Embassy of the United States Vilnius, Lithuania

Exporting to Lithuania

President Obama announced the National Export Initiative (NEI) http://www.export.gov two years ago, with the goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2014. U.S. embassies are committed to supporting U.S. companies to start exporting or grow their exports to Lithuania. In this section, you’ll find a quick description of Lithuania as an export market and some suggestions for getting started.

Getting started

Lithuania presents a number of opportunities for businesses considering exporting abroad. Promising sectors include information technology (particularly financial services and computer software development), client support centers, and renewable energy (including solar panel production).  Other potential sectors include transportation and logistics (focused on Lithuania's ideal geography to become a regional hub serving the 500 million strong markets of Scandinavia, European Union, and the former CIS countries to the east) and bio-plastics production. Practical steps for potential investors are described below.

1. Read the Country Commercial Guide for Lithuania.
2. Visit the export.gov page on Lithuania to get an overview of economic conditions and opportunities. Find out about U.S. Trade Shows, International Trade Shows, and the International Buyer Program that can help you access thousands of qualified foreign buyers, sales representatives, and business partners. Access the U.S. Commercial Service Market Research Library containing more than 100,000 industry and country-specific market reports, authored by our specialists working in overseas posts.
   
   The Library Includes: 
   • Country Commercial Guides
   • Industry Overviews
   • Market Updates
   • Multilateral Development Bank Reports
   • Best Markets
   • Industry/Regional Reports
3. Contact your local U.S. Export Assistance Center for advice and support on exporting to Lithuania. Contact a Trade Specialist Near You.
4. Contact your local Small Business Development Center (SBDCs). Starting a business can be a challenge, but there is help for you in your area. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are partnerships primarily between the government and colleges/universities administered by the Small Business Administration and aims at giving educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
5. Contact in-country business support organizations such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania, Invest Lithuania or Enterprise Lithuania.
6. Make use of business matchmaking services

Investing in Lithuania

This section provides information for current and potential investors in Lithuania.

Potential investors: Getting Started. 

If you are considering investment in Lithuania, here are some steps you may wish to consider as you get started:

• Read the Country Commercial Guide for Lithuania
• Register with the U.S. Embassy – If you are planning a visit to consider investment, let us know by sending an email to the contact addresses on this page.
• Visit host country resources, such as Invest Lithuania, Enterprise Lithuania, Lithuanian Business Confederation or Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (contact info in  key business links).
• Contact local U.S. business support organizations, such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania or International Chamber of Commerce.
• Subscribe to our embassy Facebook page or YouTube.

Current investors: Staying Connected.

If you are a current U.S. investor in Lithuania, the U.S Embassy wants to stay in touch. Here are a few steps you can take to keep the channels of communication open:

• Register with the U.S. Embassy – If you are active in Lithuania, let us know by sending an email to the contact addresses on this page.
• Add us to your mailing lists – we are always happy to stay informed
• Subscribe to our embassy Facebook page or YouTube.
• Set up a meeting with our economic or commercial team to discuss any issues that arise

Working in Lithuania

In this section you will find information on business visas, travel advisories, and anti-corruption tools.

Business Visas

For information on obtaining a visa to visit Lithuania, visit website of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Washington, D.C.

Travel Advisories

Make sure to check the current State Department travel advisory for Lithuania.

FCPA 

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is an important anti-corruption tool designed to discourage corrupt business practices in favor of free and fair markets.  The FCPA prohibits promising, offering, giving or authorizing giving anything of value to a foreign government official where the purpose is to obtain or retain business.  These prohibitions apply to U.S. persons, both individuals and companies, and companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges. The statute also requires companies publicly traded in the U.S. to keep accurate books and records and implement appropriate internal controls.   

More information on the FCPA can be found here:  http://www.fcpa.us

A party to a transaction seeking to know whether a proposed course of conduct would violate the FCPA can take advantage of the opinion procedure established by the statue.  Within 30 days of receiving a description of a proposed course of conduct in writing, the Attorney General will provide the party with a written opinion on whether the proposed conduct would violate the FCPA.  Not only do opinions provide the requesting party with a rebuttable presumption that the conduct does not violate the FCPA, but DOJ publishes past opinions which can provide guidance for other companies facing similar situations.

More information on the DOJ opinion procedure can be found here: http://www.morganlewis.com/documents/fcpa/FCPAOpinionProcedureReleases.pdf