Practising in Lithuania: licence by qualification, residency and language

Medical and health education in Lithuania

Medicine is taught at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) in Kaunas and at Vilnius University. Both run a six-year integrated programme, and both teach in English for international students as well as in Lithuanian. Dentistry and pharmacy are taught at the same two universities, and nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy at universities and colleges.

Lithuania has a sizeable international student body, with students from Scandinavia, Israel, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Their diploma is an EU degree, and the university sets its own final assessments. There is no state exam added to it.

The step after graduation is residency. In Lithuania, the full medical practice licence is tied to completing postgraduate training, so graduates compete for residency places and are tested through the university and the Ministry's allocation system. Check the current rule with VASPVT, because the requirements for general practice and specialties were reformed in the past few years.

For international graduates the question is what to do with the diploma. Many intend to take PLAB for the UK, the AMC for Australia, USMLE for the US, a Gulf regulator exam or a home-country screening test. None of these is a Lithuanian requirement, and you should choose among them by destination.

When there is no exam, the paperwork is the exam

Candidates who search for a Lithuanian licensing exam come away with nothing, because the system works by documents and training instead. A licence is issued by VASPVT after checking the diploma, the specialty training and, where relevant, the language. For a Lithuanian graduate it is an administrative step. For a foreign graduate it is a multi-stage process.

That has a consequence for planning. You cannot "pass the exam" and be done. You must collect documents in the right order, keep certified translations current and meet the language requirement. If you prepare only for clinical knowledge, you will find the delay comes from the administrative side.

Who needs what in Lithuania

None of the six professions has an MCQ licensing exam to prepare for in Lithuania. Content on this site for Lithuanian users is therefore aimed at residency preparation, university finals and the exams that Lithuanian-trained clinicians sit abroad.

Doctors: licence, residency and language

1. Finish the six-year degree. Pass the university assessments at LSMU or Vilnius.
2. Enter residency. Compete for a place; selection rules are set nationally and by the university.
3. Apply to VASPVT. Submit the diploma and training record for the practice licence.
4. Show Lithuanian. Employers and VASPVT expect the state language for patient care.

Foreign graduates from outside the EU first have their diploma recognised by SKVC, the centre for quality assessment in higher education. They need Lithuanian language certification and, depending on the case, may be asked for an additional exam or a period of residency or supervised practice.

Other professions

Nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists and physiotherapists also receive a licence by degree. Dentists must join the Chamber of Odontologists. Non-EU graduates follow the same pattern as doctors: SKVC recognition, Lithuanian language and a possible compensation measure.

Language and recognition routes

For EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, Directive 2005/36/EC applies, and automatic recognition covers doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and midwives. Physiotherapists are assessed under the general system. Lithuanian is the language of clinical practice, and employers will ask for a level that allows you to document and consent patients safely.

If you studied in Lithuania and want to practise elsewhere

The Lithuanian system does not hand you a licensing exam, so international graduates need to pick one themselves. The choice depends on citizenship and destination.

• UK: PLAB or another route accepted by the GMC. Check whether your degree and citizenship qualify for any exemption.
• Ireland: the Medical Council's registration route for EU and non-EU graduates, with its own English-language rules.
• Germany and Austria: Approbation, with a language certificate and a medical-language test, and a knowledge examination for some non-EU nationals.
• Australia: the AMC MCQ examination, then clinical assessment.
• United States: ECFMG certification and USMLE. Confirm that your school meets the accreditation condition.
• Gulf: Dataflow verification plus the local regulator's exam.
• South Asia: the NMC screening test for India, or the national registration exam for Pakistan.

Whichever you choose, ask the Lithuanian university for a full academic transcript, a course description of each rotation and the number of clinical hours. Regulators ask for these and universities need time to prepare them.

A document checklist for foreign graduates in Lithuania

The documents change by profession, but the pattern is steady. Prepare the diploma and its supplement, the transcript, an identity document, a certificate of good standing from any previous regulator, proof of language level and translations that meet the Lithuanian requirements. Submit the diploma to SKVC for recognition before you ask VASPVT for a licence, because VASPVT relies on that decision.

Keep copies of every submission and every reply. Where a process takes months, a clear paper trail saves weeks when something goes missing.

Using time in Lithuania well

If you study in Vilnius or Kaunas and plan to leave, treat the clinical years as preparation for your destination exam. Rotations in internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and psychiatry map directly onto the blueprint of most international exams. If you plan to stay, begin learning Lithuanian in the first year and not in the sixth. It is the single most common reason for delayed licensing among foreign graduates.

Last reviewed October 2026