e-Residency of Lithuania is a program launched by
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
on 1 January 2021.
The program will allow non-Lithuanian citizens to access services provided by the Lithuanian government and other institutions, such as company formation, declaration of taxes and opening of bank accounts. It provides the e-residents with a
smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
, similar to the
Lithuanian identity card, which can be used for
electronic identification
An electronic identification ("eID") is a digital solution for proof of identity of citizens or organizations. They can be used to view to access benefits or services provided by government authorities, banks or other companies, for mobile payments ...
and
electronic signature
An electronic signature, or e-signature, is data that is logically associated with other data and which is used by the signatory to sign the associated data. This type of signature has the same legal standing as a handwritten signature as long as i ...
.
The e-residency scheme is aimed towards location-independent entrepreneurs such as software engineers and it is modelled after the
e-Residency of Estonia.
Application
An application for e-residency can be made online by filling a form to the Migration Department of Lithuania ( lt, Migracijos Departamentas). The applicant must then physically present themself to the Migration Department for the identification and collection of the biometric data.
It is planned that the biometric data collection service will be provided by the diplomatic missions in 2022, thus making it possible to complete the application abroad. The status of an e-resident is granted for 3 years. , the application fee is 90 Euros.
The application is subject to certain checks, concerning
national security
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
, prevention of
money laundering
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
, etc. It also includes checks in the
Schengen Information System for alerts by the other
EU members.
Legislation
The status of e-residence is established and regulated by the ''Law on the Legal Status of Aliens 2004'' with the amendments from 2019.
The authority which implements the legislation is the Migration Department under the
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
.
The legal framework for the electronic identification and signatures is established by the ''Law on Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions''.
See also
*
E-governance
Electronic governance or e-governance is the application of information technology for delivering government services, exchange of information, communication transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems between government to citiz ...
*
E-government
E-government (short for electronic government) is the use of technological communications devices, such as computers and the Internet, to provide public services to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offers new ...
*
Economy of Lithuania
The economy of Lithuania is the largest economy among the three Baltic states. Lithuania is a member of the European Union and belongs to the group of very high human development countries and is a member of the WTO and OECD.
In the 1990s, Li ...
*
Taxation in Lithuania
Taxes in Lithuania are levied by the central and the local governments. Most important revenue sources include the value added tax, personal income tax, excise tax and corporate income tax, which are all applied on the central level. In addition ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Apply for e-residency
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
E-democracy
2021 establishments in Lithuania
Government of Lithuania