A driving license will be an acceptable proof of identity in Lithuania as of January, which the lawmakers say will make it easier for non-EU nationals to open bank accounts.
On Thursday, 98 MPs voted in favour of the amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, 10 were against and 19 abstained.
The lawmakers said the bill will also align Lithuania's legal system with that of Estonia, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Malta, and the United Kingdom, where banks already accept driving licenses as IDs.
They said that the change was important to attract companies wishing to relocate from the United Kingdom after Brexit, saying that firms would expect to find similar mechanisms to identify their customers as in Britain.
However, MPs voting against the bill argued that it will make it easier for clients to forge documents, opening a way for money laundering and illicit financing operations.
In order to be accepted as proof of ID, driving licenses issued by non-EU countries will need to meet the standards in the December 2006 directive of the European Parliament and Council.
If information on citizenship is not provided on a person's driving license, banks and other companies would be required to ask for a proof of citizenship.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
