How long do I have to declare my address after moving?
Yes — after changing your place of residence you must declare the new address, and you have one month from the move to do it. This is where a common misunderstanding hides: many websites and older versions of the law state a 15-working-day deadline, but that no longer applies — the updated Law on the Declaration of Place of Residence extended the term to one month. You can file the declaration at the local ward (seniūnija), the municipality or online through the Electronic Government Gateway, and the data is managed by the Centre of Registers. The key point people miss: declaring is not a formality — your declared address determines a child's admission to kindergarten or school, social benefits, the right to vote in local elections and correspondence with the state. If a person does not move out or files false data, the authority may correct the record on its own initiative, and failing to submit the data carries administrative liability. Declaration is free and usually takes only a few minutes.
📋 The rules
- You must declare the new address within one month of moving or arriving in Lithuania
- The old 15-working-day deadline no longer applies — it was replaced by the one-month term
- You can declare at the ward, the municipality or online via the Electronic Government Gateway
- The data is managed by the Centre of Registers; declaration is free
- Your declared address governs benefits, kindergarten, school and local-election voting
🔓 Exceptions
- Leaving Lithuania for more than 6 months is declared as a departure under a separate procedure
- People with no place of residence can be recorded at the municipality
- Foreign nationals declare when they collect their residence permit document
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The fine for non-declaration is small, but the practical consequences bite much harder. Under Article 530 of the Code of Administrative Offences, failing to submit declaration data or submitting false data brings a warning or a fine of 10 to 14 €, and on repeat 14 to 30 €. What people miss: the real damage is not the fine but that without a declared address you cannot receive part of the social benefits and child money, it is hard to enrol a child in the nearest kindergarten or school, and you can lose the right to vote in local elections. If someone is falsely declared in another person's home without the owner's consent, the owner can ask to have the declaration cancelled, and the authority checks the data. If you do not actually live at the declared address for a long time, the municipality can cancel the declaration on its own initiative.
📎 Official sources
- e-seimas · Law on the Declaration of Place of Residence →
- Centre of Registers · declaring your place of residence →
- e-seimas · Code of Administrative Offences, Art. 530 →
❓ Frequently asked
How long do I have to declare a new address?
After changing your place of residence you must declare the new address within one month of moving, and the same term applies when you arrive to live in Lithuania. The previously applicable 15-working-day deadline has been replaced, so you should not rely on old sources.
How much does declaring your address cost?
Declaring your place of residence is free and can be done at the local ward, the municipality or online through the Electronic Government Gateway. If you log in electronically, the declaration can usually be filed within a few minutes at no charge.
What happens if I do not declare my address?
Failing to submit declaration data or submitting false data brings a warning or a small fine under Article 530, rising to up to 30 euros on repeat. Yet the biggest harm is practical: you lose part of your benefits, it is harder to enrol a child in school, and you can lose the right to vote in local elections.
Can I declare my address in a rented home?
Yes, you can declare your address in a rented home, but you usually need the owner's consent or a document confirming it. Without the owner's agreement you cannot declare there behind their back, and a false declaration lets the owner ask for it to be cancelled.
What if someone declared themselves at my home without permission?
A property owner who notices a person declared without consent can contact the declaration authority or municipality to have that declaration cancelled. The authority checks the circumstances and, if it finds the person does not live there, can cancel the declaration.
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