Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Malta
NetherlandsNikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the Bank of Lithuania's decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get a forex license in Lithuania.
Lithuania licenses forex and CFD brokerage through one financial brokerage firm licence from the Bank of Lithuania under the Law on Markets in Financial Instruments. The licence is graded by capital: category A at €750,000 for dealing on own account, B at €150,000 for the STP desk holding client assets, C at €75,000 without client money. The state levy is €947. The statutory term is six months, and it restarts with every deficiency letter. Corporate tax is 17% from 1 January 2026. Our own Vilnius office at Gedimino pr. 2 files the case.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated · Reviewed by the Prifinance team
Lithuania in brief
Category A, B or C - and a Bank that reads every page.
Lithuania licenses forex and CFD brokerage through a single licence, the financial brokerage firm licence under the Law on Markets in Financial Instruments No. X-1024 of 18 January 2007: Art. 4 sets the licence requirement, Art. 3(26) lists the services, Art. 14 the capital. The Bank of Lithuania grades the licence by permanent minimum capital. Category A, €750,000, covers every service including dealing on own account - the class of a market-making CFD broker. Category B, €150,000, covers reception, execution, portfolio management and advice with the right to hold client assets: the STP model. Category C, €75,000, may not hold client money, which rules it out for retail margin trading. CFDs and rolling spot FX are derivatives under the Law's definitions, and the Bank's permanent measure in force since 1 August 2019 carries the ESMA set: leverage from 30:1 to 2:1, 50% close-out, negative balance protection, no incentives, the standard risk warning.
The Bank is candid about its own process. A formal check takes 5 business days; the decision is due within 6 months of the complete file; and the Bank itself says deficiency-free applications are exceptional, so each request for more documents restarts the term. Plan for 8-12 months. The state levy is nominal, €947 to the State Tax Inspectorate before filing, but the application must show the €750,000 paid up, a K-factor model, staff listed by name, final policies in Lithuanian and English and readiness to report through the Bank's Transaction Reporting System. Investor cover is €22,000 per client through the Deposit and Investment Insurance fund, above the EU floor of €20,000. Corporate tax is on an enacted schedule: 16% in 2025, 17% from 1 January 2026, with 17% withholding on dividends to foreign companies outside the participation exemption. Our own Vilnius office at Gedimino pr. 2 is on the same avenue as the Bank at Gedimino pr. 6.
One financial brokerage firm licence under the LMFI, graded by capital: A €750k for dealing on own account, B €150k for the STP desk with client assets, C €75k without client money. ESMA retail set since 1 August 2019, passport into 30 states.
€947 levy, six-month term that restarts on each deficiency, €22,000 investor cover, 17% corporate tax from 2026. Filed by our own Vilnius office at Gedimino pr. 2.
The two categories
Category A for the market maker - category B for the STP desk.
One licence, three capital grades: A at €750,000 for dealing on own account, B at €150,000 for an agency desk that holds client assets, C at €75,000 for firms that never touch client money. We fix the category first, then file once.
Category A at €750k for the market maker - or category B at €150k for the STP desk.
01 - CATEGORY A · DEALING ON OWN ACCOUNT
The category A licence
Every Art. 3(26) service including dealing on own account: €750,000 permanent minimum capital, paid up and evidenced at filing, with K-NPR and K-TCD modelled for the open client exposure a B-book carries. The same €947 levy as every other category.
Every Art. 3(26) service including dealing on own account: €750,000 permanent minimum capital, paid up and evidenced at filing, with K-NPR and K-TCD modelled for the open client exposure a B-book carries. The same €947 levy as every other category.
- ✓Dealing on own account - any service
- ✓€750,000 permanent minimum capital
- ✓K-NPR and K-TCD modelled at filing
- ✓Client assets held in-house
- ✓ESMA retail set since 1 August 2019
- ✓Passport to 30 EEA states
02 - CATEGORY B · STP
€150,000 minimum capitalThe category B licence
Services 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 of Art. 3(26) with the right to safeguard client money and instruments - the A-book desk at €150,000. Category C at €75,000 exists for advisers and introducers who never hold client money; it does not work for retail margin trading.
Services 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 with client assets; €150k; A-book only; same €947 levy; upgrade to A later.
- ✓RTO, execution, portfolio management, advice
- ✓Right to safeguard client assets
- ✓€150,000 permanent minimum
- ✓No dealing book - A-book only
- ✓Same €947 state levy
- ✓Upgrade to category A later
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. The state levy is €947; the Bank's supervisory contribution and the investor-fund rate for the current year are confirmed with the Bank of Lithuania before we quote; capital, audit and substance costs are itemised.
Why Lithuania
A nominal fee, a graded licence, our own desk on the Bank's avenue.
Lithuania prices the ticket at €947 and spends the applicant's money where the Bank looks: capital, people and final policies.
✓
A €947 state levy
Government Resolution No 1458 prices the licence at €947, paid to the State Tax Inspectorate before filing - lower than Estonia's €1,000 and a fraction of Malta's €15,000 or Luxembourg's €50,000. The money goes into capital and people instead.Cheaper than Estonia's €1,000.
✓
Three grades, one licence
A at €750,000, B at €150,000, C at €75,000. The Bank writes the category on the register entry, so the register tells a counterparty what the firm may hold and do.A, B, C on the register.
✓
A Bank that talks first
The Bank of Lithuania encourages contact during planning, holds pre-application meetings with its specialists and discusses the document list before filing; during assessment there are regular meetings as well as written comments to answer.Pre-application meetings, document list.
✓
Our own desk on Gedimino prospektas
Prifinance's Vilnius office is at Gedimino pr. 2; the Bank of Lithuania sits at Gedimino pr. 6. The people who draft your file can walk to the meeting.Gedimino pr. 2, Bank at no. 6.
✓
Investor cover of €22,000
The Fund of Liabilities to Investors pays up to €22,000 per client within three months of an insured event - above the EU floor of €20,000, and a line a client agreement can quote.Above the EU floor.
✓
A clock that restarts
The Bank says deficiency-free files are exceptional and that every request for documents restarts the six-month term. That is a warning, and also the reason a complete file is worth paying for: policies final, staff named, both languages, day one.File complete or wait again.
How it compares
How Lithuania differs from other routes.
Against its Baltic neighbours Lithuania loses on tax and wins on the fee and the regulator's door; against Malta or Luxembourg it is a fraction of the running cost. The figures are below.
Lithuania vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Lithuania | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | LMFI No. X-1024 - MiFID II, Bank of Lithuania | Same directive or offshore |
| State fee | €947 | €1,000 Estonia · €15,000 Malta · €50,000 Luxembourg |
| Clock | 6 months, restarts on each deficiency | 2-6 months statutory in Estonia · 6 plus a hard 12 in Luxembourg |
| Corporate tax | 17% from 2026 | 0% on retained profit in Estonia and Latvia · 15% Cyprus |
Regime
LithuaniaLMFI No. X-1024 - MiFID II, Bank of Lithuania
Other jurisdictionsSame directive or offshore
State fee
Lithuania€947
Other jurisdictions€1,000 Estonia · €15,000 Malta · €50,000 Luxembourg
Clock
Lithuania6 months, restarts on each deficiency
Other jurisdictions2-6 months statutory in Estonia · 6 plus a hard 12 in Luxembourg
Corporate tax
Lithuania17% from 2026
Other jurisdictions0% on retained profit in Estonia and Latvia · 15% Cyprus
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | FBF licence - category A/B/C | 17% CIT (2026) · 17% WHT | €750k / €150k / €75k, €947 levy |
 Estonia | Investment firm - FI | 0% · 22% distributed | IFD €75k-€750k, statutory clock |
 Latvia | Investment brokerage firm | 0% · 20% distributed | IFD €75k-€750k, no state fee |
 Poland | KNF dom maklerski | 19% CIT · 9% small | IFD tiers, fee capped at €4,500 |
LithuaniaLicense typeFBF licence - category A/B/C
Taxation17% CIT (2026) · 17% WHT
Requirements€750k / €150k / €75k, €947 levy
EstoniaLicense typeInvestment firm - FI
Taxation0% · 22% distributed
RequirementsIFD €75k-€750k, statutory clock
LatviaLicense typeInvestment brokerage firm
Taxation0% · 20% distributed
RequirementsIFD €75k-€750k, no state fee
PolandLicense typeKNF dom maklerski
Taxation19% CIT · 9% small
RequirementsIFD tiers, fee capped at €4,500
Europe
Forex licences in neighbouring jurisdictions
Before you apply
Requirements for the Bank of Lithuania licence.Requirements for the licence.
The Bank publishes its document list and means it: policies as adopted, staff by name, two languages. In practice the list comes to the ten items below.
01
Lithuanian company - a UAB or AB under the Law on Companies, with the Register of Legal Persons extract, the registered articles and the registered office of the permanent management body in the file.
02
Capital, paid up - €750,000 for category A, €150,000 for B, €75,000 for C under Art. 14 LMFI, with the capital adequacy calculation and proof of payment at filing.
03
Heads assessed - every management body member and key function holder files the Bank's form under Resolution No 03-181; repute, qualification and experience are tested one person at a time.
04
Qualifying shareholders - financial soundness, repute and the financing of the holding disclosed under Resolution No 03-138.
05
Business plan and policies, final - compliance, risk management, conflicts of interest, complaints, personal transactions, client-asset protection and order execution, filed as adopted documents in Lithuanian and English.
06
Named staff - the financial brokers and other employees who will provide investment services, listed by name in the application.
07
Premises and IT - a description of premises and equipment, the IT architecture, outsourcing contracts and the security and continuity measures.
08
Reporting readiness - transaction reporting through the Bank's Transaction Reporting System from day one, plus IFR quarterly returns for a class 2 firm.
09
Investor insurance - a commitment to join the Fund of Liabilities to Investors run by Deposit and Investment Insurance, which covers clients up to €22,000.
10
AML/CTF - the procedure under Law No. VIII-275, an officer who owns it and reporting lines to the FNTT, with the Bank supervising compliance after licensing.
01
UAB or AB, managed from Lithuania.
02
€750k / €150k / €75k paid up.
03
Heads vetted, Resolution 03-181.
04
Shareholders vetted, Resolution 03-138.
05
Policies adopted, LT and EN.
06
Staff listed by name.
07
Premises, IT, outsourcing described.
08
TRS reporting ready.
09
Investor-fund commitment.
10
AML procedure, FNTT lines.
Reflects the LMFI, Bank of Lithuania Resolutions No 03-114, 03-111, 03-181 and 03-138 and IFR/IFD as of 2026. The €947 levy is paid to the State Tax Inspectorate before filing.LMFI + Resolutions 03-114/03-111/03-181/03-138 + IFR/IFD, as of 2026.
How it works
From first meeting to the Bank of Lithuania register.
01
Category and model
A, B or C, the Art. 3(26) services and the capital - fixed in writing; fewer services means fewer documents and, in the Bank's words, a faster assessment.A, B or C - fixed.
02
Company, capital, people
UAB registered, capital paid up and evidenced, heads' forms under Resolution No 03-181, the €947 levy paid to the State Tax Inspectorate.UAB, capital, heads, €947.
03
The file, final
Business plan, adopted policies, named staff, IT and TRS readiness in Lithuanian and English - complete at filing, because every deficiency restarts the term.Adopted policies, named staff.
04
Formal check and assessment
5 business days for the formal check; then meetings and written comments, answered by us; the Board decides within 6 months of the last document.5 days, then 6 months.
05
Licence and passport
Register entry with the category shown, investor-fund membership, EEA notifications filed with the Bank - 30 states from Vilnius.Category on the register.
Quick facts
RegulatorBank of Lithuania
FrameworkLMFI No. X-1024 · MiFID II
Category A - own account€750,000
Category B - client assets€150,000
Category C - no client money€75,000
State levy€947
Statutory term6 months · restarts
Plan for8-12 months end to end
The Bank says deficiency-free files are exceptional. Ours are built to be the exception: final policies, named staff, both languages, on day one.
On the ground in Lithuania
Run from our own Vilnius office.
Prifinance - Lithuania
Vilnius · Gedimino pr. 2
Gedimino pr. 2, Vilnius
01
Lithuanian UAB formation
Incorporation, paid-up capital evidence and the management body the Bank assesses under Resolution No 03-181 - built for the licence from day one.Board built for the Bank.
02
The file, in both languages
Business plan, adopted policies, named staff, IT and TRS readiness drafted in Lithuanian and English by our Vilnius lawyers, and defended through the Bank's comment rounds.Drafted in Vilnius.
03
Pre-application meetings
We sit in the Bank's pre-application meetings and agree the document list before filing - the surest way to keep the six-month term from restarting.We sit in the meetings.
04
People on the ground
Heads, compliance officer and named brokers sourced in Vilnius; the office the Bank visits is on the same avenue as its own.Same avenue as the Bank.
We also have offices in
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of forex brokers in Lithuania.
A flat 17% from 2026 on an enacted schedule, 17% withholding outside the participation exemption, and losses that never expire but offset at most 70% of a year's profit.
Corporate tax 17%
From 1 January 2026 under Law No. XV-285 of 17 June 2025, up from 16% in 2025 and 15% in 2024 - the schedule is enacted, not proposed.From 1 Jan 2026, enacted.
Dividend withholding 17%
On dividends to foreign entities from 2026 (CIT Law Art. 34(1)), withheld by the 15th of the following month; exempt where the parent has held 10% of the votes for 12 months.0% with 10% held 12 months.
Small-company rate 7%
For entities with income up to €300,000 a year from 2026, and 0% for the first two periods of a new company owned by natural persons - rarely a broker's bracket, but it is in the Act.Income up to €300,000.
Losses: no expiry, 70% cap
Tax losses carry forward without time limit but offset at most 70% of a year's taxable profit; financial institutions escape the ring-fence on securities and derivative losses.No expiry, 70% cap.
VAT-exempt services
Financial services, including transactions in securities and derivatives, are exempt under the Law on VAT - no VAT on brokerage income, no input recovery.No input recovery.
Supervision and investor fund
Membership of the investor fund is mandatory and the Bank's supervisory contribution is capped by statute at 1% of annual income; we confirm the current year's rates with the Bank of Lithuania before quoting.Capped at 1% of income.
Tax summary
Corporate tax17% · from 1 Jan 2026
Dividend withholding17% · 0% participation exemption
Small-company rate7% · income up to €300,000
Loss carry-forwardNo expiry · 70% cap
VAT on financial servicesExempt
*As of 2026 per the Law on Corporate Income Tax as amended by Law No. XV-285 and the State Tax Inspectorate. Group and founder-level outcomes are modelled per structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Lithuanian company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed broker.
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Lithuania · Lietuvos bankas
Launch your forex project in Lithuania with expert support.
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The Lithuania forex licence, answered.
What licence does a forex broker need in Lithuania?+
A financial brokerage firm licence from the Bank of Lithuania under the Law on Markets in Financial Instruments: category A for a market maker dealing on own account, category B for an STP desk that holds client assets. CFDs and rolling spot FX are derivatives under the Law; no separate forex licence exists.
Which category - A, B or C?+
A (€750,000) if the firm is counterparty to client trades; B (€150,000) if it routes orders and holds client margin; C (€75,000) only if it never touches client money or instruments, which rules C out for retail margin trading. The Bank prints the category on the register entry.
How long does the Bank of Lithuania take?+
Six months from the complete file by statute, after a 5-business-day formal check - but the Bank itself says deficiency-free applications are exceptional and each request for more documents restarts the term. We plan for 8-12 months and file policies as adopted, not as drafts.
What does the licence cost?+
The state levy is €947, paid to the State Tax Inspectorate before filing. The real money is capital: €750,000 paid up for category A. The Bank's supervisory contribution is capped by statute at 1% of annual income and the investor-fund rate is set yearly; we confirm both with the Bank of Lithuania before quoting.
Does the licence passport across the EU?+
Yes. MiFID II Art. 34 and 35 are transposed in the Law and notifications go through the Bank of Lithuania, which forwards a services notification within one month; the firm may then start in the host state. 30 EEA states from one Vilnius licence, with host-state CFD measures still applying to retail clients there.
What retail CFD rules apply?+
The ESMA set, in force in or from Lithuania since 1 August 2019 as a permanent Bank of Lithuania measure: leverage from 30:1 on major pairs to 2:1 on crypto, 50% margin close-out, negative balance protection, no incentives and the standardised risk warning. Binary options to retail clients are banned.
How are Lithuanian brokers taxed?+
17% corporate income tax from 1 January 2026 (16% in 2025), 17% withholding on dividends to foreign entities unless the parent has held 10% for 12 months, VAT-exempt financial services, and losses carried forward without time limit but capped at 70% of a year's profit.
What substance does the Bank expect?+
A UAB managed from Lithuania: heads assessed under Resolution No 03-181, named staff providing the investment services, described premises and IT, a compliance officer, and policies adopted before filing. The application itself asks for the registered office of the permanent management body.
Lithuania or Estonia for an STP broker?+
Estonia does better on tax while profits stay in the company - 0% until distribution against Lithuania's 17% - and prints a two-month decision from a complete file; its fee is €1,000. Lithuania answers with a €947 levy, €22,000 investor cover, a Bank that meets applicants before filing, and our own office on the Bank's avenue. Both passport identically.
Why Prifinance for Lithuania?+
Our own Vilnius office at Gedimino pr. 2 drafts the file in Lithuanian and English, sits in the Bank of Lithuania's pre-application meetings and answers its comments in person. Heads, compliance officer and named brokers are sourced locally, and the policies we file are adopted documents, which is what keeps the six-month term from restarting.
What licence?+
FBF licence - Bank of Lithuania.
Category?+
A €750k, B €150k, C €75k.
How long?+
6 months; restarts; plan 8-12.
Cost?+
€947 levy; capital is the money.
Passport?+
30 EEA states via the Bank.
Retail rules?+
ESMA set since 1 Aug 2019.
Taxes?+
17% CIT, 17% WHT from 2026.
Substance?+
Heads, named staff, premises.
Vs Estonia?+
Their 0%; our fee and door.
Why you?+
Own desk, Gedimino pr. 2.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
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Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.