The Lithuanian strategic goods control system operates in accordance with the standards of the European Union export control system.
Control of strategic goods
Effective export control includes a group of elements: lists of controlled goods (dual-use goods and military equipment), licensing procedures, end-use controls, cooperation between industry and government institutions, international non-proliferation agreements, and international cooperation.
Lithuania's control of strategic goods is carried out in accordance with national legislation, European Union legislation, and the requirements of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group, and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
Frequently asked questions
Strategic goods are military equipment and dual-use goods (products, technologies or software that can be used for both civilian and military purposes). The lists of these goods are as follows:
A license or permit is required when a company:
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- Exports, imports, or transits military equipment;
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- Sends military equipment to other EU countries;
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- Exports or sends dual-use goods;
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- Provides brokerage or technical assistance services related to strategic goods.
Licenses are issued by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, which coordinates the control of strategic goods together with other institutions (Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Customs, etc.).
Dual-use items are products, technologies or software that can have both civilian and military applications (e.g. certain electronic components, sensors, encryption technologies).
To determine whether an item is included, you should check Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 2021/821 , which lists the codes for all controlled items.
An end-use certificate is a document confirming the intended use and purpose of exported strategic goods.
It is submitted together with an application for an export or shipment license. The certificate obligates the recipient not to transfer the goods to third parties without permission.
Key Documents:
- Application for a license or permit (in accordance with government Resolution NO. 932).
- Contract or order for the transfer of goods.
- End-use certificate (if applicable).
- Product technical specification.
- Export or import partner data.
- Company registration documents(if necessary).
The requirements for the control of strategic goods apply to legal and natural persons, branches of foreign legal persons, and other organisations whose activities are related to the export, import, transit, brokerage, entry, and shipment of military equipment to the European Union, export, shipment (forwarding) of dual-use goods to the European Union, transit, brokerage services, and technical assistance.
The Ministry of Economy and Innovation organizes and coordinates the control of strategic goods (dual-use goods and military equipment) and carries them out together with other state institutions and bodies.
Military equipment – products intended for or related to defence, included in the European Union Common Military List.
General List of Military Equipment General List of Military Equipment approved by the Minister of National Defence V-1216 Regarding the approval of the General List of Military Equipment
List of dual-use goods and technology - goods listed in Annex I to European Union Regulation No. 2021/821 setting up a Union regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering services, technical assistance, and transit of dual-use items https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02021R0821-20241108
Licensing of strategic goods[RS1] Rules are approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 22 July 2004. Resolution No. 932 "On the Implementation of the Law on the Control of Strategic Goods"
A license and permit are understood not as a general permit to engage in economic and commercial activities, but as a permit issued by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with the established procedure to export, import, transit, import and send to the European Union military equipment specified in the license or permit, to provide brokerage services and to export, send (forward) to the European Union, transit only dual-use goods specified in the license or permit, to provide brokerage services, and to provide technical assistance.
Military equipment control
Export of military equipment – the removal of military equipment from the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, including re-export, transfer of software or technology by electronic means, including fax, telephone, e-mail, as well as the transfer of technology orally (when the technology is described by means of voice transmission) or by any other electronic means to the territory of a third country.
Export, import, transit, or brokerage licenses are required for the export, import, transit, or brokerage of military equipment, except in cases specified by law.
The export, import, transit, and brokerage of Category A weapons, weapon accessories, ammunition, and their parts classified as military equipment is prohibited, except for the cases specified in the Law on Weapons and Ammunition Control.
The import of military equipment referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be required for the import of military equipment imported by the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania or an institution of the national defence system authorised by it, the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and an institution authorised by the Government.
Licenses or permits for the transit of military equipment, when carried out by a military institution of a third country or a person authorised by this institution, shall be issued by an institution authorised by the Government in accordance with the procedure established by other legal acts establishing the procedure for the transport of military cargo of foreign states through the territory of the Republic of Lithuania.
For the re-export of military equipment for repair or maintenance purposes, where repair or maintenance work is provided for in purchase and sale contracts or warranty obligations and where this equipment has been imported by the Ministry of National Defence or an institution of the national defence system authorised by it or the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the licence issued by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article is not required.
The military equipment license referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be issued for weapons of categories B, C, D, weapon attachments, ammunition, their parts, or controlled in accordance with the procedure established by the Law on the Control of Weapons and Ammunition.
Control of the shipment and import of military equipment into the European Union
When sending military equipment from the territory of the Republic of Lithuania to the territory of another Member State, the necessary licenses for sending within the European Union and licenses for importing from a Member State are issued, suspended, lifted, and revoked by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation.
1) military equipment is sent by the Ministry of National Defence or an institution of the national defence system authorised by it, the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, or an institution or body authorised by the Government.
2) Military equipment is supplied to the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), or other intergovernmental organizations for the performance of their tasks.
3) The transfer of military equipment is necessary for the implementation of the armaments cooperation programme between Member States.
4) The shipment of military equipment is related to humanitarian aid in the event of a disaster or is a gift in the event of an emergency.
5) Weapons of categories B, C, D, weapons accessories, ammunition, and their parts are controlled in the cases established by the Law on the Control of Weapons and Ammunition.
1) General licence for the transfer of military equipment to the armed forces of other Member States within the Union – an authorisation granting suppliers established in the Republic of Lithuania the right to transfer, under the conditions specified therein, the military equipment specified therein to the armed forces of another Member State or to a defence contracting authority acquiring this military equipment solely for use by the armed forces of a Member State.
2) General licence for the transfer of military equipment to certified companies of other Member States within the Union – an authorisation granting suppliers established in the Republic of Lithuania the right to transfer, under the conditions specified therein, the military equipment specified therein to a certified company located in another Member State as the recipient.
3) General licence for the transfer of military equipment for demonstration and evaluation purposes within the Union – an authorisation granting suppliers established in the Republic of Lithuania the right to transfer, under the conditions specified therein, the military equipment specified therein to another Member State for demonstration (sending military equipment for the purpose of using it in an environment simulating operational conditions) and evaluation (sending military equipment for the purpose of testing it and sharing the results of those tests) on the condition that this equipment will be returned after the demonstration and evaluation are completed.
4) General licence for the transfer of military equipment for repair and maintenance purposes within the Union – an authorisation granting suppliers established in the Republic of Lithuania the right to transfer, under the conditions specified therein, the military equipment specified therein for repair and maintenance purposes to a recipient of military equipment located in another Member State, who is the original supplier or manufacturer of the military equipment, on the condition that this equipment will be returned after repair and maintenance.
5) General licence for the sending of military equipment for exhibition purposes within the Union – an authorisation granting suppliers established in the Republic of Lithuania the right to send, under the conditions specified therein, the military equipment specified therein to another Member State for exhibition purposes (sending of military equipment for exhibition purposes in a Member State, where the product is not intended for use in operational conditions of use and the sending does not include demonstration or evaluation purposes) on the condition that this equipment will be returned after the end of the exhibition.
6) General licence for the transfer of military equipment after demonstration and evaluation or exhibitions and after repair and maintenance in the Union – an authorisation granting suppliers established in the Republic of Lithuania the right to transfer, under the conditions specified therein, the military equipment specified therein after demonstration and evaluation or exhibitions and after repair and maintenance to a supplier or recipient in another Member State.
(7) ‘global intra-Union transfer licence’ means an authorisation granting a supplier the right to send a certain type of military equipment specified therein to one or more recipients in other Member States.
8) individual intra-Union transfer licence – an authorisation granting the supplier the right to send the quantity of military equipment specified in this authorisation once, either in full or in several batches, to a single recipient in another Member State. This licence shall be issued when it is requested for a single transfer only, when it is necessary to protect the interests of security or public order, to comply with international obligations, or when the supplier is unable to comply with all the conditions necessary for the granting of a general intra-Union transfer licence.
9) individual import licence from a Member State – an authorisation granting the recipient the right to import the quantity of military equipment specified therein from a supplier in another Member State. This licence is required only for the import of military equipment in category ML7 of the Common Military List.
5. A global licence for dispatch within the Union shall be valid for 3 years from the date of its issue, and an individual licence for import from a Member State shall be valid for one year from the date of its issue.
6. Recipients of military equipment established in the Republic of Lithuania have the right to import military equipment without an individual import licence from a Member State, under general transfer licences issued by other Member States, provided that they are certified for reliability. Only recipients of military equipment from companies producing military equipment are certified.
1) The recipient of the military equipment must have at least 2 years of experience in the field of military equipment production.
2) A company manufacturing military equipment, or the recipient of military equipment, must have licenses or permits to manufacture or supply military equipment to the market, where licenses or permits for such activities are mandatory in accordance with the procedure established by legal acts establishing licensable activities as necessary conditions for activities.
3) The recipient of military equipment, a company manufacturing military equipment, must carry out activities related to the integration of military equipment components and parts thereof.
4) There must be no final court decisions adopted within the last 3 years, which would have recognized that the military equipment manufacturing company, the recipient of the military equipment, has violated the requirements of the legal acts regulating the control of strategic goods, or there must be no final court convictions and no expunged or unexpunged criminal convictions for the natural person manufacturing the military equipment to be certified, the controlling person of the recipient of the military equipment manufacturing company or the head of the administration of the legal entity for crimes against humanity and war crimes, criminal acts against the independence of the State of Lithuania, territorial integrity and constitutional order, public security, property, property rights and property interests, economy and business order, financial system and crime management procedure, as defined in Chapters XLII and XLIII of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania.
5) A company manufacturing military equipment that is the recipient of military equipment (legal entity) is considered unreliable if it has a final conviction for the criminal acts specified in point 4 of this paragraph, and at least one of the following conditions is met:
a) The recipient of the military equipment (legal entity) has not completed serving a sentence for a crime classified as a negligent crime under the Criminal Code.
b) 3 years have not passed since the date of execution or release of the sentence of the recipient of the military equipment (legal entity) of the military equipment manufacturing company for a crime classified as a minor or serious crime under the Criminal Code.
c) 5 years have not passed since the date of execution or release of the sentence of the recipient of the military equipment (legal entity) of the military equipment manufacturing company for a crime classified as a serious crime under the Criminal Code.
d) 8 years have not passed since the date of the punishment or release of the recipient of the military equipment (legal entity) of the military equipment manufacturing company for a crime classified as a very serious crime under the Criminal Code.
6) A company manufacturing military equipment and receiving military equipment must have an employee responsible for the shipment and export of military equipment.
7) A company manufacturing military equipment and receiving military equipment must undertake in writing to provide the institutions or bodies exercising control over strategic goods with detailed information about the end users (their names, addresses, and telephone numbers) or end use of the military equipment, as well as to comply with export restrictions.
8) A company manufacturing military equipment and receiving military equipment must have a shipment and export management system in place and have a description of it.
9) A company manufacturing military equipment, or the recipient of military equipment, must not have been recognized as not complying with national security requirements in accordance with the procedure established by the Law on the Protection of Objects Important for Ensuring National Security.
Control of dual-use goods
List of dual-use goods and technology - goods listed in Annex I to European Union Regulation No. 2021/821 setting up a Union regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering services, technical assistance, and transit of dual-use items https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02021R0821-20241108
The Ministry of Economy and Innovation shall issue, suspend, lift the suspension, and revoke the validity of the licenses and permits for sending (re-transferring) dual-use goods to the European Union, licenses for providing brokering services, as well as licenses for providing technical assistance and transit permits required for the export of dual-use goods [RS2].
In the cases specified in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No. 2021/821, the export of dual-use items not listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No. 2021/821 may be prohibited or subject to a requirement for authorisation in accordance with the procedure established by the Government or an institution authorised by it.
The documents required to obtain licenses, permits, or import certificates and the procedure for examining applications are approved in the Rules for Licensing Strategic Goods, approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 22 July 2004 by Resolution No. 932 "On the Implementation of the Law on Control of Strategic Goods".
End-use approval
End-use certificate – a document submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation together with an application for a license to export or send strategic goods to the European Union, confirming information about the end-user of the exported or sent strategic goods, the end-use of these goods, and non-transfer obligations.
More information and contacts at this link.
[RS2] Article 8 of the Law on Control of Strategic Goods
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