# Payment institution licence (Lithuania)

Source page: https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/payment-institution/lithuania/

The Payment institution licence is issued by Bank of Lithuania (LB) under Republic of Lithuania Law on Payment Institutions No XI-549. It can be passported to the other EU/EEA states by notification. The official register lists 27 current holders. The legal decision period is 3 months from receipt of a complete application. The application fee is EUR 898. Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.

## At a glance

| Official name | Payment institution licence [1] |
| --- | --- |
| Issued by | [Bank of Lithuania](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/bank-of-lithuania/) |
| Jurisdiction | [Lithuania](https://protegra.io/licensing/jurisdictions/lithuania/) |
| Licence family | [Payment institution (PI)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/payment-institution/) |
| Legal basis | Republic of Lithuania Law on Payment Institutions No XI-549 [2]; Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market (PSD2) [3] |
| Passporting | EU/EEA passport available |
| Application fee | EUR 898 [4] |
| Annual fee | max 0.65% of income (proposed 1% from 2027, min EUR 5,000 full / EUR 3,000 limited) [5] |
| Statutory decision time | 3 months from receipt of a complete application [2] |
| Public register | [official register](https://www.lb.lt/en/sfi-financial-market-participants?business_form=27&market=1) [1] |
| Current holders | 27 [1] |

## What it lets you do

- [Execution of payment transactions](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/payment-execution/)
- [Money remittance](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/money-remittance/)
- [Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/card-issuing-acquiring/)
- [Payment initiation services](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/payment-initiation/)
- [Account information services](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/account-information/)

- **Execution of payment transactions.** Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account.
- **Money remittance.** Receiving funds from a payer solely to transfer them to a payee or another provider, without opening payment accounts.
- **Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions.** Issuing cards or other payment instruments to payers, and acquiring card and other payment transactions for merchants.
- **Payment initiation services.** Initiating a payment order at the user's request from an account held with another provider, as in open banking.
- **Account information services.** Providing consolidated online information on one or more payment accounts the user holds with other providers.

## Where it is valid

_Issued in Lithuania (gold); can be passported to the other EU/EEA states (blue) by notification._

## Cost

_Regulatory costs from the official sources above. Professional fees, staff, office and audit come on top and depend on the business model._

## How long it takes

Statutory: 3 months from receipt of a complete application [2]. Observed: not published. The statutory clock usually starts only when the regulator treats the application as complete, and pauses while it waits for answers to its questions.

## Buying a company that already holds it

**Prior notification with an objection period.** Acquisition or disposal of qualifying holdings reaching or crossing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of capital or voting rights, or becoming controlled, requires prior written notification to the Bank of Lithuania. The supervisory authority assesses acquirer reputation, financial soundness, and AML/CFT risks within a statutory 60 working days period (interruptible once by up to 20 working days for additional information) under Law on Banks Arts 24-25, applied mutatis mutandis to EMIs (EMI Law Art. 17) and PIs (PI Law Art. 10). [6]

Ready-made companies holding this licence: [see verified positions](https://protegra.io/companies/emoney-payments/).

## Laws behind it

- [Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/eu-psd2-2015-2366/): Directive (EU) 2015/2366

## Sources

1. [lb.lt: sfi financial market participants](https://www.lb.lt/en/sfi-financial-market-participants?business_form=27&market=1): retrieved 2026-09-24
2. [e-seimas.lrs.lt: 0b531920890111eb998483d0ae31615c](https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/rs/legalact/TAD/0b531920890111eb998483d0ae31615c/): retrieved 2026-09-24
3. [eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32015L2366)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32015L2366): retrieved 2026-09-24
4. [web.archive.org: authorisation of payment institutions](https://web.archive.org/web/20251024053402/https://www.lb.lt/en/authorisation-of-payment-institutions): retrieved 2026-09-24
5. [15min.lt: vyriausybe mokejimo ir e pinigu istaigos lietuvos bankui uz](https://www.15min.lt/verslas/naujiena/finansai/vyriausybe-mokejimo-ir-e-pinigu-istaigos-lietuvos-bankui-uz-prieziura-turetu-moketi-daugiau-662-2770050): retrieved 2026-09-24
6. [e-seimas.lrs.lt: 9ba20892227e11e6acbed8d454428fb7](https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/rs/legalact/TAD/9ba20892227e11e6acbed8d454428fb7/): retrieved 2026-09-24

Last verified 2026-09-24 · Author: Danil Marmysh · Reviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova · © Protegra. Data: CC BY 4.0, cite "Protegra Licensing Atlas". Not legal advice.