Home › Guides

The Lithuanian language exam for foreigners in 2026

How you register and what you pay depends on why you need the exam: for citizenship or a permanent residence permit, or for work and other purposes. Here are both routes, the parts of the exam and how to prepare.

Which registration route is yours

For citizenship or permanent residence: register and pay through migracija.lt (MIGRIS). The language exam fee is 57 €. Step by step: see our registration guide.
For work and other purposes (for example A1 or A2 without a citizenship or permit application): register at eksternams.nsa.smm.lt. The fee in 2026 is 52 €. Registration opens 30 days and closes 7 days before the exam.
In both cases payment matters: if you have not paid, you are not added to the list of candidates.

Do you need the exam for your job

From 2026 a new basic rule applies: anyone who serves customers directly must be able to serve them in Lithuanian at least at A1 level. A1 is enough for 2 years, and workers who must talk with customers (drivers, waiters, shop assistants) need category I A2. Deadlines and fines are in our A1 rules overview.

The parts of the category I exam (A1–A2)

Part 1: reading and writing on a computer.
Part 2: listening on a computer.
Part 3: speaking with an examiner.

Results and certificate

If you registered through eksternams, results appear within 15 working days and show in your account as passed / not passed. NŠA issues the certificate within 7 working days after the results and sends it to the base school, which hands it to you within 3 working days.

How to prepare: our advice

Start with the reading tasks: they build the vocabulary you need in the other parts fastest.
Listen to spoken Lithuanian a little every day and repeat out loud. The speaking part is with a real examiner, so reading alone is not enough.
Write short messages by hand or on a computer: about yourself, your work, a request, a notice.
If you are taking both the language and the Constitution exam, start with the language: NŠA also advises passing the state language exam first.

Where to practise

Our practice app has Lithuanian tasks with an English interface. A free demo is available now, and the full version is coming soon. Our tasks are our own, not official exam tasks, so they cannot guarantee a pass. If you are preparing for citizenship, also see who is exempt from the exams.

Try the free demo Mock exam

Unofficial information, not affiliated with any state institution. Rules can change – check the official sources before you act.

Official sources

Checked: 2026-11-02