VisaForeign workers in Lithuania should report job loss within ten working days
Current-rule guide: notifying job loss, applying to change employer and paying the correct service fee are separate steps for work-based residents.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
Last verified against linked sources:
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Notify job loss while the work-based permission remains valid
Foreign workers in Lithuania whose employment has ended should submit the required MIGRIS notification within ten working days if they intend to seek permission to change employer. The Migration Department's May 2026 guidance describes this route while the work-based temporary residence permit remains valid. The notification must state the intention to use the change-of-employer right; simply finding another vacancy does not replace it.
The department describes three months to apply after employment ends for people who have held the relevant permit for less than two years, and six months for those holding it for more than two years. Its public wording leaves the exactly-two-year boundary unclear. Ask which period applies at that boundary; use the earlier deadline meanwhile. The notification and search deadlines differ; neither should be assumed to extend card validity.
Obtain the new employer's mediation number before applying
The International Organization for Migration's Lithuania information centre explains the practical sequence: the new employer submits a mediation letter through MIGRIS, then the worker uses its number in the personal application. For ordinary non-highly-skilled employment, its guidance says an employer change normally cannot be requested until six months after the temporary residence permit was issued. Ask about exceptions if employment ended earlier.
IOM gives a one-month decision period and says the permission to change employer remains valid for one month after the decision. It instructs workers who require approval to wait for that approval before starting with the new employer or in the changed function. European Union Blue Card holders have separate rules, including changes after a year of highly skilled employment without a separate decision in the stated circumstances. That exception does not cover an ordinary employment permit.
Separate the worker's change fee from the employer's letter assessment
The Migration Department's October fee notice records a rise in the employer-or-job-function change charge from EUR100 to EUR165, effective from 3 October 2026. Older payment instructions quoting EUR100 therefore need updating. This is the change-application charge, rather than the fee for issuing or renewing the residence permit itself. The same notice lists ordinary temporary-permit issuance or replacement at EUR220 and urgent handling at EUR440, illustrating why the selected service category matters.
The department's separate mediation-letter fee page lists EUR50 for assessing the employer's commitment, including a change of employer or function. It describes the employer commitment as a distinct assessment, not the worker's EUR165 decision. Its scope excludes the stated lecturer and researcher cases. Match the payment to the employer letter or worker request rather than assume one receipt covers both. Use that fee page to identify the assessed commitment, then confirm payment instructions with the department on +37070767000, or +37052717112 from abroad. Ask who must pay and retain the matching receipt and mediation reference. The mediation page retains a July 2024 update date: EUR50 is its currently displayed amount, not a newly announced November charge. Confirm it at payment.
| Service | EUR |
|---|---|
| Worker employer/function change decision | 165 |
| Employer mediation-letter assessment | 50 |
A successful employer change does not consume a new quota place
The Migration Department's September quota guidance says an application to change employer or job function does not use an employment-quota unit when the department makes a positive decision. A favourable work-based permit replacement also falls within its described exemption. This helps an existing resident distinguish changing jobs from an initial application to come to Lithuania for work. It does not mean that permission is automatic or that the proposed employer escapes the other immigration conditions.
The same official explanation says the annual quota has covered occupations across sectors since 2025, rather than separate service, manufacturing, construction and agricultural allocations. An employer should therefore identify whether the actual file is a qualifying change before treating a sector shortage as a reason to abandon it. Keep the termination date, current permit, notification evidence and new employer's mediation reference together. The quota exemption cannot cure a missed notification, an expired permit or work started before required approval. Resolve those timing questions through the appropriate MIGRIS request and Migration Department.
