In short: the rules for workers are softer in Latvia, while agencies and everyday life work better in Lithuania. Latvia has a lower salary threshold, lets you change employer without a new permit and scores the maximum on family rights in our ranking; in Lithuania a quota is narrowing entry, but filing is online and decisions take 45-90 days in practice. Both countries have stripped legal residents of status based on nationality, so a lot depends on your passport. In our ranking Lithuania is 66th of 97 and Latvia 76th.
If you are moving for a job, especially with family: a salary from €1,815 gross a month, no new permit needed to change employer, a spouse works without restrictions, and there are routes without an employer. The price is political risk: the state has already cancelled permanent residence permits retroactively, compulsory Latvian study starts on 31 December 2027, and documents for a repeat permit are accepted only in Latvian. Banks are strict with non-residents.
If you have an offer in a shortage occupation or a salary above the threshold: online filing, a decision in 45-90 days in practice, agencies that score clearly better than Latvia's in our ranking, and 20% income tax. But there is almost no route without an employer, the annual quota runs out before the year ends, family can join only after 2 years, and you can change employer only after six months and with permission.
Latvia is stronger in 4 of 7 areas, Lithuania in 2, tied in 1.
For an ordinary worker the 2026 rules became softer: a permit is not cancelled for up to three months of unemployment, changing employer no longer needs a new permit, and the family income requirement is modest. The main risk is political: a 2022 law voided permanent residence permits already issued to foreigners of one nationality and demanded a Latvian A2 exam, about 25,000 people were affected, and the Constitutional Court upheld it in 2024. Everyday friction is high: non-residents get a bank account only with a proven link to the country, and the state publishes no refusal statistics.
For most newcomers Lithuania is an ordinary EU country with labour migration: a shortage list, online filing, and status kept while a renewal is pending. But entry is narrowing: since 2025 foreign workers are capped at 1.4% of the population. Pressure on people already living there is heavy: a restrictive measures law applies to citizens of certain states until the end of 2027, 29,673 permits were cancelled in 2024, about 16,000 after employment contracts ended, and rules for residents were tightened three times in two years with no transition periods.
Latvia: a salary from €1,815 gross a month, and without an employer there is self-employment, a startup permit and a remote-work visa. In Lithuania, once the annual quota runs out you need a salary from €2,893.68 gross, and there is practically no route without an employer.
On paper Latvia: 30 days, up to four months if needed. Lithuania's law gives 2 months, 45-90 days in practice, or 1 month for a double fee. In both, in-person appointments take weeks to get.
Fees are similar: in Latvia €100 for a 30-day review and €15 for the card, in Lithuania €120 for the standard procedure plus the card. We did not check a family total for either; Lithuania also asks for proof of €1,153 a month to live on.
The same 10 years. Lithuania requires giving up your previous citizenship, while Latvia allows dual citizenship only with a limited list of countries.
The terms are almost the same and were softened in May 2026: 3 months to find work, 6 after more than two years, if you report it in time. But in Latvia you can change employer without a new permit, while in Lithuania only with permission and not before six months.
It depends on what matters to you. Latvia is stronger on secure status, access and family rights, Lithuania on agency performance and settling in. In both the main risk is pressure on people already living there, and it depends most on your passport: see the table above.
Every fact on this page comes from the country pages, where the sources are listed. Checked 01/10/2026.