Lithuania

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Business Environment

Business Practices

General information: In Your pocket guide, (choose Lithuania)
Opening hours and days: Stores open from 10 AM to 9 PM during the week and from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday; some grocery stores open earlier and close later (8am-10pm or 12pm), they open on Sunday and on days-off but close earlier (5 or 6 PM).

Public holidays

New Year's Day	January 1
Independence Day (1918)	February 16
Restoration of Independence (1990)	March 11
Easter	Sunday and the following Monday
Labor Day	May 1
Mother's Day	First Sunday in May
Midsummer Festival	June 24
Coronation of Mindaugas, King of Lithuania	July 6
Assumption Day	August 15
All Saints' Day	November 1
Christmas	December 25 and 26

Periods when companies usually close

Christmas break	1 week between Christmas and New Year (not compulsory)
Midsummer break	3 days to 1 week around Midsummer (in June)

Accounting Rules

Tax year: The fiscal year begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st of the same year.
Accounting standards: Commercial undertakings shall perform accounting and prepare financial statements in accordance with Lithuanian Business Accounting Standards (LBAS) which are applicable as of January 1, 2004. Undertakings whose securities are traded in the regulated markets, as of January 1, 2005 shall follow IFRS as adopted by the EU when preparing financial statements.
LBASs can be regarded as simplified and summarized translations of the corresponding IASs or IFRSs.
Accounting regulation bodies: Authority of Auditing and Accounting
Accounting reports: Accounting in a company can be performed by an internal accounting department or by a third-party company providing accounting services. Accounting registers can be maintained either as hard copies or in electronic form, but print outs are still required.
Accounting shall be made in LTL and in Lithuanian language.
Financial statements must include: balance sheet, proft and loss account, cash flow statement, statement of changes in equity.
Publication requirements: Investment companies are required to file their annual statement with the Companies Registration Office.
Professional accountancy bodies: Lithuanian Chamber of Auditors
Certification and auditing: The Lithuanian Chamber of Auditors is a public legal entity unifying all certified auditors of Lithuania.
Accounting news: Business and Accounting news

Tax Rates

Consumption taxes

Nature of the tax: Value Added Tax (VAT)
Tax rate: 19%
Reduced tax rate: Reduced rates exist in the Lithuanian taxation system. Reduced rates of 9% apply to construction, renovation and insulation of residential houses financed from state and municipal budget resources. A further reduced rate of 5% applies to pharmaceutical and medical equipments, cultural and sporting events and books and similar items. A 0% rate applies to exports, insurance and financial services related to export, transport services directly related to the export of goods and goods supplied to another European Union member state. Are exempted of VAT: items included in education, healthcare, insurance and financial services, the leasing of dwellings and other immovable property, the sale or transfer of immovable property, and social, cultural, sports, radio and television services if supplied by non-profit seeking entities.
Other consumption taxes: To get further information on VAT rates, please check the list of VAT rates applied within the European Union

More detailed information on excise duties is available concerning alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, energy products on the European Commission website.

Corporate taxes

Company tax: 20%
Capital gains taxation: Capital gains of resident companies including permanent establishments are taxed as general taxable income at a rate of 15%. In the case of nonresidents, only capital gains on the transfer of immovable property are taxed at 10%.
Main allowable deductions and tax credit: When calculating the taxable profit of Lithuanian or foreign unit, tax exempt income and allowable deductions are deducted from income.

Tax exempt income includes:
-gain from sales of shares, received from an EU company or a company registered in a country with which Lithuania has a double tax treaty,
-received insurance payments,
-proceeds of a bankrupt company
-received penalties and fines

Allowable deductions include:
-depreciation and amortization of fixed assets
-maintenance, repair and construction of fixed assets
-business trips, advertizing and entertaining
-bad debts.
Other corporate taxes: Real property tax exists varying from 0.3% to 1% of the value of real estate owned by legal persons.

Royalties are also taxed ; the withholding tax rate is 10% for royalties paid to non resident companies unless reduced under a tax treaty.

Excise tax is also levied on production or import of alcohol and alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, fuel, electricity.

Individual taxes

Tax rate

Income tax	15%
Income tax for certain types of incomes (from distributed profits, rent or sale of property, creative activities and other individual activities).	20%

Allowable deductions and tax credit: The following items among others are allowed for income tax deductions:
-life insurance premiums,
-pension contributions paid to the pension funds registered in Lithuania or other EU member states
-interest paid for the loan financing of acquiring dwellings
-amounts paid by Lithuanian residents for higher education studies.
-amounts paid for the purchase of a computer during the period from 2004 to 2009.
Special expatriate tax regime: Taxpayers are resident and non-resident individuals. Foreign individuals staying in Lithuania for 183 days in a tax year or staying in Lithuania with or without breaks for 280 or more days during two consecutive calendar years as well as individuals whose social and economic interest is in Lithuania are considered to be residents for personal tax income.

Taxable income of non-resident individuals includes:
-interest
-income from distributed profit
-authorship remuneration
-employment income
-income from sports activities

Double taxation treaties

Countries with whom a double taxation treaty have been signed: See the list of the tax conventions signed by Lithuania.
Whithholding taxes: Dividends: 0/15%, Interest: 10%, Royalties: 10%

Sources of fiscal information

Tax Authorities: Ministry of Finance
Other domestic resources: Business and Taxation information

Intellectual Property

National organizations: The State Patent Bureau is in charge of regulations around intellectual property in Lithuania. Their website is: http://www.vpb.lt
Regional organizations: Lithuania is party to a number of major international treaties and agreements on intellectual property protection.

National regulation and international agreements

Type of property and law	Validity	International agreements signed
Patent Patent Law, 1994, last amended in 2001	20 years
Trademark Law on Trademark, 2000, last amended in 2004	10 years from the date of application, renewable.	Trademark law treaty Nice agreement Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement
Design Industrial Designs Law, 2002, last amended in 2004	5 years, renewable four times, for 5-year periods up to 25 years
Copyright Law on Copyright and Related Rights, 1999, last amended in 2003	Recognition of a copyright and its legal protection in Lithuania is not subject to any local registration requirement.	WIPO copyright treaty
Industrial Models Industrial Designs Law, 2002, last amended in 2004	5 years, renewable four times, for 5-year periods up to 25 years

Legal Framework

Independence of justice: The judiciary in Lithuania is largely independent, though lack of qualified judges and lawyers often undermines the right to a fair trial.
Equal treatment of nationals and foreigners: Foreign nationals can expect an impartial trial from the country's judicial system.
The language of justice: Lithuanian is the judicial language used in the country.
Recourse to an interpreter: Having an interpreter is possible.
Sources of the law and legal similarities: The main source of the law in the country is the Constitution of 1992; with its legal system based on civil law system. Lithuania being a member of the European Union, the national law in the country needs to comply with the conditions of the Community legislature.
Checking national laws online: Main Lithuanian laws online

Standards

National standards organizations: Lithuanian Standards Board
Integration in the international standards network: Lithuania being a member of the European Union since 2004, the EU standards regulations and restrictions apply. Therefore, standardization in Lithuania is mainly submitted to the laws of the European Union in this field. Additional national requirements can be added to EU standards.
Classification of standards: Information about standardization in Lithuania can be obtained at the following website.
It should be noted that Lithuanian standards are those which exist in all European Union member countries, one of the most known being the "CE" marking which is imposed on certain categories of products sold within the territory of the European Union.
Online consultation of standards: More information about national standards can be obtained at: Lsd.
Certification organizations: Lithuanian Standards Board

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