Well, it is going to take 6 months to process your permanent residency permit and you are allowed to stay here for only 3 months without a visa. So either you start the process and leave the country, pay a big fine, or file in advance.

On the other hand, according to art. 45 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens (http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=243642), you can arrive in Lithuania, immediately present the registration documents for your company, and then apply for a temporary residency permit, which takes 3 months to obtain. Then you would only have to leave to leave for a week or so at worst.

As to registering a company (I presume you prefer a joint stock company, not a sole proprietorship), you need a company name (If you send it to me, I can check it in the register. A Lithuanian name is preferable.), the address (including the building’s unique (ID) number) of the registered office (Since you presumably don’t own it, you will need an official statement from the owner of the property confirming that s/he will allow the company to be registered at said address.), notarised copies of the incorporation documents (memorandum of incorporation (steigimo aktas) and statutes (istatai)), the list of company organs, and LTL 10 000 deposited in the company’s settlement account (opened by right of the memorandum of incorporation). The registration fee is about LTL 200 and the notarisation fee used to be around LTL 600 but has probably increased to LTL 800 to comprise the LTL 1000 figure you quoted.

Copies of memoranda of incorporation and statutes should be available on the internet. I can look if you are going to register the company yourself. All documents will need to be presented in Lithuanian, including most likely a translation of your passport.

If you wish to hire a company, Finreda (http://www.finreda.net/eng/index.htm) specialises in founding companies for foreigners. I don’t know what their fees are.

Good luck.

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00abuse

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I have a sole proprietorship (registered in 2001) and I have friends with UABs and sole proprietorships. I know of no fast tracks unless you have high connections. There are no guarantees, but you are likely to obtain a residency permit if you found a company due to article 45 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens. To deny a permit would require that they show you are an undesirable alien, for example with a criminal record.

Being Canadian, you won’t run into too much prejudice in Vilnius. Other cities can be another story all together. There is plenty of bureaucracy and you would be well advised to have someone close to wade through it. Registration is just the beginning. This is why many companies appoint a Lithuanian as director. You will probably hire a part-time account to handle the company’s books. Finding a good one is difficult, but if you do, they can handle a lot of this corporate paperwork for a fee. Having a girlfriend/wife who speaks Lithuanian can also do the trick if she is well enough educated.

I presume you meant the bottle of wine for registering the company but I would recommend a bottle of expensive brandy/cognac/etc (that doesn’t disappear in one night and corresponds more to Lithuanian tastes). You will need to visit the Lithuanian consulate and notarise a power of attorney for the person to handle the company’s registration. Barring that, then the document will have to be notarised, an apostille obtained, and a translation made. I can handle the registration if you like. (My contact info is in the bio.) You will also need to provide the company’s areas of economic activity.

You are aware, I presume, of all the requirements for obtaining a residency permit.

Good luck.

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00abuse