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Good practice Imported

Startup Visa Lithuania — Fast-Track Residence Permits for Non-EU Tech Founders

Lithuania · Vilnius · See the Lithuania profile · See the Vilnius profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 54% 67/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since 2017, Lithuania's Startup Visa has let non-EU tech founders obtain a fast-track residence permit after an independent panel of accelerators, VCs and officials vets their business plan, helping Vilnius diversify its founder base.

27 (2017) → 83 (2018)
Visas granted
~15-16% %
Non-EU-founded companies, share of Lithuanian startups (2020)
Startup Visa Lithuania — Fast-Track Residence Permits for Non-EU Tech Founders

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Innovation Agency Lithuania (Startup Lithuania)
Period
2017–present
Keywords
startups, migration policy, tech talent, innovation ecosystem

Context

Lithuania launched its Startup Visa in 2017 as a fast-track alternative to standard business-immigration routes for non-EU founders. Applicants must be a legal co-owner of a genuinely innovative new business, demonstrate income at or above the Lithuanian minimum wage and hold health insurance of roughly EUR 30,000; an independent selection committee of accelerators, VC funds and Startup Lithuania staff reviews each case.

Activities

The scheme is administered by Startup Lithuania, now part of the Innovation Agency Lithuania, formed in 2022 from a merger of Enterprise Lithuania and related business-support agencies.

Results

27 visas were granted in 2017, 83 in 2018 and 70 in the first half of 2019, against an approval rate of roughly 35%; by 2020 non-EU-founded companies accounted for an estimated 15-16% of all Lithuanian startups. Independent industry press has separately reported more than 100 founders relocating to Lithuania through the scheme since 2017.

Conclusions

The programme has real limits: endorsement does not guarantee the Migration Department will issue the permit, and applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals have been suspended since 2022 except through ministerial mediation.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — Administrative visa-processing programme; no major capital cost is described.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Running continuously since 2017.
Staffing & skills
Innovation Agency Lithuania (Startup Lithuania), independent selection committee of accelerators and VC funds

Conditions for success

  • Independent expert committee vetting applications on innovation merit rather than capital alone

Common failure modes

  • Committee endorsement does not guarantee the Migration Department issues the permit
  • Applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals suspended since 2022

Where it fits

Governance type
national innovation agency
Scale
national
Income level
high income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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