Probably You have some plans in Lithuania and thinking to get a bank account in here.
Before You start
Are You allowed to open a bank account in Lithuania if You are not a resident/citizen? Answer is YES. With some restrictions and additional fess (in most cases). Not all banks charges higher fees for non-residents, but big ones do that.
Mandatory things to bring to bank (some are from Stone Ages):
Lithuanian/Russian speaking friend to assist You. You may think in Vilnius or Kaunas bank tellers are going to talk to You in English? Reconsider that, because this job is not very well paid and bilingual people rarely works here. A tip: go to bigger bank branches to get higher chance to find English speaking employee (as examples: Swedbank in Akropolis, Luminor in Panorama).
Passport or ID card. No other documents are valid (permits, VISAS, driver licence etc will not be accepted). A tip: check expiry date before You go there.
Cash and valid bank card. Sometimes You may be asked to make a deposit to Your new bank account and they will deduct fees directly. In other places You may be asked to pay for bank account opening and You can use Your card or/and cash. A tip: bring at least 100€, some banks ask to pay that much. Yay.
Permit to be in EU. If You don’t have this paper, You may not open an account. You can give a try, but don’t be surprised if it will not work 🙂
Opening a Bank Account (and a bit about)
Swedbank AB is a Scandinavian owned bank (operates for over 25 years in Lithuania, previous owners were Estonians, established as Lithuania’s national bank in the beginning). Can issue VISA (Debit or Credit), MasterCard (Debit or Credit), Maestro (Debit). SEPA member, isses IBAN for all customers, over 400 ATMs (lot of them provides deposit cash function). Private customer in Swedbank.
Luminor is another Scandinavian owned bank (operates for over 20 years in Lithuania, this new name is in use after merging DNB and Nordea banks). Can issue VISA (Debit or Credit), MasterCard (Debit or Credit), Maestro (Debit). SEPA member, isses IBAN for all customers, just around 400 ATMs (some of them lets you deposit cash to your account). Official Page.
SEB is owned by… Guess whom? Yes, Scandinavians. Operates for over 20 years in Lithuania, previous bank name was „Vilniaus Bankas“. Can issue VISA (Debit or Credit), MasterCard (Debit or Credit), Maestro (Debit). SEPA member, isses IBAN for all customers, over 500 ATMs. Official Page.
Another bank is Citadele You can give a try. Bank is owned by neighboring country Latvia. They have pretty good rates for cash withdrawal, but not so wide ATMs network as others. Become Citadele customer by clicking here.