Lithuanian government ministers decided on Tuesday to submit an e-residency bill for parliamentary vote.
The e-resident status would give foreigners access to a range of online services by public institutions and businesses. For example, e-residents would be able to set up companies, open bank accounts or submit tax declarations online.
The government plans to decide on the exact range of services available to e-residents at a later stage.
The Ministry of the Interior, which drafted the bill, says the e-residency programme is required due to people's growing mobility and rapid expansion of e-services.
The ministry wants the e-resident status to be granted simply and quickly without excessive red tape, but promises to take additional measures to ensure that the programme is not abused for money laundering or terrorist financing purposes.
The ministry proposes to launch e-residency in 2021. A similar programme already exists in Estonia.
