Prostitution Prostitution laws in LithuaniaLietuva
Lithuania penalises both sides of the transaction: under Article 487 of the Code of Administrative Offences, engaging in prostitution and paying for prostitution services each carry a fine of EUR 90 to 140, or EUR 140 to 300 for a repeat offence. A person drawn into prostitution through dependence, coercion or deceit, as a minor or as a recognised trafficking victim is exempt. The Criminal Code punishes profiting from another person's prostitution and procuring (up to five years), organising prostitution (up to six years), directing it (one to seven years) and involving a person in prostitution (up to five years). The Law on the Provision of Information to the Public bans promoting or advertising sexual services in any public information medium. A bill raising fines for buyers to EUR 1,000 to 1,600 passed its first stage in April 2026.
Legal model
Selling and buying prohibited. Selling sex is an offence (criminal or administrative), whether or not buying is.
Both engaging in prostitution and paying for prostitution services are administrative offences under the same article of the Code of Administrative Offences, with the same fine. Profiting from another person's prostitution, procuring, organising or directing prostitution and involving a person in prostitution are crimes.[1][2][3]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Engaging in prostitution (vertimasis prostitucija) is an administrative offence: a fine of EUR 90 to 140, or EUR 140 to 300 if repeated, and possibly an order to attend a programme. A person drawn into prostitution while dependent, by physical or psychological coercion or deceit, as a minor, or who is a recognised trafficking victim, is not held liable.[1][4] |
| Buying sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Paying for prostitution services (atlygintinis naudojimasis prostitucijos paslaugomis) carries the same fine as selling: EUR 90 to 140, or EUR 140 to 300 if repeated. Bill XVP-1218 would raise the buyer's fine to EUR 1,000 to 1,600 (EUR 1,600 to 3,500 if repeated), leaving sellers' fines unchanged.[1][4][5] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Running a brothel falls under the Criminal Code's offences of organising prostitution (up to six years) and directing it (one to seven years); legal persons are also liable. Separately, providing premises for debauchery (ištvirkauti) is an administrative offence with a fine of EUR 60 to 120.[2][6] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Deriving income from another person's prostitution or procuring for prostitution (sąvadavimas) is punishable by a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest or up to five years; organising prostitution or transporting a consenting person into or out of Lithuania for it, up to six years; directing prostitution, one to seven years. Involving a person in prostitution carries up to five years, two to eight with coercion or dependence.[2][3] |
| Advertising sexual services | Illegal | Public information media may not publish information that promotes or advertises sexual services (Article 19(1)(4) of the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public, as amended in force from 1 February 2021). The ban covers online media. Placing an advert for someone else's services may also amount to procuring under the Criminal Code.[7] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Engaging in prostitution (vertimasis prostitucija) is an administrative offence: a fine of EUR 90 to 140, or EUR 140 to 300 if repeated, and possibly an order to attend a programme. A person drawn into prostitution while dependent, by physical or psychological coercion or deceit, as a minor, or who is a recognised trafficking victim, is not held liable.[1][4]
Confidence: medium. The official consolidated text on e-tar.lt sits behind a Cloudflare challenge and could not be opened; the wording was read on rekvi.lt, which reproduces the e-TAR consolidated version, and the fines are confirmed by a Seimas press release of 9 April 2026.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Paying for prostitution services (atlygintinis naudojimasis prostitucijos paslaugomis) carries the same fine as selling: EUR 90 to 140, or EUR 140 to 300 if repeated. Bill XVP-1218 would raise the buyer's fine to EUR 1,000 to 1,600 (EUR 1,600 to 3,500 if repeated), leaving sellers' fines unchanged.[1][4][5]
Confidence: medium. Official e-TAR text could not be opened (Cloudflare challenge). We found no report of a final vote on XVP-1218 after June 2026; the reproduction of Article 487 we read still shows the old fines.
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Running a brothel falls under the Criminal Code's offences of organising prostitution (up to six years) and directing it (one to seven years); legal persons are also liable. Separately, providing premises for debauchery (ištvirkauti) is an administrative offence with a fine of EUR 60 to 120.[2][6]
Confidence: medium. The Criminal Code has no brothel-specific article; applying 'organising' and 'directing' prostitution to a venue is our reading. Texts read on rekvi.lt because e-TAR could not be opened.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Deriving income from another person's prostitution or procuring for prostitution (sąvadavimas) is punishable by a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest or up to five years; organising prostitution or transporting a consenting person into or out of Lithuania for it, up to six years; directing prostitution, one to seven years. Involving a person in prostitution carries up to five years, two to eight with coercion or dependence.[2][3]
Confidence: medium. Both articles were amended by Law No. XIV-3060 of 7 November 2024; text read on rekvi.lt because e-TAR could not be opened.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
Public information media may not publish information that promotes or advertises sexual services (Article 19(1)(4) of the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public, as amended in force from 1 February 2021). The ban covers online media. Placing an advert for someone else's services may also amount to procuring under the Criminal Code.[7]
Article 19(1)(4): skleidžiama, propaguojama ar reklamuojama pornografija, taip pat propaguojamos ir (ar) reklamuojamos seksualinės paslaugos, lytiniai iškrypimai. We did not verify which article of the Code of Administrative Offences sanctions a breach, or which authority enforces it; no penalty type is therefore given. Whether a classified-ads site is liable for procuring under Article 307 BK depends on the facts and was not checked against case law.
Confidence: low. Statute read on rekvi.lt (e-TAR blocked by a Cloudflare challenge). The sanction for breaching the ban and its enforcement were not verified.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Lietuvos Respublikos administracinių nusižengimų kodeksas, 487 straipsnis "Vertimasis prostitucija, atlygintinis naudojimasis prostitucijos paslaugomis" Code of Administrative Offences (Administracinių nusižengimų kodeksas) Art. 486 · Art. 487 | Article 487 fines both selling and paying for prostitution; Article 486 fines providing premises for debauchery.[1] | |
| Lietuvos Respublikos baudžiamasis kodeksas, 307 straipsnis "Pelnymasis iš kito asmens prostitucijos" Criminal Code (Baudžiamasis kodeksas) Art. 307 · Art. 308 | Article 307 (profiting from another person's prostitution, procuring, organising and directing prostitution) and Article 308 (involving a person in prostitution).[2] | |
| Lietuvos Respublikos visuomenės informavimo įstatymas, 19 straipsnis "Neskelbtina informacija" Law on the Provision of Information to the Public (Visuomenės informavimo įstatymas) Art. 19(1)(4) | Article 19(1)(4) bans promoting or advertising sexual services in public information media.[7] |
Pending and under review
In parliament · updated 7 June 2026
Bill XVP-1218 amending Article 487 of the Code of Administrative Offences (higher fines for buyers)
Tabled by Social Democrat MPs Birutė Vėsaitė and Orinta Leiputė. Approved after presentation on 9 April 2026 (64 for, 3 against, 5 abstentions) and backed by the Government in early June 2026. Raises the fine for paying for prostitution to EUR 1,000-1,600 (EUR 1,600-3,500 if repeated); sellers' fines unchanged; planned entry into force 1 July.[4][5]
Next: Committee report and plenary vote; a plenary debate was scheduled for 14 June 2026 but no result was found.
Timeline
- 1 February 2021Amended Article 19 of the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public, including the ban on promoting or advertising sexual services, entered into force.[7]
- 7 November 2024Seimas adopted Law No. XIV-3060 amending Articles 307 and 308 of the Criminal Code.[2][3]
- 9 April 2026Seimas approved bill XVP-1218 after presentation, proposing to raise fines for buyers of sex roughly tenfold.[4]
Sources
- Lietuvos Respublikos administracinių nusižengimų kodeksas, 487 straipsnis "Vertimasis prostitucija, atlygintinis naudojimasis prostitucijos paslaugomis" (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 487 (consolidated text as reproduced by rekvi.lt from e-TAR)). Rekvi (reproduction of the e-TAR consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Lietuvos Respublikos baudžiamasis kodeksas, 307 straipsnis "Pelnymasis iš kito asmens prostitucijos" (Criminal Code, Article 307, profiting from another person's prostitution (reproduction of e-TAR text)). Rekvi (reproduction of the e-TAR consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Lietuvos Respublikos baudžiamasis kodeksas, 308 straipsnis "Įtraukimas į prostituciją" (Criminal Code, Article 308, involving a person in prostitution (reproduction of e-TAR text)). Rekvi (reproduction of the e-TAR consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Seimas svarstys siūlymą didinti baudas prostitucijos pirkėjams (Seimas to consider proposal to raise fines for buyers of prostitution (press release)). Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas, 9 April 2026. parliament · accessed 30 October 2026
- Vyriausybė palaiko siūlymą dešimt kartų didinti baudas seksualinių paslaugų pirkėjams (Government backs proposal to raise fines for buyers of sexual services tenfold (BNS)). LRT, 7 June 2026. news · accessed 30 October 2026
- Lietuvos Respublikos administracinių nusižengimų kodeksas, 486 straipsnis "Lindynių laikymas" (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 486, keeping dens (reproduction of e-TAR text)). Rekvi (reproduction of the e-TAR consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Lietuvos Respublikos visuomenės informavimo įstatymas, 19 straipsnis "Neskelbtina informacija" (Law on the Provision of Information to the Public, Article 19, information not to be published (reproduction of e-TAR text)). Rekvi (reproduction of the e-TAR consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026