Nikolai 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 decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get an EMI license in Lithuania.
Europe's e-money capital: the Bank of Lithuania authorises EMIs on published rules and fees, and CENTROlink gives licensed institutions direct SEPA access without a commercial bank in between. We run the file from our own Vilnius office.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Lithuania in brief
The EU's e-money capital - by design, not accident.
Lithuania built Europe's largest e-money cluster deliberately: the Bank of Lithuania runs a specialised licensing desk with published rules, published fees - €1,463 for a full EMI application, and a statutory clock of three months from a complete file (five business days to confirm completeness, with the regulator itself noting that files rarely arrive without deficiencies; realistic end-to-end timelines run six to twelve months). The full licence requires €350,000 initial capital and passports across the EU/EEA on notification; a restricted licence - Lithuania-only, no minimum capital, a two-month review - gives startups a supervised on-ramp.
The structural advantage no other desk matches is CENTROlink: the Bank of Lithuania's own payment system, which admits licensed EMIs and PIs directly - SEPA credit transfers, instant payments and IBAN issuance without a commercial bank as gatekeeper. That is why hundreds of fintechs, from startups to global names, licensed here. With PSD3 and the PSR provisionally agreed in November 2025 and close to formal adoption - folding e-money into a unified payment-institution regime - we build Lithuanian files that convert cleanly into the next framework. And we do it from our own office on Gedimino Avenue.
Europe's e-money capital: Bank of Lithuania licensing on published rules - €350,000 full EMI, restricted route with no capital floor, fees of €1,463/€1,235.
The unmatched piece: CENTROlink - direct SEPA access without a bank sponsor. We file from our own Vilnius office.
The two routes
Full EMI - or the restricted on-ramp.
One desk, two entries: the full licence with EU passporting and CENTROlink access, or the restricted licence that starts supervised operations in Lithuania with no capital floor. We fix the route first, then build once.
Full EMI with passporting and CENTROlink - or the restricted on-ramp with no capital minimum.
01 - FULL EMI LICENCE
E-money institution
The flagship: e-money issuance and the full payment-services list, €350,000 initial capital, EU/EEA passporting on notification, and eligibility for direct SEPA access through CENTROlink.
The flagship: e-money issuance and the full payment-services list, €350,000 initial capital, EU/EEA passporting on notification, and eligibility for direct SEPA access through CENTROlink.
- ✓E-money issuance and distribution
- ✓Full PSD2 payment-services list
- ✓€350,000 initial capital · own funds ongoing
- ✓EU/EEA passport on notification
- ✓CENTROlink - SEPA without a bank sponsor
- ✓State fee €1,463 · 3-month statutory clock
02 - RESTRICTED EMI · PI ROUTES
CENTROlink - SEPA from day oneThe on-ramp routes
The restricted EMI licence starts supervised Lithuanian operations with no minimum capital and a two-month review, and payment-institution licences cover remittance-to-acquiring models at €20,000-€125,000.
Restricted EMI: Lithuania-only, two-month review, upgrade path. PI licences €20k-€125k.
- ✓Restricted EMI - Lithuania-only, no capital floor
- ✓Two-month statutory review · fee €1,235
- ✓PI licences - €20k-€125k by service
- ✓Upgrade path to the full licence
- ✓Same supervisor, same published rules
- ✓Startup-calibrated by design
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. State fees are published (€1,463 full · €1,235 restricted); capital, safeguarding and substance costs are itemised in your quote.
Why Lithuania
CENTROlink is the argument.
The framework is EMD2/PSD2 supervised by the Bank of Lithuania. With the one piece of infrastructure no other EU desk offers licensed institutions so directly.
✓
Direct SEPA via CENTROlink
The Bank of Lithuania's payment system admits licensed EMIs and PIs directly. SEPA transfers, instant payments and IBAN issuance without begging a commercial bank for sponsorship. The single biggest de-risking any payments licence can offer.No bank sponsor. The biggest de-risk in payments.
✓
Europe's largest e-money cluster
Hundreds of licensed institutions chose Vilnius. The supervisor is specialised, precedents are deep, and the professional ecosystem (auditors, compliance, banking) is built for exactly this industry.Specialised desk, deep precedent.
✓
Published rules, published fees
€1,463 and a three-month statutory clock are in the rulebook, not in folklore. The Bank of Lithuania publishes its licensing rules, annexes and expectations openly.€1,463; 3-month clock. In the rulebook.
✓
The restricted on-ramp
No other major desk offers a no-minimum-capital licence that starts supervised operations in two months. Prove the model, then upgrade to the full licence with a track record.No capital floor; two months; upgrade later.
✓
Costs that respect runway
Vilnius salaries and offices run far below London or Dublin. The same licence, the same passport, at a burn rate startups survive.Same passport, survivable burn.
✓
PSD3-ready files
With PSD3/PSR provisionally agreed and close to adoption, e-money folds into the payment-institution regime. Files we build now are structured to convert, not to be rebuilt.Built to convert, not rebuild.
How it compares
How Lithuania differs from other routes.
Lithuania pairs the EU's most specialised desk with infrastructure others cannot offer. The full comparison is below.
Lithuania vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Lithuania | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory regime | EMD2/PSD2 - Bank of Lithuania | Same directives, slower desks |
| SEPA access | CENTROlink - direct | Via commercial bank sponsors |
| Startup route | Restricted EMI - no capital floor | Rare or absent |
| Timeline | 6-12 months realistic | 12-18+ months at heavy desks |
Regulatory regime
LithuaniaEMD2/PSD2 - Bank of Lithuania
Other jurisdictionsSame directives, slower desks
SEPA access
LithuaniaCENTROlink - direct
Other jurisdictionsVia commercial bank sponsors
Startup route
LithuaniaRestricted EMI - no capital floor
Other jurisdictionsRare or absent
Timeline
Lithuania6-12 months realistic
Other jurisdictions12-18+ months at heavy desks
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | EMI (Bank of Lithuania) | 17% CIT (2026) | CENTROlink, specialised desk |
 United Kingdom | EMI (FCA) | 25% CIT · 19% small | No EU passport post-Brexit |
 Ireland | EMI (CBI) | 12.5% CIT trading | Thorough, 12+ months real |
 Malta | EMI (MFSA) | ~5-10% effective | Experienced, slower queue |
LithuaniaLicense typeEMI (Bank of Lithuania)
Taxation17% CIT (2026)
RequirementsCENTROlink, specialised desk
United KingdomLicense typeEMI (FCA)
Taxation25% CIT · 19% small
RequirementsNo EU passport post-Brexit
IrelandLicense typeEMI (CBI)
Taxation12.5% CIT trading
RequirementsThorough, 12+ months real
MaltaLicense typeEMI (MFSA)
Taxation~5-10% effective
RequirementsExperienced, slower queue
Before you apply
Requirements for the Bank of Lithuania licence.Requirements for the licence.
The licensing rules publish the file's contents in annexes. The craft is completeness. The checklist below is what a passing application contains.
01
Lithuanian entity. A UAB with its registered office and management in Lithuania.
02
Initial capital - €350,000 for the full licence, evidenced and paid in; the restricted licence carries no minimum.
03
Programme of operations. Services, volumes, three-year financials and unit economics the supervisor can interrogate.
04
Fit & proper management and holders. Clean records, competence, ownership transparent to UBOs.
05
Safeguarding. Segregated client-fund accounts or insurance coverage, with documented daily reconciliation.
06
AML/CFT framework. KYC, monitoring and reporting to the FCIS, with a named compliance officer resident locally.
07
IT and security documentation. Platform architecture, DORA-grade resilience and incident procedures.
08
Internal governance. Control functions, outsourcing register and conflicts procedures.
09
Own-funds methodology. The ongoing capital calculation per the chosen method, modelled forward.
10
CENTROlink readiness. The operational file for payment-system admission, prepared alongside the licence.
01
Lithuanian UAB, managed locally.
02
€350,000 capital (full licence).
03
Interrogable programme of operations.
04
Fit & proper holders to UBOs.
05
Safeguarding with daily reconciliation.
06
AML with resident officer (FCIS).
07
DORA-grade IT documentation.
08
Governance and outsourcing register.
09
Own-funds method modelled forward.
10
CENTROlink admission file.
Reflects the Law on Electronic Money and EMIs, the Bank of Lithuania's licensing rules and published fees as of 2026.Law on E-money and EMIs + LB licensing rules, as of 2026.
How it works
From first call to the licence - and the rails.
01
Route and strategy
Full EMI, restricted on-ramp or a PI licence. We fix the route, capital and timeline in writing.Full, restricted or PI - in writing.
02
Lithuanian company and people
UAB formation, capital evidence and the resident officers the supervisor vets.UAB, capital, resident officers.
03
The application file
Programme, safeguarding, AML and IT documentation per the rules' annexes. Complete before filing, because completeness is the timeline.Complete before filing. That is the timeline.
04
Bank of Lithuania review
Five days to completeness confirmation, three months statutory, question rounds answered - 6-12 months realistic end to end.3 months statutory; 6-12 realistic.
05
Licence, CENTROlink and launch
Authorisation, payment-system admission and passport notifications. The rails live, the reporting calendar running.Authorised, connected, passported.
Quick facts
RegulatorBank of Lithuania
Full EMI capital€350,000
Restricted EMINo minimum · LT-only
State fee€1,463 · €1,235 restricted
Statutory review3 months · 2 restricted
Realistic timeline6-12 months
SEPACENTROlink - direct
PassportEU/EEA on notification
The Bank of Lithuania spells it out: files rarely arrive complete. Arriving complete is the entire game, and our job.
On the ground in Vilnius
Licensed from the city we work in.
Prifinance - Lithuania
Vilnius · Gedimino pr. 2
Gedimino pr. 2, Vilnius
01
Lithuanian company formation
UAB incorporation, capital placement and the corporate layer the Bank of Lithuania expects. Structured for the licence from day one.UAB + capital, structured for the file.
02
The licence file
Programme of operations, safeguarding design, AML pack and IT documentation per the licensing rules' annexes. Drafted by us and defended through the supervisor's rounds.Per the rules' annexes. Defended in rounds.
03
CENTROlink onboarding
The payment-system admission file. Technical, operational and compliance. Prepared in parallel so SEPA access lands with the licence, not a year after.Rails land with the licence.
04
Substance and staffing
Resident compliance officer, MLRO and operations hires from Vilnius's deep fintech talent pool. Assembled from our own office on Gedimino Avenue.From our own Gedimino office.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
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 payment companies in Lithuania.
The 2026 system: 17% corporate tax with a 7% small-company tier, VAT-exempt financial services and a startup holiday. Modest numbers behind serious infrastructure.
Corporate tax 17%
The standard rate from 2026, with 7% for small companies and a 0% first-two-years holiday for qualifying new businesses. Fee and margin income follows ordinary rules.7% small; 0% holiday first two years.
VAT-exempt payment services
Payment and e-money services are VAT-exempt financial services. The 21% standard rate touches only ordinary supplies.21% only on ordinary supplies.
Fintech-literate administration
The tax authority has processed e-money models for a decade. Safeguarded funds, float interest and interchange all have established treatment.Float and interchange - settled.
Payroll that scales
Vilnius engineering and compliance salaries run far below Western hubs. The licence's operating base prices like a startup city, because it is one.Startup-city costs.
Dividends and structure
15% withholding with treaty relief and EU-directive exemptions. Group structures model cleanly for international holders.Treaty and directive relief.
GPM reform noted
Personal taxation moved to progressive 20-32% bands in 2026. Founder-level outcomes are modelled alongside the corporate plan.Founder level modelled alongside.
Tax summary
Corporate tax17% · small 7%
New-company holiday0% first 2 years
VAT on payment servicesExempt
Standard VAT21%
Dividend withholding15% · treaty relief
Tax treaties55+
*Figures as of 2026 per the State Tax Inspectorate. Float and safeguarding income treatment is 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 UAB, 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 institution.
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Launch your payment project in Lithuania with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from UAB registration to the EMI licence, CENTROlink and ongoing compliance.
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Is Lithuania the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Lithuanian EMI licence: frequent questions.
What licence does an e-money business need in Lithuania?+
An electronic money institution licence from the Bank of Lithuania - €350,000 initial capital, the full payment-services list and EU/EEA passporting - or the restricted licence for Lithuania-only operations with no capital minimum.
What is CENTROlink and why does it matter?+
The Bank of Lithuania's own payment system, which admits licensed EMIs and PIs directly to SEPA - credit transfers, instant payments and IBAN issuance without a commercial bank as sponsor. It removes the single biggest operational risk in the industry: bank dependency.
How long does licensing take?+
The statutory clock is three months from a complete application (two for restricted), with completeness confirmed within five business days, but the regulator itself notes files rarely arrive complete. Realistic end-to-end: 6-12 months. Completeness is our job.
What does it cost?+
The state fee is €1,463 for the full licence and €1,235 for the restricted - published, not negotiated. The real investment is capital (€350,000 full), substance and the file; all itemised in your quote.
What is the restricted licence good for?+
Starting supervised operations in Lithuania with no capital floor and a two-month review - proving the model, generating track record, then upgrading to the full licence. A genuine startup on-ramp no other major desk offers.
What substance is expected?+
A Lithuanian UAB with management and a resident compliance officer in Lithuania, real safeguarding arrangements, and systems that pass DORA-grade review. Vilnius's talent pool makes the hiring practical.
How are payment companies taxed?+
17% corporate tax from 2026 (7% small companies, 0% first-two-years holiday for qualifying startups), VAT-exempt payment services and 55+ treaties. Float and interchange treatment is settled practice.
Does the licence passport across the EU?+
Yes - the full licence passports to all EU/EEA states on notification. Hundreds of institutions serve the whole single market from Vilnius; that is the model.
What changes under PSD3?+
PSD3 and the PSR - provisionally agreed in November 2025 and close to formal adoption - fold e-money institutions into a unified payment-institution regime with strengthened fraud and authentication rules. Files we build now are structured to convert.
Why Lithuania rather than the UK or Ireland?+
The UK lost the EU passport; Ireland is thorough but slow and Dublin-priced. Lithuania offers the same directives with a specialised desk, direct SEPA through CENTROlink and startup-grade costs. For EU-facing payments, Vilnius is the realistic default, and our own office runs it.
What licence is needed?+
LB EMI - €350k full, or restricted with no minimum.
CENTROlink?+
Direct SEPA via the central bank - no sponsor.
How long?+
3 months statutory; 6-12 realistic.
Cost?+
€1,463 state fee; capital and file are the investment.
Restricted route?+
No capital, 2 months, LT-only, upgradeable.
Substance?+
UAB, resident compliance, real safeguarding.
Taxes?+
17%/7%; VAT-exempt services.
Passport?+
All EU/EEA on notification.
PSD3?+
Agreed Nov 2025 - files built to convert.
Why Lithuania?+
CENTROlink + specialised desk + costs.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
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Google
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Google
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Google
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Google
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