Company Formation in Lithuania

Entity types and incorporation in Lithuania

The most common business vehicle is the private limited liability company (uždaroji akcinė bendrovė, UAB). Every legal entity comes into existence on registration in the Register of Legal Entities (Juridinių asmenų registras), kept by the Centre of Registers (VĮ Registrų centras). Filing online with a qualified e-signature is the cheaper and faster route; paper documents must be certified by a notary or the Ministry of Justice. The figures below are in force in 2026.

• Private limited company (UAB): uždaroji akcinė bendrovė, a private legal person with limited civil liability. Its shares may not be offered or traded publicly unless the law allows it. The consolidated Law on Companies sets no cap on the number of shareholders (the earlier version of this skill said 1 to 249; no such limit is in the 2026 text). (Law on Companies (Akcinių bendrovių įstatymas) No. VIII-1835, art. 2(2), 2(4), 3(1): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• Public limited company (AB): akcinė bendrovė, limited liability; its shares may be offered and traded publicly under the securities rules. (Law on Companies, art. 2(3): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• Small partnership (MB): mažoji bendrija, a private legal person with limited civil liability whose members are all individuals. At most 10 members, and at most 10 founders, all individuals. The Law on Small Partnerships sets no minimum capital. (Law on Small Partnerships (Mažųjų bendrijų įstatymas) No. XI-2159, art. 2(1)-(2), 3(3): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.A1FD809510BB/asr)
• Individual enterprise (IĮ): individuali įmonė, a private legal person with unlimited civil liability, founded by one individual with full legal capacity. An individual can also trade without any entity under an individual-activity certificate; that income falls under personal income tax: 20% on taxable individual-activity income up to EUR 42,500 a year, less a credit of 15% of that income up to EUR 20,000 (5% effective), which shrinks to nil at EUR 42,500; above EUR 42,500 there is no credit and the ordinary bands apply (see lithuania-pit). (Law on Individual Enterprises (Individualių įmonių įstatymas) No. IX-1805, art. 2(1), 3(1)-(2): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.FAB13F21783F/asr; Law on Personal Income Tax, art. 6(8), 18-2(2)-(3): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.C677663D2202/asr)
• UAB minimum share capital: EUR 1,000. (The earlier version of this skill said EUR 2,500; the 2026 law says one thousand euro.) (Law on Companies, art. 2(4): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• AB minimum share capital: EUR 25,000. (Law on Companies, art. 2(3): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• Paying in capital before registration: each founder pays an initial contribution in cash of at least 1/4 of the nominal value (plus any share premium) of the shares they subscribe. The initial contributions together must be at least the minimum capital, so at least EUR 1,000 for a UAB. They go into the company's accumulation account (kaupiamoji sąskaita) at a credit or e-money institution and can only be used after registration. The shares must be fully paid within the period set in the founding agreement or act, at most 12 months from signing; the rest may be paid in cash or in kind after registration. An in-kind contribution must be valued by an independent property valuer. (Law on Companies, art. 7, 8(2), 8(4)-(8): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• Founding documents: two or more founders sign a founding agreement (steigimo sutartis); a single founder signs a founding act (steigimo aktas). The founding agreement lets the founders open the accumulation account. (Law on Companies, art. 7(1): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• Registration authority: the Centre of Registers (Registrų centras), Register of Legal Entities. The company exists from the day it is registered. (Law on Companies, art. 11(1): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr)
• Incorporation steps: 1) optionally reserve the name at the Centre of Registers; 2) sign the founding agreement or act and the articles of association; 3) open the accumulation account and pay in the initial contributions; 4) have any in-kind contribution valued; 5) elect the company's bodies and manager at a founding meeting (a UAB can skip the founding meeting if the founding agreement or act names the members of the bodies the general meeting elects under the articles); 6) file the application for registration, signed with a qualified e-signature through the Centre of Registers self-service, or on paper certified by a notary or the Ministry of Justice. (Law on Companies, art. 10(5), 11(2): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr; Centre of Registers service page: https://www.registrucentras.lt/lt/paslauga/juridinio-asmens-iregistravimas-kai-steigia-fizinis-asmuo)
• Registration timeline: 1 working day for documents filed through the Centre of Registers self-service; 3 working days for paper documents. Bank account and document preparation time comes on top. (Centre of Registers service page: https://www.registrucentras.lt/lt/paslauga/juridinio-asmens-iregistravimas-kai-steigia-fizinis-asmuo)
• Registration fees (2026): UAB EUR 14.02 filed electronically, EUR 30.83 by post or at a customer office. IĮ EUR 13.08 electronically, EUR 21.12 on paper. MB EUR 17.13. Branch of a foreign company EUR 41.75. Name reservation (temporary entry of the name in the register) EUR 6.75. Notary fees, where a notary is used, are extra. (Centre of Registers price lists: https://www.registrucentras.lt/lt/paslauga/juridinio-asmens-iregistravimas-kai-steigia-fizinis-asmuo and https://www.registrucentras.lt/lt/paslauga/juridinio-asmens-pavadinimo-laikinas-rezervavimas)
• Core annual compliance: hold the ordinary general meeting within 5 months of the financial year end (this time limit applies to financial years ending on or after 1 July 2026). File the annual financial statements, with the management report, the audit report where an audit is required and the sustainability assurance report where sustainability reporting is required, with the Register of Legal Entities within 5 months of the year end. File the corporate income tax return by the 15th day of the 6th month after the tax period (15 June 2027 for calendar year 2026). Ongoing VAT, Sodra and payroll filings apply (see the sibling skills). (Law on Companies, art. 24(1), 58(3): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr; Law on Corporate Income Tax, art. 51(2): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.A5ACBDA529A9/asr)
• Corporate tax on a new small company: a company with income of no more than EUR 300,000 in the period pays 0% on taxable profit for its first and second tax periods if its owners are only individuals, and 7% after that; the standard rate is 17%. Conditions and the linked-entity test are in lt-corporate-income-tax. (Law on Corporate Income Tax, art. 5(1)(1), 5(2): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.A5ACBDA529A9/asr)
• VAT registration on formation: a business need not charge VAT while its supplies were no more than EUR 45,000 in the previous calendar year and are not expected to pass it in the current year. Once the limit is passed, VAT is charged from the month in which it was passed. (The earlier version of this skill said "in 12 months"; the law tests the calendar year.) Voluntary registration is allowed earlier, and buying services from foreign suppliers can force registration below the limit (see lithuania-vat-return). (Law on VAT, art. 71(2): https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.ED68997709F5/asr)
• Law change from 1 November 2026: Law No. XV-1045 amends the Law on Companies from 1 November 2026. It does not amend art. 2 (minimum capital). In art. 8 it changes only part 10 (the register keeper is renamed "registro duomenų tvarkytojas"). The restated art. 11 keeps the same list of registration conditions, and the restated art. 58(3) keeps the 5-month deadline for filing the annual accounts. (Law No. XV-1045 of 18 June 2026: https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/23b77982715d11f1b53dfa020e517810)

Sources

Source	URL	Read on
Law on Companies (Akcinių bendrovių įstatymas) No. VIII-1835, consolidated version in force 2026-07-01 to 2026-10-31: art. 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 24, 58	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E22116F1B0E0/asr	2026-10-30
Law No. XV-1045 amending the Law on Companies, in force 2026-11-01	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/23b77982715d11f1b53dfa020e517810	2026-10-30
Law on Small Partnerships (Mažųjų bendrijų įstatymas) No. XI-2159, consolidated version in force from 2026-01-01: art. 2, 3	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.A1FD809510BB/asr	2026-10-30
Law on Individual Enterprises (Individualių įmonių įstatymas) No. IX-1805, consolidated version in force from 2024-09-01: art. 2, 3	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.FAB13F21783F/asr	2026-10-30
Law on Corporate Income Tax (PMĮ) No. IX-675, consolidated version in force 2026-05-19 to 2026-12-31: art. 5, 51	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.A5ACBDA529A9/asr	2026-10-30
Law on Value Added Tax (PVMĮ) No. IX-751, consolidated version in force 2026-07-01 to 2026-12-31: art. 71	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.ED68997709F5/asr	2026-10-30
Law on Personal Income Tax (GPMĮ) No. IX-1007, consolidated version in force 2026-06-11 to 2026-12-31: art. 6(8), 18-2	https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.C677663D2202/asr	2026-10-30
Centre of Registers: registering a legal entity (individual founders), steps, timing and price list	https://www.registrucentras.lt/lt/paslauga/juridinio-asmens-iregistravimas-kai-steigia-fizinis-asmuo	2026-10-30
Centre of Registers: temporary name reservation, price list	https://www.registrucentras.lt/lt/paslauga/juridinio-asmens-pavadinimo-laikinas-rezervavimas	2026-10-30

Not yet confirmed: the Centre of Registers fee for registering an AB (not on the price list read); notary fees; the general-meeting time limit for financial years that ended before 1 July 2026; the "about 1-3 weeks overall" set-up time in the earlier version of this skill (no official source).