Republic of Lithuania vs Kingdom of Norway
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Republic of Lithuania and Kingdom of Norway government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Migration Department
Migration Department (Ministry of the Interior, Lithuania) - verified
- UDI — Norwegian Directorate of Immigration
Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI) - verified
- Migration Department - I am a highly skilled employee
Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior (Lithuania) - verified
- UDI — Skilled workers
UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) - verified
Republic of Lithuania
Lithuania - an EU and Schengen member - administers third-country residence through the Migration Department. Headline routes include the temporary residence permit for employment (highly-qualified workers are processed outside the annual quota), the EU Blue Card, a fast Startup Visa, business and family routes, and EU long-term residence after five years. A 2025 reform cut quotas and prioritised highly-qualified workers; there is no dedicated digital-nomad visa.
- Official portal
- Migration Department (Ministry of the Interior, Lithuania)
- Languages
- Lithuanian
- Currency
- Euro
Kingdom of Norway
Norway's immigration is administered by the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). As an EEA member (not EU), Norway participates in free movement for EU/EEA nationals. Third-country nationals require a residence permit for skilled workers, with employer sponsorship and a salary meeting the going rate. Self-employment, family immigration, and student permits are also available. Permanent residence after 3 years of continuous legal residence on a work permit.
- Official portal
- Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI)
- Languages
- Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk)
- Currency
- Norwegian krone
How Republic of Lithuania and Kingdom of Norway differ
| Dimension | Republic of Lithuania | Kingdom of Norway |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 7 | 4 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 4 | 1 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 6 | 1 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | — | Skilled worker permit -> permanent residence after about 3 qualifying years -> citizenship after meeting the UDI citizenship residence category. |
| Dominant skilled visa | Temporary Residence Permit for Employment (Lithuania) | Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | No fixed published floor |
| Skilled visa processing time | — | UDI does not publish a fixed skilled-worker processing window on the route page; applicants are directed to UDI waiting-time guidance. |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | Norway lists NOK 6,300 for an adult skilled-worker residence permit application, with NOK 3,150 for under-18 work applicants and separate first-time family immigration fees. |
| Official languages | Lithuanian | Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk) |
| Currency | Euro | Norwegian krone |
| Primary regulator | LAT | Advokatforeningen |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Republic of Lithuania
Temporary Residence Permit for Employment (Lithuania)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Kingdom of Norway
Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- Norway lists NOK 6,300 for an adult skilled-worker residence permit application, with NOK 3,150 for under-18 work applicants and separate first-time family immigration fees.
- Processing time
- UDI does not publish a fixed skilled-worker processing window on the route page; applicants are directed to UDI waiting-time guidance.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Republic of Lithuania
Routes unique to Kingdom of Norway
Visa routes side by side
Republic of Lithuania (7)
Temporary Residence Permit for Employment (Lithuania)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for up to two years, and up to three years for highly qualified workers, renewable while you keep the job - confirm current validity on the official page.
EU Blue Card (Lithuania)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for up to about three years where the contract allows, and renewable - confirm current validity on the official page.
Startup Visa (Lithuania)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for one year first and extendable while the startup progresses - confirm current validity on the official page.
Temporary Residence for Business or Self-Employment (Lithuania)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for up to two years and renewable while the business stays genuine and active - confirm current validity on the official page.
Temporary Residence for Family Reunification (Lithuania)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Generally aligned to the sponsor's permit and renewable - confirm current validity on the official page.
Temporary Residence for Study (Lithuania)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Tied to your course and renewable while you stay enrolled - confirm current validity on the official page.
Permanent Residence / EU Long-Term Resident Status (Lithuania)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Longer-term status, subject to conditions on continued residence - confirm current rules on the official page.
Kingdom of Norway (4)
Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1–3 years initially; renewable.
Job-Seeker Visa (Oppholdstillatelse for aa soeke arbeid som faglart)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 1 year (previously 6 months — extended to support recruitment); non-renewable.
International Company Assignment Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 2 years at a time; up to 6 years total, followed by 2 years outside Norway before a new permit of this type.
Student Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse for studier)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year; renewable for duration of studies.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Lithuania or Kingdom of Norway?+
Republic of Lithuania’s Temporary Residence Permit for Employment (Lithuania) is the dominant skilled route; Kingdom of Norway’s Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) requires No fixed published floor. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Republic of Lithuania or Kingdom of Norway have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Republic of Lithuania has more: 4 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Norway. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Republic of Lithuania vs Kingdom of Norway immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/lithuania/vs/norway. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons