Property in Lithuania

Updated 7 October 2026

Apartments, houses and commercial property in Vilnius, Kaunas and on the coast. We check the property against registers, handle the notarial deal and are honest about residence.

Foreigners can buy property in Lithuania: apartments, houses and commercial premises are bought on the same terms as by citizens, a notary certifies the deal and ownership is recorded in the state Real Property Register of the Centre of Registers. But first the key point: buying property in Lithuania does not give a residence permit. The grounds for a temporary residence permit listed by the Migration Department do not include buying a home.

Below: what a foreigner can and cannot buy, how a purchase works, which residence route is genuinely linked to investment and which costs to budget for.

What a foreigner can buy

• Apartments, houses and commercial premises are bought by foreigners on the same terms as by Lithuanian citizens.
• Land. Land acquisition by foreigners is governed by a separate constitutional law: conditions depend on the type of land and the buyer's country, and some cases need a permit. Agricultural and forest land is hardest for non-EU buyers, so when buying a house with a plot we check whether the land passes into ownership or stays leased.
• Buying through a company. A Lithuanian company buys property as a legal person, which suits commercial property and letting but adds the company's bookkeeping and taxes.

Residence: what actually works

Lithuania has no golden visa through property. The closest investment route is the ground for a company participant:

• at least $300,000 invested in the equity of a Lithuanian company;
• the applicant is the manager or holds at least a third of the share capital;
• the company has operated in Lithuania for at least 6 months;
• it has created at least 5 full-time jobs for citizens of Lithuania, other EU or EFTA countries, or foreigners with permanent residence in Lithuania.

The permit on this ground is issued or renewed for 2 years. There is also a separate ground for the head of a company with equity of at least $570,000. Property can be one of the company's assets but is not a ground on its own. Amounts are converted to dollars at the Central Bank of Russia rate of 7 October 2026 and rounded up.

How a purchase works

1. Goal. We define the goal: a rental apartment in Vilnius or Kaunas, a house on the coast, a commercial property or a home for relocation.
2. Shortlist. We select properties and check transaction prices against register data.
3. Register checks. We check the owner, encumbrances, seizures, rights to the land under the building and use restrictions.
4. Notarial contract. A notary certifies the deal; payment goes through a bank, or the notary's deposit account if needed.
5. Registration. Ownership is recorded in the Real Property Register.
6. Ownership. We help let the property, keep income records and pay taxes.

Requirements and documents

The deal can only be made before a notary. The notary checks the parties' identity, the seller's title and the source of the buyer's money, and after signing sends the contract to the Centre of Registers.

• passport and proof of address;
• source of funds documents: statements, an asset sale agreement, business accounts;
• marital status details and, if the buyer is married, the spouse's consent or participation;
• for a purchase through a company, its constitutional documents and a resolution to buy;
• Lithuanian translations and an interpreter at the signing if the buyer does not speak Lithuanian.

Timelines: checking the property and preparing the contract takes one to three weeks, and the notarial signing itself takes a day. Ownership is entered in the Real Property Register within a few working days of the deal. Payment to the seller usually goes through the notary's deposit account or a bank, so the seller receives the money only after registration.

Costs and taxes

Lithuania has no tax on buying property. The notary charges 0.37% of the price, capped at about $5,700, plus 21% VAT. The Centre of Registers fee for registering ownership, bank charges and translations are paid separately.

The annual real estate tax has worked differently since 2026. A main home is exempt as long as its value does not exceed about $510,000 per owner; above that the municipality charges 0.1% to 1%. Other housing is taxed on a rising scale: the first $57,000 of value is tax-free, and the part above about $1.2 million is taxed at 1%. Commercial property is taxed at 0.5% to 3% as set by the municipality, plus 0.2%.

Rental income and gains on sale are subject to personal income tax at 15% within an annual limit and at the general rates of 20%, 25% and 32% above it. A gain on sale is exempt if the property was owned for at least 5 years. A non-resident owner must also consider tax at home. If a company buys the property, it pays corporate tax: the standard rate is 17% in 2026. We calculate the exact figures for your property and ownership structure before the deal; see taxes in Lithuania.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

Russian citizens without a Lithuanian residence permit are barred from buying real estate in Lithuania under the law on restrictive measures, which is in force until 31 December 2027. Holders of a Lithuanian residence permit are not affected.

Land can be owned by citizens and companies of countries in the European Union, the European Economic Area, the OECD and NATO. Buyers from other countries can purchase apartments, houses and premises, with the plot underneath held on a lease. EU citizens buy any property on the same terms as Lithuanian citizens.

Why deals fall through

• the land under the house does not pass to the buyer and the seller did not say so;
• the bank will not accept funds without a verified source;
• the buyer expected residence for the purchase, but there is no such ground;
• the property has encumbrances or unregistered alterations.

What we do

We select a property for your goal, check it against state registers, handle the notarial deal and payments, help with ownership through a company or trust, and with letting. If the purchase is part of a move, we build a residence route on a real ground in parallel, for example through a Lithuanian company. A manager will calculate the cost in the chat.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Company formation · Business account · Personal account · Country taxes · All country programs

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