BDU for Foreign Workers: New 2026 Thresholds from 12 May

BDU for foreign workers from 12 May 2026 rose to EUR 2,411.40 for 1 BDU, EUR 2,893.68 for 1.2 BDU, EUR 3,617.10 for 1.5 BDU, and EUR 4,822.80 for 2 BDU. These amounts matter to employers who invite foreign nationals to work in Lithuania and submit mediation letters for temporary residence permits, because letters using old figures after 25 May will be returned for correction.

Many employers notice the change only when the mediation letter is already almost ready or the salary offer has already been agreed with the candidate. That creates delays, repeat corrections, and confusion over whether an older document will still be accepted. The guide below explains which amounts apply now, when written confirmation is enough, and what to check before filing documents with the Migration Department.

What BDU for foreign workers amounts apply in 2026?

The Migration Department notes that on 12 May the State Data Agency published new annual average gross monthly wage amounts. For employers, the practical issue is not the announcement itself but the exact figures that determine whether a mediation letter meets the requirement.

But the table alone is not enough. These are gross amounts, not net pay. So if a company agreed only on a net amount or an internal budget figure, it still needs to verify that the gross salary written in the documents actually reaches the BDU threshold that applies to the case.

Who do these thresholds apply to?

The new figures matter when an employer invites a foreign national to Lithuania for work and mediates for the issuance of a temporary residence permit. The official notice says this includes cases where the employer provides information that the foreign worker will be paid at least the latest published BDU amount.

They also matter in temporary agency work situations. The Migration Department reminds employers that if the foreign worker is invited under a temporary employment contract, the salary must be at least the published annual BDU amount, while the periods between assignments must be paid at no less than the government-approved minimum monthly wage. So employers need to check not only one figure in the application, but the whole employment model.

A third group is highly qualified work. The notice mentions this explicitly as another situation where the new BDU figures matter. This is important for employers using international recruitment who do not want an application to stall because an old salary threshold remained in the form. For the wider migration context, it is also worth reviewing Lithuanian for Foreigners 2026: When A1 Is Enough and When A2 Starts, because employers increasingly need to assess not only pay thresholds but also other hiring requirements.

If your company hires from abroad more broadly, it also helps to keep in mind the discussion about arrival bonuses covered in Lithuania to Reform Arrival Bonuses for Foreign Workers: New Quarterly Payment Rules Under Review. It shows that migration compliance is not limited to the permit itself, but also includes the wider structure of work conditions and pay.

From when do they apply and which dates matter most?

There are three dates worth writing down separately. First, the new amounts apply to applications accepted from 2026-05-12. Second, mediation letters completed and already submitted before that date, with the state fee paid, will not be rejected only because they still contain the old BDU amounts. But the third date is usually where problems begin.

After 2026-05-25, mediation letters that still show an old BDU amount will be returned and must be corrected. That means an employer can no longer rely on the argument that “the form was prepared before the update”. If the document is filed or corrected after that cut-off, it needs the new figures.

There is also an important practical exception. If the mediation letter was completed and submitted before 12 May and the state fee was paid, the Migration Department will not reject it purely because of the old amounts. However, the employer will still be asked to confirm in writing that the foreign worker will be paid according to the new BDU thresholds. In other words, the old letter may survive, but not without an extra step.

How does this work in practice for employers?

Example 1. A company planned to offer a foreign worker EUR 2,700 gross, while the procedure requires 1.2 BDU. Under the new figures, 1.2 BDU is now EUR 2,893.68. That means the offer falls short by EUR 193.68, so the employer must either increase the salary or, if possible, reassess the legal route before filing the documents.

Example 2. An employer submitted a mediation letter on 2026-05-10 and paid the state fee on time. In that case, the application will not be rejected automatically only because it still shows the earlier BDU figures. But the Migration Department may ask for written confirmation that the actual salary will meet the new threshold. If that confirmation is missing, the process may still slow down later.

This is where many teams make avoidable mistakes. A BDU update is not just a small number change. It can affect the salary budget agreed with the candidate, the internal approval flow, and the wording of the job offer itself. If recruitment moves fast but migration documents are handled by another team, it is worth using one shared checklist so the old figures do not slip back into new forms.

What should you do step by step?

The less improvisation there is at this stage, the lower the risk that documents will come back for correction. The safest way is to treat the update as a short internal procedure.

1. Check when the mediation letter was submitted. A document filed before 2026-05-12 with the fee paid is treated differently from a new filing.
2. Identify which BDU threshold applies to your case. Do not rely on a rough assumption. Check the exact migration situation and the requirement used in the form.
3. Compare the offered gross salary with the new amount. Even a shortfall of a few dozen euros should be corrected before submission.
4. If the letter was already filed before 12 May, prepare written confirmation. It should clearly state that the foreign worker will be paid according to the new BDU amount.
5. After 25 May, do not assume old figures will still pass. Such letters will be returned for correction, so update templates and internal forms immediately.
6. Create one checklist shared by HR and the migration team. That helps avoid situations where the salary offer was updated but an old amount remains in the formal letter.

Which mistakes happen most often here?

The most common mistake is to think the job is done after checking the table once. In reality, the whole document chain needs to be reviewed: the offer to the candidate, the mediation letter, internal salary approvals, and any follow-up written explanation to the Migration Department. The second common mistake is to compare the requirement with net salary even though the BDU figures are gross.

Source: Migration Department of Lithuania, 2026-05-19. Original announcement.

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