Lithuania Crypto License — CASP Authorization Guide 2026

To obtain a Lithuania CASP authorization, companies must satisfy the Bank of Lithuania's requirements under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 and Lithuania's national implementing legislation — primarily the Law on Financial Institutions (Finansų įstaigų įstatymas) and the AML Law. The following are the core requirements:

MiCA Article 67 establishes three minimum own funds tiers based on the CASP service types authorized. These are identical across all EU member states including Lithuania — MiCA harmonizes capital requirements at the EU level:

Under MiCA Art. 67(2), own funds must at all times be at least one-quarter of the fixed overheads of the preceding year — so capital requirements scale with business size. The Bank of Lithuania may require higher own funds than the MiCA minimums if it assesses that the risk profile of a particular CASP warrants it. Capital must consist of instruments that are fully paid up and freely available, with no third-party claims or conditional encumbrances.

Lithuania's UAB structure offers flexibility in capital deployment: the UAB minimum share capital of €2,500 is paid upon formation, while the MiCA own funds requirement must be satisfied and evidenced to the Bank of Lithuania at the authorization stage and maintained throughout the license period.

A Lithuania CASP license is an EU passport — a single Bank of Lithuania authorization grants your company the right to provide crypto-asset services in all 27 EU member states under MiCA's passporting regime (Article 65). This is one of Lithuania's most compelling advantages as a licensing jurisdiction: you gain access to the entire EU single market from one NCA relationship, without separate applications, filings, or fees in each country.

How Lithuania CASP Passporting Works

• Notification to Bank of Lithuania: To begin providing services in another EU member state, your company submits a passporting notification to the Bank of Lithuania specifying the target country, service types, and intended start date.
• 10-working-day forwarding: The Bank of Lithuania must forward the notification to the host state NCA within 10 working days. You may commence providing services in the host state on the day the notification is forwarded — without waiting for host NCA approval.
• ESMA register publication: All authorized Lithuanian CASPs appear in ESMA's publicly searchable register, giving institutional clients, partner platforms, and counterparties across the EU immediate confirmation of your authorization status.
• Home vs. host supervision: The Bank of Lithuania is your home-state prudential supervisor. Host-state NCAs supervise conduct-of-business requirements that apply in their territory. Lithuania's established regulatory dialogue with other EU NCAs facilitates smooth cross-border operations.

Lithuania's strategic position in the Baltics and its role as a hub for EU-regulated fintechs makes it a natural gateway for companies targeting both Northern and Eastern EU markets. With a Lithuania CASP license, you can serve clients in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Poland, and all other 24 EU member states. See our detailed guide on EU passporting under MiCA for the complete procedural framework. For a direct comparison with Estonia's FIU authorization route, see Estonia CASP License.

Lithuania adopted a significantly shorter VASP-to-CASP transitional period than the maximum 18 months permitted under MiCA Article 143. Lithuania's transitional window ended on 30 December 2025 — meaning any crypto business that was operating as a VASP in Lithuania and had not obtained a CASP authorization by that date was required to cease providing crypto-asset services. As of early 2026, there is no grandfathering protection remaining for Lithuanian VASPs.

Key Points for Companies Seeking Lithuania CASP Authorization Now

• Immediate authorization required: Any company wishing to provide crypto-asset services in Lithuania must apply for and obtain CASP authorization from the Bank of Lithuania before commencing operations. The VASP transitional protection has expired.
• Former VASPs may benefit from streamlined review: The Bank of Lithuania may take into account prior VASP registration history and compliance track record when assessing CASP applications from previously registered entities, potentially reducing review time for well-documented applicants.
• New service types require separate authorization: Companies adding CASP service categories not covered by prior VASP registration must obtain full authorization for those additional services. The Bank of Lithuania assesses each service type against MiCA requirements individually.
• EU passporting rights require CASP: Transitional rights — which have now expired in Lithuania — did not carry passporting privileges. Full EU passporting to all 27 member states is available only upon CASP authorization, not under any transitional or provisional arrangement.
• FCIS AML register vs. Bank of Lithuania CASP register: Lithuania's historic VASP AML registrations were maintained by the FCIS (Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba). The MiCA CASP authorization is a separate Bank of Lithuania authorization — prior FCIS VASP registration does not constitute CASP authorization.

For companies comparing Baltic jurisdictions, note that both Lithuania and Estonia adopted shorter transitional windows than Poland. If your business was operating as a VASP under Estonia's FIU, the Estonian transition timeline may differ — see Estonia CASP License for details.