Last update: October 13th, 2021.
On June 7th, Lithuania officially joined the EU Digital COVID Certificate program. Citizens can now use both the Lithuanian COVID pass and the EUDCC to access local services.
In May, Lithuania approved the local issuance of a Freedom ID, which acts as a health pass during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement came just days after the European Commission requested the EU Member States to ease travel restrictions to both European travelers and third-country nationals who are planning to move around the region.
What can Lithuanians do with the Freedom ID?
The Freedom ID is available to Lithuanians who are able to present a vaccination certificate (complete dosage), a recently taken negative PCR test, or proof of COVID-19 immunization (after having recovered).
The actual pass is an electronic document that could be verified through a QR code by using a mobile phone.
“We are proposing a rational and effective way to allow businesses whose activities are restricted and people to return to work and to benefit from a range of various services as soon as possible,” explained an official statement issued by the Koronastop website earlier in the summer.
On September 13th, it became mandatory to provide proof of vaccination, recovery, or negative test results to access contact services in Lithuania.
Places that can be visited with a Freedom ID health pass or EUDCC include cafes, bars, gambling venues, and betting shops.
Some activities are also permitted with the Freedom ID:
- Events of up to 500 COVID pass holders, as long as no more than 75% of the venue’s seats are occupied
- Private parties
- In-person work
- Public gatherings of up to 10 people
The services that can be accessed without Lithuania’s COVID pass or the EUDCC are:
- Entrance to essential shops
- Minor repair services and financial services with contact that lasts no more than 15 minutes
- Personal healthcare services
- Passenger and paid transport services
- Legal services
- Education: pre-school, pre-primary, primary, basic, secondary education, initial vocational training, non-formal education of children, and educational assistance
There was also a lifting of the accommodation limitation which only allowed members of the same family to live in one room or living space.
Can I travel to Lithuania with my own COVID certificate?
Lithuania has removed all but two countries from their restriction-free green list. Poland and Czechia’s citizens can still enter with only a PCR test if they are unvaccinated.
When traveling from a yellow country, travelers need to present a PCR test upon arrival and undergo another test three to five days after arrival.
Presenting an EUDCC with proof of vaccination eliminates any restrictions for travelers from the following yellow countries:
The third category, red, classifies countries as epidemiologically unsafe.
Those who are unvaccinated and traveling from these countries must undergo 10 days of quarantine upon arrival:
Third countries:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Australia
- Israel
- Japan
- Montenegro
- United States of America
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- China
COVID-19 cases and vaccines in Lithuania
The fourth wave of COVID-19 in Lithuania started to pick up in late July and reached its peak on October 6th, with 2642 new daily cases. This is around 30% than the overall peak that came in December 2020.
By October 11th, there had been 353,289 COVID-19 cases in Lithuania and 5,248 deaths. There have been 1000 beds put aside for critical COVID patients in hospitals across the country.
Lithuania is close to vaccinating almost 60% of its population with a total of 3.27 million vaccine doses by mid-October.