizenship failed even though 74.49% of those voting said yes.
People who can help with the money and coverage
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
Prepares and files U.S. federal returns for Americans living abroad, including the years you're paid in euros.
Hunter Schultz
Healthcare Coach
A healthcare coach who helps Americans work out what coverage they need abroad, before a permit office asks for proof.
ExpatInsure
Global Health Insurance
Sets up international health insurance policies for people moving abroad.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
Converts dollars to euros and handles international transfers, including recurring payments.
Lithuania Blue Card questions
How much do I need to earn for a Lithuanian Blue Card in 2026?
At least €3,617.10 a month gross, about $4,110, for applications from May 12, 2026. That's 1.5 times Lithuania's average monthly wage of €2,411.40. Jobs on the shortage list need 1.2 times, or €2,893.68 (about $3,290). The figures reset every spring.
Does a Lithuanian Blue Card lead to permanent residence?
Yes. After five years on a temporary permit, or five years in the EU with at least two unbroken years in Lithuania, you can apply. You need to pass an A2 Lithuanian exam and a constitution exam, pay €160, and keep trips out of Lithuania under six months at a time and 10 months in total.
How long does a Lithuanian Blue Card take?
Officially, a decision comes within one month for the standard €160 fee (about $180), or 15 days for €320 (about $365). Filing through VFS Global abroad takes one to two months, according to Lithuania's Migration Information Centre.
Can I keep my U.S. citizenship if I become a Lithuanian citizen?
Not through naturalization. It takes 10 years of continuous legal residence, and you must be stateless or renounce your current citizenship. A 2024 referendum to allow dual citizenship failed despite 74.49% of voters backing it, because it needed more than half of all registered voters.
Can my spouse work in Lithuania if I have a Blue Card?
Yes. Family of a Blue Card holder can join without the two-year residence wait other permit holders face, and a family member on a reunification permit doesn't need a work permit to take a job. The family permit lasts as long as the Blue Card.
Can Americans apply for a Lithuanian Blue Card from inside Lithuania?
Yes. You start the application online in MIGRIS, then file with the Migration Department in Lithuania while you're there legally, and a visa-free stay counts. From November 1, 2026, in-country filing is limited to people with a permit, a Lithuanian national visa, another EU or Schengen residence permit, or a visa-free stay. Otherwise you file at a VFS Global center abroad.
Do I need a college degree for a Lithuanian Blue Card?
No. A higher education diploma works, and so do at least five years of professional experience equivalent to one. IT and telecom managers and specialists can qualify with three years of experience gained in the last seven.
Will I pay Lithuanian income tax on a Blue Card salary?
Yes, once you're a Lithuanian tax resident, Lithuania taxes your worldwide income. For 2026, employment income is taxed at 20% up to about €83,237 a year (about $94,600), 25% up to about €138,729 (about $157,600), and 32% above that. The U.S. and Lithuania have no Social Security agreement, so ask a tax advisor how contributions apply to you.
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