Lithuania's annual quota for non-EU workers, explained for employers
ManBe Group · 11 August 2026 · 3 min read
In 2025 Lithuania replaced its labour-market test with something simpler to administer and, for employers, easier to plan around — provided you understand the mechanics. This is what the quota is, how it behaves during the year, and what it means for a hiring plan.
What was replaced
Under the old system, an employer wanting to hire a non-EU worker needed a decision from the Employment Service confirming that the role could not be filled locally. It added weeks, and the outcome varied by region and season.
Since 2025 there is no such decision. Instead the government sets an annual quota for the number of temporary residence permits that can be newly issued to non-EU nationals in non-highly-qualified roles. The law caps the figure at 1.4 percent of the resident population; the ministry sets the actual number each year.
How the quota behaves
The quota counts new permits only. Renewals, and permits issued when a worker changes employer, are outside it. That is important: your existing workforce is not affected by the count, and neither is a driver who moves to you from another Lithuanian company.
The quota is consumed on a first-come basis as permits are issued through the year. In 2025 the figure was 24,830 permits and it was exhausted in October. Once the quota is used up, applications do not stop — they are approved only if the job pays at least 1.2 times the national average gross wage. Roles on Lithuania's list of high-value-added occupations are treated more generously: they are exempt from the quota at a threshold of 1 times the average wage.
So there are, in effect, three situations during any year:
- Quota open. A compliant contract at the market wage is sufficient.
- Quota exhausted, standard role. The salary must be at or above 1.2× the average gross wage.
- High-value-added occupation. Salary at or above 1× the average gross wage, at any time of year.
What this means for a hiring plan
File early in the year. Because the count resets annually and is consumed steadily, a January or February application has a very different cost profile from an October one. If you know your intake for the year, lodging mediation letters in the first quarter is the cheapest thing you can do.
Model the higher threshold anyway. For roles you might fill in the second half of the year, work out what 1.2× the average gross wage would mean for the contract. In some sectors the market wage is already close to it; in others it is not, and you should know which you are in before you commit to a start date.
Check the high-value list. Supervisors, engineers and some technical trades appear on the list of high-value-added occupations. If a role you are recruiting for qualifies, the quota is not your constraint.
Track the running total. The Migration Department publishes the number of permits issued against the quota. We monitor it for our clients and advise whether to file now or restructure the offer.
Frequently asked
Does the quota affect the national D visa? No. The visa can be issued while the permit is in process. But a visa alone does not give you a long-term worker, so the permit — and therefore the quota or the salary threshold — still applies.
Is the quota per employer? No. It is a national figure across all employers and sectors.
Does it apply to Latvia? No. Latvia has its own procedure; this article is about Lithuania only.
Will the figure be the same next year? The ministry sets it annually. Plan on the basis that it exists and will be consumed, rather than on a specific number.
The quota is not a barrier; it is a calendar. Employers who treat it that way — hiring early, knowing their salary position, and using the high-value route where it applies — have not had trouble filling roles. If you want a view on your own intake, send us the roles and the months you need people on site.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
- No. The quota applies to newly issued permits for non-highly-qualified workers. Renewals for people already working in Lithuania sit outside it, which is why keeping an existing crew is administratively easier than replacing it.
- The constraint bites on issuance, not on intention, so timing matters more than paperwork quality. This is the argument for ordering early in the year rather than waiting for a peak.
- Roles paying above the set salary thresholds remain available, which in practice moves the conversation from headcount to pay. For lower-paid roles the realistic options are to wait for the next year or to look at another country.
- The Migration Department publishes issuance figures. In a year where the quota is moving quickly, that number should be part of your hiring plan rather than something you check after a refusal.
More from the blog
The Dutch GVVA: why it rarely works for blue-collar roles, and the 2027 change every hirer should plan for
The GVVA is the correct route on paper and rarely the one that gets a driver or warehouse operative onto your floor. Here is why — and the supplier-admission change arriving in 2027.
Malta tightened up: three changes that decide whether you can hire there at all
Malta used to be the easy one. It now grants the permit to the employer as much as to the worker — and an employer with high churn does not get one.
Hiring in Poland: the labour market test is gone, and what replaced it
If you last looked at hiring foreign workers into Poland before mid-2025, most of what you know is out of date. The step employers complained about most has been abolished.