Do EU students need a TRP?

No. EU/EEA/EFTA citizens don't need a permit or visa. If you stay longer than three months you register with the Migration Department and get an EU certificate of temporary residence instead.

Can I apply for the TRP after I arrive in Lithuania?

You normally start the application before you travel and enter on a national (D) visa, then complete biometrics and collect the card here. Erasmus/exchange students often use only the D visa. Check what your university's international office advises for your case.

How long does the TRP take?

Standard processing is roughly two months; the expedited option is around 45 days for a higher state fee. Start 5-6 months before your studies begin and confirm current timelines on migracija.lrv.lt.

What happens if my visa or current stay expires before the new permit is decided?

Applying does not extend your legal stay. There is no automatic interim visa, so if your legal stay expires while the application is being processed you must leave Lithuania until a decision is made. Apply early to avoid this.

Can I work on a student TRP?

Yes. Students no longer need a separate work permit. Sources disagree on whether a weekly hours cap still applies, so verify the current rule before you rely on it.

Student temporary residence permit (TRP) in Lithuania

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change — confirm anything important with the official source linked below and your university's international office.

If you are a non-EU student, you'll need a temporary residence permit (TRP) to study in Lithuania for longer than a year — and you start the process online, before you travel, through the MIGRIS system. EU, EEA and EFTA students follow a much simpler registration route instead.

Which path applies to you

The document you need depends entirely on your nationality and how long you're staying.

Your situation	What you need
EU / EEA / EFTA citizen	No visa or permit. Register and get an EU certificate of temporary residence if staying over 3 months
Non-EU degree student (1+ year)	National (D) visa to enter, then a TRP for the studies
Non-EU Erasmus / exchange student (under a year)	Usually a national (D) visa only

Erasmus is usually simpler

Most exchange and Erasmus students stay under a year and use a national (D) visa rather than a full TRP. Your host university's international office will tell you which one your programme requires.

EU, EEA and EFTA students

You don't apply for a TRP at all. If you'll be in Lithuania for more than three months, you must register with the Migration Department within three months of arrival, declare your place of residence, and obtain a certificate confirming the right of temporary residence. Bring your enrolment confirmation, ID/passport and proof of address.

Non-EU students: the TRP step by step

Get admitted. Your university issues a mediation letter / enrolment confirmation that the Migration Department needs to see. The mediation letter is filed in MIGRIS and gets a number you'll quote on the application.
Apply online in MIGRIS. Fill in the residence-permit application on the Migration Information System and upload your documents.
Book biometrics — now via migracija.lt. Since 22 October 2025, appointments are booked through the Migration Department's own system at migracija.lt; VFS Global no longer schedules these appointments (it still runs the application centres themselves). You can usually book the visit only after MIGRIS confirms a successful preliminary review of your application.
Watch the 7-day deadline. After the mediation letter / preliminary stage, a short 7-day window applies for the next step in MIGRIS. Miss it and you may have to restart, so act on every MIGRIS notification promptly.
Get the (D) visa if applying from abroad. This lets you enter while the TRP is being decided. Note that an Erasmus/exchange student usually travels on the D visa alone and skips the full TRP.
Give biometrics, wait for the decision, then collect the card once it's produced.

Documents you'll typically need

A valid passport
University enrolment confirmation / mediation letter
Proof of sufficient funds for your stay
Health insurance valid in Lithuania (sums differ for the D visa vs the TRP — confirm the current minimum)
A clean criminal-record certificate, often legalised or Apostilled
A declared place of residence in Lithuania

Confirm the figures before you rely on them

The amounts below are volatile and several official sources lag behind the law. Treat them as a starting point and verify every fee, threshold and timeline on migracija.lrv.lt (or your university's international office) before you pay or travel.

Money and fees

You must show you can support yourself. The monthly subsistence requirement is tied to the minimum wage, and for a 12-month permit you generally prove the year's worth up front:

Monthly subsistence: €576.50unverified
Proof of funds for a 12-month stay: ≈ €8,071unverified
TRP state fee (standard processing): ≈€120 (€240 urgent)unverified — an expedited option costs roughly double (as of 2026 — confirm on migracija.lrv.lt)

If you submit through a VFS Global centre abroad, expect an extra service fee on top of the state fee.

You don't need to pay an agent ~EUR 1000

The official state fee is only about ≈€120 (€240 urgent)unverified (standard) or roughly EUR 240 (urgent) — see the Migration Department fee page. Private "migration agents" often charge around EUR 1000 for the same paperwork. You can get the same guidance for free from the Migration Information Centre at renkuosilietuva.lt (toll-free 0 800 22922 in Lithuania) and from International House Vilnius, plus your own university's international office.

How long it takes and how long it lasts

Processing: standard is roughly two months; expedited is about 45 days for a higher fee (as of 2026 — confirm on migracija.lrv.lt).
Validity: usually up to two years and renewable, or the length of your course if shorter. Doctoral students can receive up to three years. Final-year students may get a permit valid a few months past the expected end date.

Start 5-6 months early — applying is NOT being covered

Begin the MIGRIS application as soon as you have your admission letter, ideally 5-6 months before your studies start. Embassy and biometrics slots fill up before the autumn intake, and processing alone can take ~2 months. Crucially, submitting an application does not extend your legal right to stay: there is no automatic interim visa. If your D visa or current permit expires while the new application is still being decided, you must leave Lithuania until a decision is issued. Build in a buffer so a slow decision can't force you out mid-studies.

Working while you study

Students on a study-based TRP no longer need a separate work permit.

Work-hours cap: verify the current rule

The current rule generally allows students to work up to 20 hours per week during term and up to 40 hours during holidays; doctoral students have no hours cap. A proposal to cut the standard cap from 40 to 20 hours per week is a draft before the Seimas — proposed (not yet law) as of 2026, so do not treat any single figure as settled. Confirm the current rule on migracija.lrv.lt or with your university before committing to a job.

After you graduate

Graduates of Lithuanian institutions can apply for a temporary residence permit to look for work or be self-employed. The window for doing so has been extended well beyond the old two-year limit — check the current rule, as the timeframe and conditions have changed in recent years.

Keep your details current

Once you hold a TRP, tell the Migration Department if you change address, university or programme, and renew before it expires. Letting status lapse can affect future applications.