"Via Lietuva: annual vignettes will no longer be available from summer
In preparation for the launch of the new heavy road transport system, e-tolling, it will no longer be possible to purchase vignettes valid for one year from this June, the state road manager „Via Lietuva“ has announced.
It has been announced that by the end of 2026, the road user charge will be payable by purchasing vignettes valid for a day, seven days or a month. All vignettes that do not expire on 31 December this year will automatically expire on 1 January 2027.
„Vehicle operators in categories M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3 are urged to take note of the upcoming changes now and pay attention to the expiry date when purchasing vignettes, The company points out that road users whose previously purchased annual vignettes have a validity longer than 1 January 2027 will be able to recover part of the unused vignette price. The reimbursement procedure is currently being developed. As announced, in February this year, „Via Lietuva“ signed a contract worth EUR 16.2 million (including VAT, excluding taxes – EUR 13.4 million) with the Austrian company „Kapsch TrafficCom“ for the implementation of an e-tolling system. According to the contract, the company will install the system within eight months, making Lithuania the first Baltic country to collect road tolls via an electronic toll collection system from 2027. This system will be based on the "polluter pays" principle and will apply only to heavy transport; road users on toll roads will be charged according to the actual distance travelled. E-Tolling is expected to raise €100 million a year from next year, €150 million the following year, with these amounts increasing in the future as the toll road network expands across the country.
