Living in Lithuania as a foreigner

From great access to nature to a more balanced lifestyle, Lithuania has a lot to offer to Lithuanians and foreigners alike. 

Even though this is the first year that ‘Create Lithuania’ is looking for non-Lithuanian applicants, every year we get questions from applicants about what it is like living in Lithuania as a foreigner. Many of our applicants have lived abroad for years and have non-Lithuanian partners who, in some cases, have never spent much time in the country.  

In this article, we are sharing a couple of stories from ‘Create Lithuania’ alumni and their partners about how they found living in Lithuania, what they enjoy and what surprised them the most. 

Lithuania was meant to be a short stop, but after spending a year here, Julius and his American partner Olivia decided to stay long term. 

We originally met in Lithuania, where both of us were studying in Vytautas Magnus University. Following this we had to spend a couple of years with doing a long-distance relationship while working and studying in different countries. At the beginning of 2020 we decided that we will move in together “somewhere” in Europe, depending on what we will see as the best option for both of us in terms of life quality and professional opportunities. We decided to stop by my hometown in Northern Lithuania for about a month until we decide on our destination to settle. Following the covid outbreak, we realized that being based in rural Lithuania is probably one of the best places to be, and once things settled down a bit decided to first give Lithuania a little bit more consideration in terms of permanent residency here. I joined Create Lithuania, while Olivia was able to continue her work remotely. We absolutely fell in love with Vilnius – it is a much more cozy, affordable, and convenient city than any other place we considered, and after a year with the program we decided that we will try to make our new home here. 

After years living in London, Gaudrė and her British partner Adrian decided they wanted a more balanced life. On their way to Lithuania, they spent some time travelling around Europe and are now finishing up fitting out their new home near Vilnius. 

No matter what stage of life you are in, there are plenty of opportunities for keeping yourself busy in Lithuania. However, we decided to move here because we were looking for a respite from the never stopping pace of London. We wanted to have a cozy home and a more balanced life, and in Lithuania we have found both. Even though we sometimes miss the buzz of London or being closer to mountains, the process of fitting out our beloved home keeps us busy and fulfilled creatively, and having an opportunity to take a daily walk in the snowy forest in winter or to bump into local roe deers or majestic cranes in spring gives us a lot of different kind of joy.  

Gintarė and her British partner  James were enjoying their life in London when the pandemic forced them to re-evaluate what’s next. They decided to leave one of the most expensive cities in the world and move to Lithuania, where they found better quality of life and access to nature.

After living in big cities for many years, we were excited to be moving to a place that has better access to nature. There are so many forests, rivers, and lakes that are close and fun to explore. The greatest surprise moving here was discovering Klaipeda and the Curonian Spit, we visited quite a few times over summer. It’s an easy train ride from Vilnius and has some amazing beaches, forests, food, and nightlife! 

Upon meeting in Beijing, Tautvilė and her Dane partner Mads had no plans to come back to Europe. Pandemic changed their course and now they have settled down in Vilnius, made new friends and started a new business. 

Lithuania has been the perfect base to work for me and start up my own knowledge intensive organization. I have been commuting regularly between Lithuania and my native Denmark and I have found modes of transportation to be very convenient. Through ‘Create Lithuania’, I have met many great people and made friends with foreigners and Lithuanians alike. While living in Lithuania, I have explored much of the country and its cuisine – from the Curonian Spit, Druskinikai, and Trakai, to eating didžkukuliai and tradiciniai bulviniai blynai. Coming from a potato loving country as Denmark, I had no trouble fitting in! 

One of Lithuania’s selling points for Simona and her Dane partner Jakob was that you don’t have to choose between a fulfilling career and a fulfilling lifestyle. 

We decided to move to Lithuania because it was just the right timing – I got my Masters degree, Jakob arranged his job to be able to work remotely – we didn’t see why we shouldn’t give it a try. And it turned out great, we both enjoy living here – there are a lot of opportunities to grow professionally and to have a good work-life balance. Jakob was pleasantly surprised by Lithuanian hospitality. 

The internationals club, as it is known among ‘Create Lithuania’ alumni, has created a nice community not only to those relocating back to Lithuania but also their partners. They are looking forward to welcoming both Lithuanian and Ukrainian participants and their partners! 

Applications are open until 1 July 2022. 

More information for Ukrainians – here.