How does EU Blue Card (Highly Qualified Worker) work in Lithuania, and who qualifies?

Lithuania's EU Blue Card is built for highly qualified employees and is handled by the Migration Department through its online MIGRIS system. To qualify you generally need an employment contract for highly qualified work, a higher-education diploma (or professional experience accepted as equivalent), and a gross salary of at least 1.5 times the national average gross monthly wage. If your role sits on the High Value-Added (shortage) professions list, a reduced threshold of 1.2 times the average applies. Your employer files a mediation letter with the Migration Department as part of the process.

The card is issued for up to three years, or for the length of your contract plus three months, and it opens a faster path toward long-term residence as well as a degree of movement within the EU. Because the salary bar is pegged to the average wage, which is published quarterly, the exact euro figure shifts through the year.

The review fee is around EUR 160 on the standard procedure (about EUR 320 if you need it expedited), plus a EUR 50 employer stamp duty for the mediation letter, and a complete case usually takes up to roughly two months. Thresholds and the shortage list change, so it is worth confirming the current numbers on the Migration Department site before you commit. ACME can check your offer and qualification against the current threshold and the High Value-Added list to see whether the Blue Card is your strongest option.