On January 12, Taiwan's Minister of Digital Affairs, Audrey Tang, became the first foreign minister to receive the status of Lithuania's electronic resident (e-resident). This status entitles the person to use the administrative, public, and, in the future, commercial services provided remotely.

All foreign nationals can apply for e-resident status. Once verified, foreign nationals will soon be able to set up a business in Lithuania without coming to the country and benefit from the advantages of the EU single market. E-residency's primary objective of e-residency is to help foreign nationals use Lithuanian digital services and do business both in the country and in the broader European Union area.

"We want foreign citizens to be able to use Lithuanian digital services to set up a company, sign documents, and develop their business while living in their own country. By doing so, we are expanding the opportunities for people to participate in the Lithuanian economy. In addition, the opportunity to become e-residents can allow people in other countries to access and do business in the EU economic space easily," says Aušrinė Armonaitė, Lithuania's Minister of Economy and Innovation.

"Lithuanian e-residency is the rarest of honors and a special way to celebrate my maiden trip abroad as moda minister. The farsighted initiative shows the world what can be accomplished when the power of digitialization is utilized in improving the lives of the people and sowing the seed for inclusive, sustainable prosperity. It truly is great for business and, in the case of Taiwan and Lithuania, deepening friendship and expanding exchanges", says Audrey Tang.

To apply for the e-resident status, a person must fill in an application on www.migracija.lt, request a face-to-face appointment through the website, and provide biometric data. This can be done in Lithuania or abroad through an external service provider selected by the Migration Department, which operates in 22 countries, including many EU countries, the US, Japan, Australia, and others.

The e-resident card contains a certificate of online authentication and a certified digital signature.

"We invite Taiwanese companies to choose Lithuania as their first destination abroad because of the political and economic stability, membership of the EU and the Eurozone, favorable business and regulatory environment, stable jurisdiction, and a continued commitment to digitization and innovation," says Karolis Žemaitis, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation.

The e-residency service started in Lithuania in the second half of 2021, and applications from abroad will be accepted from the beginning of 2022. The Migration Department has already issued more than 300 e-resident cards worldwide, and the number of e-residency cards is constantly growing.