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30 May 2024
The Centre of Registers presents an advanced e-document signing solution LT ID
The Centre of Registers, which processes main national data, has developed and is introducing an advanced solution for signing electronic documents and identity authentication in electronic environment. The LT ID mobile application allows its users to sign documents in electronic environment by e-signature in a quick and easy way, representatives of companies or organisations to verify documents by e-seal, residents to confirm their identity in electronic environment with just a few clicks and to use digital services.
“Today, many people cannot even imagine their lives without a digital space, where they can order goods or services quickly and from anywhere, remotely enter a business transaction or deal with questions of concern to them in state institutions without even visiting them physically. All this is possible with a qualified electronic identification tool. The LT ID presented by the Centre of Registers is an advanced and effective solution that will help people and businesses to use digital services smoothly and experience all the benefits they provide,” says Adrijus Jusas, Director General of the Centre of Registers.
“Lithuania is among the leaders in the EU in the field of digitalisation of state services. These services are used by 84% of the population and 94% of companies. The public sector takes the initiative in developing competitive solutions - the LT ID presented by the Centre of Registers is an excellent example of this. We will continue to invest in this area. We need to be not only the adopters and implementers of mature digital solutions, but also their creators,” says Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.
The benefits of modern document signing will first be experienced by the residents using electronic state and municipal services. The Information Society Development Committee manages the E-Government Gateway portal, accessible at epaslaugos.lt, through which Lithuanian residents can receive services provided by state and municipal institutions.
“The LT ID is another convenient tool that will make it even easier for Lithuanian residents to authenticate themselves in electronic environment and, after doing so, to receive electronic state services. If necessary, it will also be possible to sign documents using LT ID. All these possibilities will be realized in the E-Government Gateway portal,” says Tomas Misevičius, Director of the Information Society Development Committee.
The LT ID mobile app is designed to establish a person’s identity in electronic environment and securely sign documents with a remote qualified electronic signature or seal. The LT ID remote qualified electronic signature and seal are generated in the infrastructure managed by the Centre of Registers and complying with the requirements of the European Union (EU) for the creation of qualified signatures and seals, so it is not only a simple, but also a secure and reliable solution.
The LT ID - a reliable key to unlock the digital world
The LT ID e-signature can be used by all citizens of the Republic of Lithuania or persons who have a residence permit in Lithuania and are at least 14 years old. LT ID seal is intended for legal entities registered in Lithuania - companies, institutions, organisations, and the right to use it is granted to the head of a legal entity or a person authorised by them.
“We have a sufficiently wide range of digital services in Lithuania, which are constantly expanding and improving to better meet the needs of users. Today, the digital space must not only be user-friendly, but also safe and secure. The LT ID is the tool with which a person can be sure that they will be properly identified in electronic environment and that the documents signed with their e-signature will be recognised. In future, more and more services will undoubtedly move to the digital space, and LT ID will be one of the keys to unlock unlimited possibilities,” says Darius Mickevičius, Head of Business Customer Division of the Centre of Registers.
The LT ID is recognised as an EU-compliant tool for the creation of qualified electronic signatures and seals, as concluded by Deutsche Telekom Security, a German company that has conducted an international audit. The distribution of qualified electronic signature and seal certificates in the LT ID mobile app has been authorised by the Communications Regulatory Authority. The issued e-signature and seal certificates and electronic documents signed using the LT ID are recognised in all EU countries. An e-signature certificate issued by LT ID can be used for reliable identification of a person in electronic environment both in Lithuania and across the EU.
Benefits and operating principle
The LT ID is an e-signature of a natural person and/or e-seal of a legal entity in one mobile application. Thus, for example, a company manager can not only sign electronic documents on their smart device with a single application, but also electronically seal their documents on behalf of the company, as well as confirm their identity in electronic environment and use electronic services as a natural person.
“The uniqueness of the LT ID e-signature is that it can be used to sign several documents at once in all electronic document management systems supporting the LT ID solution. This saves time for clients and eliminates routine signing tasks. The LT ID e-seal can be used by both the head of a legal entity and persons authorised by them at the same time, so the manager of the company or organisation will be able to entrust the approval of some documents to others,” says Darius Mickevičius.
Currently, the LT ID can be used to sign electronic documents in the GoSign signing platform, to log in and perform actions in the Self Service of the Centre of Registers and other systems of the Centre of Registers, and soon this tool will be available for electronic services in the E-Government Gateway, as well as in the electronic document signing platform Mark Sign. In future, the list of service providers is planned to be expanded to include the most relevant electronic service providers for residents and businesses.
It is estimated that around 100 million different electronic documents are signed in the systems maintained by the Centre of Registers alone per year. Most of them - about 80 million - are signed in e-Health. It is expected that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and medical institutions, optimal solutions will be found, and the LT ID solution will allow to free health professionals from the routine process of signing e-documents. Of course, other users of the information systems of the Centre of Registers will also be able to enjoy benefits of the LT ID: notaries, bailiffs, accountants and auditors or residents.
The operating principle of the LT ID is simple - when the holders of the e-signature or e-seal certificate initiate the signing process in electronic environment, a notification will pop up in the mobile application asking to enter the created PIN code and thus verify the documents by e-signature or e-seal.
How to become a user?
Becoming a LT ID user is easy - you just need to download a free mobile application from one of the mobile application stores (Google Play or App Store) and create the desired e-signature or e-seal certificate by following the wizard in the app. LT ID users only need to have a mobile device with an internet connection, no additional devices for creating an e-signature (USB, smart or SIM cards) are required.
To remotely create LT ID e-signature or e-seal, the user of the mobile application must have one of the following qualified means of identity verification: a mobile e-signature, a qualified e-signature stored on a USB device or smartcard.
Those who do not have any of the above means can become LT ID users by visiting the nearest Customer Service Unit of the Centre of Registers, where specialists will confirm the identity of the client, help them install the LT ID application and enjoy its benefits.
LT ID electronic signature and seal certificates are issued for 5 years.
More information on the benefits and opportunities of LT ID can be found at www.ltid.lt.
2 May 2024
Medicine in Lithuanian electronic prescriptions can already be purchased in Latvia and Poland
Since 2 May, Lithuanian residents can purchase medicinal products in electronic prescriptions abroad, primarily in neighbouring Latvia and Poland, but soon also in other European Union (EU) countries.
The Centre of Registers, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, implemented a project for the development and implementation of the information system of the Lithuanian National Contact Point for e-Health (LNKC IS). The LNKC operates within a common European Union health data exchange infrastructure, which ensures the cross-border exchange of e-prescriptions and patient summaries. The developed functionality allows Lithuania to exchange e-prescription data across the EU, as well as allows EU citizens who come to Lithuania with their e-prescriptions to purchase the medicine they need in our country.
With the launch of the new service, some pharmacies in foreign countries may not be able to successfully connect to the system of cross-border e-prescriptions immediately, so it is recommended to check with the pharmacy in question on the phone about the possibility to use a Lithuanian e-prescription before going to purchase medicine in Latvia or Poland.
“By making it possible for Lithuanian residents to buy prescription medicine abroad, we are taking an important step towards an even stronger European Health Union. Lithuanian residents who use prescription medicine and who work, study or travel in the EU countries won’t have to take a paper prescription with them, as an electronic prescription issued in Lithuania will be visible and valid in a pharmacy in a foreign country. Moreover, Lithuanian citizens living and receiving health services abroad will have the opportunity to purchase prescription medicine in Lithuanian pharmacies when visiting Lithuania. This will reduce the inconvenience for travellers and mitigate the risk of discontinuing medication. The pan-European project is being carried out in stages, starting with two neighbouring countries - Latvia and Poland, but later the list of EU countries will be gradually expanded,” says Vice-Minister of Health Olegas Niakšu.
All reimbursable and non-reimbursable prescription medicine can be purchased abroad, except narcotic, extemporaneous, nominal medicinal products. Until 31 March 2025, medicinal products in the pharmaceutical form of inhalation formulations, medicinal powders, powders for solution for injection or infusion, or liquid and soft formulations shall not be available for purchase. To purchase medicine in these pharmaceutical forms, as well as reimbursable medical aids, paper prescriptions must be issued, as has been the case until now.
According to Diana Vilytė, Director of Services Management at the Centre of Registers, this new functionality will create even more opportunities to enjoy benefits of digital services.
“Every month, more than 1.5 million e-prescriptions are issued electronically in Lithuania, and a similar amount of prescription medicine is dispensed to residents by pharmacies in the country. We are more advanced in the digitalisation of health services than many EU countries. This new functionality will not only allow residents of the country to purchase prescription medicine abroad, but also foreign citizens who come to Lithuania will be able to do the same here,” says Diana Vilytė.
Starting with neighbouring countries
The first EU country with which Lithuania started exchanging e-prescription data was neighbouring Latvia, followed by Poland.
“In Lithuania, all major pharmacy chains in the country contribute to this project, so Latvian or Polish citizens should not have any difficulties in obtaining prescription medicine in our country. Most pharmacies in Latvia and Poland are also participating in the project, while neighbouring Estonia and Spain, which is popular with Lithuanian tourists, as well as Finland will soon be added to the list of cooperating countries. We hope that Lithuanian nationals visiting foreign countries will not have any problems in obtaining prescription medicine,” says Diana Vilytė.
It is expected that new opportunities will not only better ensure the healthcare needs of Lithuanian citizens while traveling in the EU, but also raise the level of healthcare provided to European citizens in Lithuania.
The project was implemented with EU and state budget funds, and the technical solution was implemented by Novian Systems for EUR 0.5 million on behalf of the Centre of Registers.
According to the data of the Centre of Registers, in 2023 about 20 million e-prescriptions were issued in Lithuania, and about 18 million prescription medicine were dispensed in pharmacies.
For more information on the EU-wide project aimed at ensuring cross-border healthcare for EU citizens, as well as information on the EU countries, with which Lithuania already exchanges e-prescription data, visit www.esveikata.lt.
Communication Division of the Ministry of Health
30 April 2024
Inaccurate land parcel boundaries. Possible consequences and solutions
Disagreements with neighbours, judicial litigation that can be time-consuming and financially costly, and stagnated property selling processes are just a few of the problems that the owners of land parcels, the boundaries of which are inaccurate and need to be adjusted, may encounter. Specialists of the Centre of Registers, which processes main national data, share advice on how to assess whether the land parcel boundary is accurately determined and registered and what to do in cases where data on the land parcel should be corrected.
According to the data of the Centre of Registers, there are currently more than 50,000 land parcels in Lithuania, the boundaries of which are marked on the Real Property Cadastre Map as requiring adjustment. In addition, there are about 2,000 land parcels, the boundaries of which are not marked on the cadastre map, so the exact location of these parcels and their boundaries are not clear.
“Owners of land parcels, the boundaries of which are to be adjusted or are not marked on the Real Property Cadastre Map, risk facing inconvenience if they wish to sell such land parcel or part thereof without taking the necessary steps. In addition, the owners may have to litigate with the owners of adjacent land parcels, and it can take a lot of time, money and patience. There may also be misunderstandings about the value of the land parcel, its exact location, identification of the property, or even such strange situations can occur when a person is responsible for neglecting the neighbour’s land parcel,” tells Kazys Maksvytis, Director of Registers Management at the Centre of Registers, about the possible consequences.
He reminds that the Real Property Cadastre data is used by various institutions and other persons, such as land surveyors, municipalities, real estate agencies, designers or private individuals. For this reason, it is very important that the information on the map is relevant, complete and correct.
How can I assess the accuracy of my land parcel boundaries?
The easiest way to check whether the land parcel boundaries are accurate is to use the REGIA geoinformation environment map created by the Centre of Registers. You just need to select “Real Estate Objects” and “Boundaries of Land Parcels” in the menu bar on the right of the map.
After finding a specific land parcel according to its coordinates or address, boundaries of the land parcel will be marked in one of three colours. (Electric) green colour indicates the boundaries of the parcels have been surveyed using cadastral measurements. Such marking means that the boundaries of the parcel are accurate and do not need to be adjusted. The yellow colour indicates that boundaries of the parcels have been preliminary surveyed, i.e. the measurements were carried out relatively long ago and should be adjusted since it might be possible that the land parcel in the plan is not drawn in the place where it should be. Orange colour indicates land parcels, the boundaries of which are to be adjusted.
“In most cases, when the boundaries of the land parcel require adjustment, when they were preliminary surveyed or are not marked on the map, the owner of the land parcel should contact the land surveyor to update the land parcel plan and prepare the data to be suitable for registration in the Real Property Cadastre,” advises Kazys Maksvytis, Director of Registers Management at the Centre of Registers.
According to the data of the Centre of Registers, more than 2.5 million land parcels are currently on the Real Property Cadastre Map. When registering land parcels in the Real Property Cadastre, the cadastral data of the land parcel describing location of the land parcel, natural and economic characteristics of the land shall be entered.
15 January 2024
The Centre of Registers: the number of newly incorporated companies is the highest in a quarter of a century
Last year almost 16,000 new legal entities were registered in Lithuania. According to the analysts at the Centre of Registers, which is the data processor of the Register of Legal Entities, there has not been such a large number of new companies and organisations in the last 25 years, and higher numbers were recorded only in the first years after the Restoration of Independence of Lithuania. In addition, it is observed that small partnerships continue to be the most popular legal form when incorporating a new legal entity.
“We are consistently working to promote entrepreneurship and we are already seeing the results - one in five people in Lithuania expect to start a business in the next 3 years, and 9 out of 10 of them register their business online. The Ministry will provide EUR 2.8 million this year for a range of entrepreneurial measures aimed at both young nascent entrepreneurs and experienced older entrepreneurs. This way we create more opportunities for the people of our country,” says Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.
According to the data of the Centre of Registers, a total of 15,700 new legal entities was registered in the country in 2023.
“The last time such a high number of newly registered legal entities was recorded was in 1997, when registration of legal entities was carried out by municipalities, ministries and other institutions. Currently, the majority of new legal entities are registered online through the Centre of Registers’ Self Service system. The number of new companies and organisations has been growing steadily in recent years, with an average of around 13,000 legal entities being registered per year. The increase was observed during the pandemic, and last year the number of new legal entities was the highest in 25 years,” says Aistė Gudaitienė, Head of Data Solutions and Analysis Department of the Centre of Registers.
According to the data of the Register of Legal Entities, during the entire period of restored independence, the largest number of new legal entities was registered in 1991 - as many as 41,100 in total. However, less than a tenth of them - around 4,000 - remain today. Large numbers of new legal entities were registered throughout the period 1991-1997, but most of these legal entities have now been deregistered.
The most popular legal form is a small partnership
Analysts at the Centre of Registers note that the most attractive legal form for those who have recently decided to start a business is a small partnership. Last year, out of 15,700 new legal entities, 9,300, or almost 60%, were small partnerships.
“The attractiveness of small partnerships among new legal entity incorporators has been observed over the last four years. The turning point was 2020, when for the first time in the country’s history the most popular form among new legal entities was the small partnership, rather than the long-standing lead of private limited liability companies. Since then, the share of small partnerships among newly incorporated companies has only increased and last year they accounted for almost 60% of all newly registered legal entities”, says A. Gudaitienė.
According to her, the popularity of small partnerships is due to the convenient and straightforward procedure for setting up this form of legal entities, the attractive governance structure and the tax aspects.
Company incorporation and consultancy service providers believe that the increase in the number of new companies last year is due to an increase in public confidence.
“In my opinion, one of the main reasons why the number of newly incorporated companies has increased so much in 2023 is that people are not afraid to take risks. By setting up their own businesses, new entrepreneurs strive for self-sufficiency and financial independence. Also, as the market develops rapidly business opportunities or gaps in the market in certain areas are visible, and if there is a noticeable increase in demand in a certain sector, people may want to take advantage of the opportunity,” says Eimantas Galvydis, Head of steigiu.lt.
According to the data of the Centre of Registers, almost 240,000 legal entities are currently registered in the Register of Legal Entities. Of these, the largest number - almost 117,000 in total - are private limited liability companies, while the recently growing number of small partnerships is now 2.5 times smaller - 47,000 in total.
12 January 2024
The Centre of Registers: the value of real property in Lithuania increased by 13% to EUR 187 billion
All registered real property in Lithuania is worth EUR 187 billion, of which building value amount to EUR 146 billion and value of land parcels amount to EUR 41 billion. Compared to last year, the sum of average market values of real property across the country increased by 13%. This data is published by the Centre of Registers, the processor of the main national data, which has carried out a mass valuation of real property throughout the country.
In total, the valuers at the Centre of Registers assessed more than 6.9 million buildings and land parcels. Despite the slowdown in the real property market caused by geopolitical and economic factors starting in 2022, the average market values determined using the mass valuation approach have slightly increased over the year.
The average market values of land parcels in the country increased by about a tenth over the year: values of land parcels in the residential territories and amateur garden areas increased by 13%, agricultural land by 12%, industrial and warehousing and commercial land by 8-9%. The value of residential buildings increased by around 10%, commercial buildings by 9% and other buildings by 9% to 12%.
“Values of residential property, both of land parcels and buildings, increased more in the resort municipalities of Palanga and Neringa due to limited supply and high demand. The values of commercial land and commercial buildings increased more in the municipalities of Anykščiai, Birštonas and Šilutė, where recreation is developed, as well as in the municipality of Molėtai, where technology companies are active. The values of land parcels in industrial and warehousing territories increased more in Klaipėda municipality, where industrial and logistics centres are being established due to the convenient transport infrastructure,” says Lina Kanišauskienė, Head of the Property Valuation for Public Needs Division at the Centre of Registers.
How is mass valuation carried out?
Mass valuation of real property is a valuation technique when using data from the Real Property Register, other state registers and state information systems, as well as market data, common methodology, statistical data analysis and valuation techniques, models for the determination of the average market value of real property are developed, which are used for valuation of real property objects.
The location of the building and the land parcel, the registered cadastral data (purpose of land use, area of land parcel, the start and end year of the construction, etc.) and other factors influence the average market values. However, no account is taken of increases or decreases in the value of real property due to temporary improvements or deterioration in the environment, the form of real property management, restrictions on the use, management, and disposal of the property, its layout, style, design, interior decoration and other individual features.
Average market values of real property are not only used to calculate real property taxes
Mass valuation allows a large number of properties to be valued in a relatively short period of time, using the same principles and at low cost. Average market values are not only relevant for the calculation of real property taxes but also for citizens, e.g. in the case of acquisitions of real property by inheritance or gift, the taxes payable are calculated on the basis of average market values. Average market values are also used to determine the sale and rental prices of state-owned assets; they are used for issues relating to social assistance; and they are used to determine the regions where financial incentives are granted to young families to buy their first home.
The number of registered real property objects and their average market values have been growing steadily in the country since 2011, with the highest annual changes in average market values since the beginning of 2021, when average market values reached EUR 118 billion, EUR 135 billion in 2022 and EUR 166 billion last year.
8 January 2024
The Centre of Registers: rare trends in the real property market last year
Last year, the country’s real property market witnessed a rare phenomenon when the total number of transactions significantly decreased, but prices increased over the course of the year, according to the analysts at the Centre of Registers, which analyses registered real property transactions. According to them, changes are inevitable this year, but it is not yet clear where - in supply or demand.
“2023 will be remembered in the history of the Lithuanian real property market for rare market trends, when demand is significantly decreasing, but at the same time prices are increasing. This year was full of challenges for the real property market - at the beginning of the year the activity was suppressed by high energy prices and continuing uncertainty, and then the changes were brought by the interest rates that started to rise,” comments Paulius Rudzkis, a data analyst at the Centre of Registers.
According to him, last year the trends in the real property market changed substantially - the demand and the number of transactions dropped significantly, but the real property price curve maintained its upward trend throughout the year.
“The number of residential real property transactions fell to lows not seen for more than 5 years, but prices maintained their upward trend. The current situation is unsustainable, so next year it will be interesting to see what will start to dictate the trends: demand or supply”, says P. Rudzkis.
In 2023, 112,800 real property objects transferred by sale and purchase transactions were registered in Lithuania, which is 14.3% less than in 2022, when 130,300 sales of real property objects were registered. In December last year alone, 10,000 sales of real property objects were registered, or 6.3% less than in December the year before (10,700) but 22% more than in November last year (8,200).
Last year, 30,400 apartment sales were registered in the whole country, which is 11.7% less than in the previous year, when 34,400 apartment sales were registered. In December last year alone, 2,600 apartment transactions were registered, or 5.6% less than in December 2022 but 16% more than in November last year.
In 2023, almost 10,600 apartment sales were registered in Vilnius, or 8.5% less than in 2022, in Kaunas - almost 4,300 (8.6% less), in Klaipėda - almost 2,700 (7% less).
Last year, 10,700 sales of individual residential houses were also registered in Lithuania, which is 19.6% less than in 2022, when 13,300 house sales were registered. In December last year alone, 889 house sales were registered, or 12.8% less than in December 2021, but 17.3% more than in December 2022.
In 2023, 53,900 land parcel ownership changes were also registered nationwide, 14.3% less than in 2022, when 62,900 land parcel transactions were registered. In December last year alone, 4,900 land parcel sale and purchase transactions were registered, which is 8.9% less than in December 2022, but 25,8% more than in November last year.
For more information on the dynamics of real property transactions, see here .
Additional information:
In order to investigate the activity of the Lithuanian real property market, the Centre of Registers summarises data on real property transactions, which include purchases from natural persons or legal entities, forced sale auctions, leasing or purchase-sale by instalments, etc., but exclude the purchase of state land.
When assessing housing market data, the Centre of Registers divides housing objects into residential buildings (one-, two-, three- and more-apartment buildings and buildings for different social groups) and residential premises (apartments, premises for different social groups and residential premises).
2 January 2024
The Centre of Registers takes over the Forest Cadastre
The Centre of Registers, which maintains key national registers and information systems, has become the Data Processor of one more state system. As of January, the Resolution of the Government came into force and the Centre of Registers became the Data Processor of the State Cadastre of Forests of the Republic of Lithuania.
“The Centre of Registers has been maintaining the Real Property Cadastre and Register for many years where all basic data on the buildings and land parcels in the country is stored. Until the beginning of this year, information on forest land that could be found in separate state cadastres differed, areas of forests did not match, causing various problems. After consolidating land parcel and forest data in one place, decision-making on the harmonisation of information in future will be possible. Therefore, the accuracy, relevance and reliability of data will be increased”, says Kazys Maksvytis, Director of Registers Management at the Centre of Registers.
According to the Director of Registers Management, the Centre of Registers will make use of its experience in the management of cadastres and digitise the processes of preparation, registration and provision of data of the State Cadastre of Forests to customers. This will ensure a simpler and quicker access to and provision of all necessary information about the forests in the country.
“The provision of data to citizens, companies or institutions will not change when the Centre of Registers takes over the State Cadastre of Forests. Customers should contact the Centre of Registers for certificates or excerpts”, emphasises K. Maksvytis.
The legislation stipulates that data to the State Cadastre of Forests may be provided by forest managers (owners), persons performing state forest parcel inventory, developers of internal forest management projects, persons who initiated or organised the conversion of forest land into other lands (exceptional cases are provided for in the Law on Forests), specialists of the Environmental Protection Department and the State Forest Service. Until new technological solutions are in place, data submission to the cadastre will continue as normal.
The State Cadastre of Forests of the Republic of Lithuania is a specialised state cadastre established for accounting of forest land in the country and the management of forest data. The Forest Cadastre covers a whole set of data on Lithuanian forests, their ownership, quantity and quality of forest resources and their economic value. It was established in 2003, and the Ministry of Environment is the Data Controller of the Forest Cadastre.
At present, more than 2 million hectares of forest land and almost 1.9 million forest inventory parcels are registered in the State Cadastre of Forests. This makes a third of the country’s territory.
The Centre of Registers creates and develops registers and information systems of national importance, processes their data and provides it to the data recipients. Currently, the company maintains 12 cadastres and registers of national importance (Real Property Cadastre and Register, Register of Legal Entities, Population Register, Address Register, etc.), as well as 12 state information systems (Bailiffs’ Information System, e-Health, e-Delivery, e-Invoice, etc.).
22 December 2023
Updated e-Health website allows you to monitor the status of the system
Patients and health professionals can now use an updated and more user-friendly e-Health website (esveikata.lt). The updated website provides up-to-date information, links to connect to patient and health professional portals or to book an appointment to the doctor. In addition, the new website includes a tool that will allow real-time monitoring of the work of the system as a whole and of the interactions with the systems of other bodies and institutions.
The website update was carried out by the main administrator of the e-Health system, the Centre of Registers, in cooperation with the system manager, the Ministry of Health.
“Often, e-Health “absorbs” all the frustrations of health workers due to slower performance, although disruptions can also be caused by the performance of the information systems managed by the medical institutions themselves, or even by the performance of the computers they use, and of their add-ons, and of the integration interfaces of other system participants. The updated e-Health portal will be much more user-friendly and will provide real-time monitoring of performance of e-Health components. Thus, it will be easier to understand which part of the system is experiencing disruptions, which is particularly relevant for health professionals who use e-Health on a daily basis,” says Vice-Minister of Health Aurimas Pečkauskas.
The main innovation of the new website is the quick operation monitoring tool of the e-Health system, which allows anyone to see in real-time the load on the system and its main components, as well as the performance of the integration interfaces with the systems of other bodies.
“The e-Health system is one of the largest information systems not only in Lithuania but also in the whole region, connecting not only all medical institutions operating in the country but also other systems involved in the national health system through integrations. This huge number of integrations makes it unique, and the smooth operation of the whole system depends on the maturity level of all the systems that bring e-Health together. The new monitoring tool will allow everyone to see the status of the system and, in case of a disruption, to see the causes of it and to more easily assess the possible consequences,” says Diana Vilytė, Director of Services Management at the Centre of Registers.
How does the e-Health monitoring tool work?
The e-Health quick operation monitoring tool monitors and evaluates the performance of the main components of the system: the patient portal, the health professional portal, the pharmacist portal, the e-prescription subsystem, the authentication and administration components, as well as the integration interfaces with the systems used by other bodies, such as the National Health Insurance Fund, and the medical institutions.
For example, in the case of the patient portal disruption, only patients are affected - they cannot log in to their accounts, view their data, view their medical histories, or book an appointment to the doctor. A relatively small number of health professionals use the e-Health professional portal directly, mostly in small institutions that do not have their own information systems in place. Meanwhile, a disruption of the authentication component would prevent patients and health professionals from accessing e-Health, as well as causing problems for professionals when signing electronic documents, as they use e-signatures.
Interfaces with the systems of other bodies are necessary for the rapid exchange of data, so a disruption in this part could have a direct impact on the work of a particular body, e.g. the medical institution would not receive relevant data from the central database. In the event of a change in data, such as the entry into force of a new price list for reimbursable aids, and in the event of a disruption of the integration interface with the National Health Insurance Fund, doctors would not be able to prescribe the newly included medicines, and the existing medicines may be subject to the reimbursement prices that are no longer valid.
The status of the system as a whole is assessed in terms of the performance of each of these components. For the convenience of users, the operation of the whole system and its components is illustrated in three colours: green indicates a normal load on the e-Health system and a smooth exchange of data with the systems of other bodies, yellow indicates an increased load on the system and possible disruptions in the exchange of data, and red indicates a malfunction of the system and a disruption in the exchange of data.
In addition to these innovations, the updated e-Health portal provides more user-friendly information for citizens, health professionals and information system developers, as well as a range of e-Health statistics in a user-friendly format.
Currently, the e-Health system handles over 4,000 unique technical integrations and receives requests from more than 2,000 unique IP addresses per hour. More than 10 million documents are generated per month in e-Health. The size of the e-Health database is close to 250 terabytes.
12 December 2023
The Centre of Registers is improving the quality of data: over 23,000 non-operating legal entities were deregistered this year
This year, the Centre of Registers, which processes main national data, has continued to actively pursue its goal, which was set a couple of years ago, of having up-to-date data in the registers and making it available to all stakeholders. The data collected in the Register of Legal Entities is one of the most popular sources of information about companies and organisations in Lithuania. This year alone, around 23,000 non-operating legal entities were removed from the Register.
“A couple of years ago, we set ourselves the goal of improving the quality of data in the Register of Legal Entities as much as possible and removing from the Register companies and organisations that have not provided financial statements or data about themselves for many years. The legal deadlines make this a time-consuming process, so it will take some time before we see the first fruits of our work. This year we have deregistered about 23,000 legal entities, while the liquidation proceedings for about the same number of companies and organisations has just started”, says Kazys Maksvytis, Director of Registers Management at the Centre of Registers.
According to him, two years ago the Centre of Registers had set a goal of deregistering by the end of 2025 a total of about 85,000 non-operating legal entities from the Register of Legal Entities that do not provide the required data and documents.
“Thanks to robotisation, many routine tasks, such as sending messages, can be done faster. By optimising the processes, we can deregister more legal entities that are not operating, do not provide data about themselves, do not have a manager or a registered office address, so we will most likely exceed the targets set two years ago”, - predicts K. Maksvytis.
During this year, the Centre of Registers deregistered about 23,000 legal entities from the Register of Legal Entities. Last year, around 20,000 non-operating legal entities were deregistered. In addition, around 23,000 legal entities were placed in liquidation for failure to provide the required data and documents.
According to open data from the Centre of Registers, the longest-lived company that was deregistered this year was registered in March 1990, while the shortest-lived one operated for just one and a half months. However, the latter was deregistered from the Register of Legal Entities on its own initiative.
In addition, almost 15,000 new legal entities have been registered in the Register of Legal Entities this year. The largest number of them are small partnerships - almost 9,000 - and private limited liability companies - 4,400.
According to the legislation, the Centre of Registers initiates liquidation proceedings for legal entities when a company or organisation fails to submit its annual financial statement on time, has not provided data about itself for many years, does not have a registered office address or management bodies. Once the notice of intention to liquidate a legal entity has been sent, companies and organisations have 3 months to submit their annual financial statements. Failure to do so within the specified timeframe will result in the Centre of Registers initiating the liquidation proceedings of the legal entity and registering the legal status “Liquidation initiated”.
Within one year, the participants of legal entity, members of the management body or creditors can then apply to the court to cancel the liquidation proceedings. If the court’s notice of cancellation of the liquidation of a legal entity is not received within the prescribed time limit, the Centre of Registers shall deregister the legal entity from the Register of Legal Entities.
It should be noted that the Centre of Registers shall send notices of intention to liquidate a legal entity to the addresses of the registered offices of the legal entities and the contact addresses indicated by the management bodies of the legal entities or to the addresses of the persons’ declared place of residence in the Population Register.
5 December 2023
The solar energy potential for building roofs on the REGIA map
People and businesses are increasingly investing in renewable energy sources, which not only contributes to sustainable development but also saves money. One of the most popular investments of this kind is solar power plants on building roofs. Making a decision on the installation of a solar power plant on the roof of your house, office or other building has become easier since the Centre of Registers added a new data layer to the REGIA geoinformation environment map to assess the solar energy potential for building roofs.
“More than a decade ago, we created the REGIA map for municipalities to facilitate their daily functions. Today, we are developing it as a national platform for open data, solutions and public services of the Centre of Registers. In cooperation with various public authorities and companies, we have geographically displayed a wide range of data on this map: engineering infrastructure and transport objects, cultural and natural heritage sites, territories with special land use conditions, renewable energy sources. From now on, the REGIA map will also show the amount of electricity that could be produced by a solar power plant installed on the roof of a particular building”, says Adrijus Jusas, Director General of the Centre of Registers.
According to him, it is expected that this data may become the first step in assessing one’s ability to start producing electricity from renewable energy sources. He also stresses that experts in the field should be consulted when making a final decision.
How is the solar energy potential for building roofs calculated?
The REGIA map, created and developed by the Centre of Registers, which processes main national data, now includes a new data layer “Solar energy potential”. Based on publicly available data, the annual solar energy potential for the whole of Lithuania is geographically displayed, and by combining this data with the data in the Real Property Register, which is maintained by the Centre of Registers, the indicative annual solar energy potential for building roofs is calculated and displayed.
The new REGIA layer shows how much electrical energy (MWh) could be produced per year if solar power plants were installed on a building roof. Four criteria are taken into account when determining suitable building roofs for the installation of solar power plants:
1. Roofs should have a slope of not more than 45°.
2. The building roof should receive at least 0,8 MWh/m 2 of solar radiation.
3. The roof should not be facing north.
4. The building should have at least 30 m 2 of suitable roof surface.
By clicking on the desired building on the map, you can see its cadastral data, its roof area and its solar energy potential, assuming that the maximum possible number of standard solar modules (1x1.7 m) are installed on the roof.
The calculations took into account shadows cast by vegetation, nearby buildings, chimneys and other objects, clouds and the influence of other atmospheric events. The calculations of the maximum number of solar modules that can be installed on roofs did not take into account the possible influence of skylights, chimneys or other roof configuration features.
The REGIA map provides preliminary data on total solar radiation, so residents or businesses should consult experts in the field before making a final decision on whether to install a solar power plant.
The map currently provides information on the solar energy potential for building roofs in almost all Lithuanian cities and settlements in circular municipalities, with the rest of the data to be published by the end of this year.
Solar power plant output grows rapidly, investment boosted by state support
In 2023, the number of solar power plants and their output in Lithuania almost doubled. At the beginning of this year, there were 42,000 energy-producing consumers, and now there are over 86,000. The total output of solar power plants in the country was 572 MW at the beginning of the year and has now exceeded 1,000 MW. The coming years are expected to be equally favourable for the development of solar power plants. Growing solar power output increases the population’s resilience to changes in electricity prices and boosts overall national production.
“People are encouraged to actively invest in solar and other renewable energy power plants by consistent public financial support. Importantly, every household has the opportunity to use the support to set up their own power plant right here on their own building roof and to produce their own electricity cheaply. This helps people to save money and secure more stable and lower electricity prices”, says Agnė Bagočiutė, Acting Director of the Lithuanian Energy Agency.
In order to help residents who want to install solar power plants, the Lithuanian Energy Agency has prepared Recommendations for the installation of a solar power plant on the multi-apartment building roof. To help you navigate your way through the various requirements and procedures, the Agency’s website ( www.ena.lt/proceduros-ir-leidimai/) provides summarised information on all the procedures and permits needed for the construction and installation of renewable energy plants and installations, as well as for upgrading, all in one place.
At the beginning of next year, the Lithuanian Energy Agency will invite small businesses, farmers and renewable energy companies to apply for funding to cover part of the cost of installing solar power plants of up to 500 kW of installed output. The plan is to distribute financial support of EUR 72 million. The terms and conditions for financing investment support for onshore solar power plants, prepared by the Ministry of Energy, are currently being negotiated with the public. It is planned to finance projects of both electricity producers and producing consumers (applicable to micro and small enterprises and farmers with this status).
REGIA - a user-friendly information exchange platform
REGIA, the map of open data, solutions and public services developed by the Centre of Registers, is a user-friendly tool designed specifically for municipalities - their residents, civil servants and the businesses operating therein. REGIA aims to facilitate geographically-based decision-making and information exchange.
The most relevant information for customers published on REGIA is related to real property and the accurate data of the Centre of Registers published there: land parcel boundaries, zones of real property values, average and tax market values, information on the objects of the Address Register. In addition to the data mentioned above, REGIA users are also interested in the data on engineering networks of other institutions published on the map, information published by the National Land Service, etc.
22 November 2023
The REGIA map contains all the information about the land parcel use conditions
REGIA, the geoinformation environment map created and being developed by the Centre of Registers, which manages main national data, now provides a quick and easy way to find out which special land use conditions apply to a particular land parcel, and the specific requirements arising from those conditions.
“For some time now, areas with special land use conditions have been registered in the Real Property Register. The obligation to provide information and data on special land use conditions applies to bodies or institutions whose economic or other activities give rise to such conditions, such as owners of engineering networks. The information they provide allows owners and users of land parcels to have access to this data and to know where and what specific requirements they need to comply with,” says Kazys Maksvytis, Director of Registers Management at the Centre of Registers.
The Centre of Registers has transferred all the information on special land use conditions it received to the REGIA map, and from now on, by marking a specific area, it is possible to find out which specific conditions apply under the Law on Special Land Use Conditions. For example, the law stipulates that the construction of various structures is prohibited in the protection zones of electricity grids, the mining activities are prohibited in the protection zones of the electronic communications infrastructure of public communications networks, the formation or redevelopment of land parcels - in the areas of gas trunk pipelines, and many others.
“In theory, every owner or user of a land parcel should be aware of the information on the conditions of use that apply to the land parcel, but in practice there are cases where, for one reason or another, these requirements are not taken into account or are ignored, which can lead to negative consequences. For example, there are cases where we cannot register an already constructed simple structure in the Real Property Register simply because it falls within the protection zone of the electricity grid. This situation could have been avoided if the builder or the owner of the land parcel had consulted the applicable requirements in advance,” says K. Maksvytis.
The new Law on Special Land Use Conditions, which entered into force in 2020, sets out all the applicable special land use conditions and the areas where they apply. This is crucial for smooth and transparent development of areas, for long-term and sustainable economic development and for attracting investment. The law also imposes an obligation to register territories with special land use conditions in the Real Property Register, which must be done by 1 January 2025.
The REGIA map can be accessed at www.regia.lt, and the information on special land use conditions and the resulting conditions can be found by selecting the “Special land use conditions” layer from the map menu. Different areas subject to special land use conditions are indicated on the map by different conventional symbols, which are shown in the content section of each layer. To find out the specific conditions that apply, simply click on a specific area on the map and you will be presented with the name, unique number and conditions of the specific area subject to special land use conditions.
REGIA - a user-friendly information exchange platform
REGIA, the map of open data, solutions and public services developed by the Centre of Registers, is a user-friendly tool designed specifically for municipalities - their residents, civil servants and the businesses operating therein. REGIA aims to facilitate geographically-based decision-making and information exchange.
The most relevant information for customers published on REGIA is related to real property and the accurate data of the Centre of Registers published there: land parcel boundaries, zones of real property values, average and tax market values, information on the objects of the Address Register. In addition to the data mentioned above, REGIA users are also interested in the data on engineering networks of other institutions published on the map, information published by the National Land Service, etc.
29 June 2023
The Centre of Registers: Adrijus Jusas took up the position of Director General
As of June 26, Mr. Adrijus Jusas, the former Director for Strategic Development, took up the position of Director General of the State Enterprise Centre of Registers. The newly appointed Director General emphasises that the Centre of Registers is ready to enter a new phase focusing on employees, strengthening of the organisational culture and transformation of the Enterprise into a centre of core national state-of-the-art technologies and provision of modern services.
According to the new Director General, the significant changes that took place at the Centre of Registers over the past five years in the areas of service development and implementation, customer servicing, enterprise management and employee welfare have paved the way for a new phase.
"One of the key things that the Centre of Registers is going to continue to focus on is the creation of services based on data with high added value. I have a vision that the Centre of Registers should become the main centre of national technologies and modern services, creating complex solutions at the national level. Now is the time for the Enterprise to move to the next phase concentrated on employees, innovations, further data opening and analytics, services including artificial intelligence solutions and active international cooperation," says Mr. Adrijus Jusas.
"We hope that the new Director General, having many years of experience in corporate management, strategic planning and international cooperation, will not only ensure efficient management of the state enterprise but also contribute to further modernisation and digitisation of IT systems of the Centre of Registers as well as to the opening of more data stored in the registers and information systems to the public", - says the Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.
The newly appointed Director General emphasises that employees of the Centre of Registers are the greatest asset because it would be impossible to implement the ambitious strategy and enter a new phase without them.
“No matter how good the strategy is, the organisational culture and employee engagement are critical to its implementation. I am delighted to inherit a team of more than 1,600 engaged employees and a strong management team who will lead the Centre of Registers into a new phase of organisational development. We must continue to focus on strengthening our organisational culture and the well-being of our employees. This is the key for the employees to be more empowered to create value for the state, business and society”, says the Director General.
Since April 2019, Mr. A. Jusas worked as the Director for Strategic Development at the Centre of Registers. Before he worked as the Manager of the Process and Quality Management Centre of UAB Franmax. In 2016, A. Jusas became the Director of Business Development Department for the Baltic Countries at the ADB Gjensidige. From 2012, he worked as the Head of Process Management Unit of Telia Lietuva AB. In 2004-2012, he worked as a senior consultant at Ernst & Young Baltic UAB.
In 2002, A. Jusas received a bachelor’s degree in Management and Business Administration from Vilnius University, and in 2004 – master’s degree in economics from Vilnius University.
2 February 2023
The Centre of Registers: an easier way for EU citizens to open a business in Lithuania
Recently it has become even easier for citizens of the European Union (EU) to start a business in Lithuania — the main national data processor the Centre of Registers has made it possible for EU citizens to register a Private Limited Liability Company or a branch of a foreign company online by logging in to the electronic Self Service system. This way, the establishment of a company in Lithuania became faster and cheaper.
“In order to implement the provisions of the EU Digital Directive and to make it easier for citizens and businesses of Lithuania and other EU countries to set up a business in our country, we have decided to grant the permission to do so online. We believe that this will not only minimize the bureaucracy, but will also allow to attract more foreign start-ups as well as well-established companies to our country, which will create new jobs for skilled workers," says Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation Eglė Markevičiūtė.
Each year around 13 000 - 15 000 new legal entities are registered in the Centre of Registers, of which about 90% are registered online, by submitting an application via the Centre of Registers’ Self Service. About half of the new legal entities registered each year make up Private Limited Liability Companies.
“It is easier, faster and more convenient to register a company and then handle all matters related to its management online. Until recently, the log-in to the Self Service system was only possible with the Lithuanian electronic means of identification, but after the necessary technological improvements to the system, the log-in in and submission of applications will be possible for the EU citizens with electronic identification means issued in their own country as well as for persons with an e-resident card. We hope that this will make it easier and more convenient for foreigners to set up companies and use the advanced electronic services in Lithuania," says Director General of the Centre of Registers Saulius Urbanavičius.
The majority of foreign shareholders come from neighbouring countries
According to the Centre of Registers, there are currently about 11 000 Private Limited Liability Company shareholders of operating in Lithuania. They are natural or legal persons from EU countries, mainly from Latvia, Germany, Poland, Estonia and the United Kingdom. Until now, EU citizens applying for registration of a new company had to do so through authorised persons or physically at the customer service unit.
From now on, not only citizens of Lithuania, but also citizens of EU and European Economic Community who log-in to the Centre of Registers’ Self Service system with an e-identification tool issued in their own country and which complies with the requirements of the EU Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (eIDAS), will be able to submit applications electronically. This also includes foreign citizens who log-in into the system with their e-resident card. These individuals will be able to submit applications electronically to establish a Private Limited Liability Company in Lithuania or a branch of a company registered in an EU country, to submit or change data on participants to the Information System of Legal Entities Participants (JADIS).
Foreign citizens will be able to use the Self Service system in English for filling in data, and then all the documents of incorporation (statutes, regulations, applications) generated automatically by the system will be drawn up in two languages — English and Lithuanian. In addition, all documents generated by the system (e.g. consent to the granting registered office, statutes or regulations) can be downloaded and, if necessary, submitted to foreign nationals for signature, and then uploaded back into the system.
When establishing a Private Limited Liability Company, the accrual account may be opened not only in Lithuania, but also in a bank operating in another EU country. It will only be required to provide evidence of the opening of the account and the funds it contains for the initial payment of the shares.
The possibility for EU citizens to log-in with their e-identification tools to the Centre of Registers’ Self Service and to register a company in Lithuania was created by implementing the provisions of the EU Directive on digital tools and processes in company law (Digital Directive).
About 250 000 legal entities are currently registered in the Register of Legal Entities managed by the Centre of Registers, about half of which are Private Limited Liability Companies. Online registration of legal entities in Lithuania has been available since 2010. Currently, one can set up Private Limited Liability Companies, Small Partnerships, Public Enterprises, Associations, Charitable and Sponsorship funds, and Individual Enterprises electronically. According to the government-approved service fees of the Centre of Registers, registering a Private Limited Liability Company online costs just €14.02.
For 25 years now, the Centre of Registers, the processor of the main national data, has been managing the main information resources of the State - the State registers and information systems - in accordance with the procedures and rules laid down by their controllers (different public institutions). Currently, the Centre of Registers oversees 10 registers of national importance and about 20 information systems.
1 February 2023
The Centre of Registers has started publishing lists of virtual currency operators
Transparency in the virtual currency market is increasing — on 1 February, the main national data processor the Centre of Registers, began publishing the lists of legal entities operating in Lithuania as a virtual currency exchange operator and a depository virtual currency wallet operator.
“Publicity and transparency are the cornerstones of a progressive and mutual trust-based society. Over the past year, the Centre of Registers has contributed significantly to initiatives to help prevent money laundering. Last year the so-called Beneficial Owners system was launched, which lists the ultimate beneficial owners-natural persons of each company or organisation. The Centre of Registers also contributed to the identification of various assets owned by sanctioned persons in Lithuania and to the publication of these facts in state registers. By publishing the list of virtual currency operators, we contribute to the transparency of this sector," says Director General of the Centre of Registers Saulius Urbanavičius.
“Given market trends and geopolitical realities, we have taken proactive steps and initiated regulatory changes that increase transparency and risk management in the financial sector. As a result, data on companies operating in the crypto-assets sector in a transparent, reliable and responsible manner are now being opened. This will bring more clarity to both companies and consumers and will contribute to their improved protection," says Vice-Minister of Finance Vaida Markevičienė.
According to the Vice-Minister, the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, drawn up by the Ministry of Finance and other interested institutions, provides that companies engaged in this type of activity must have an authorized capital of at least EUR 125 000, thus the number of such companies decreased from 840 to 206. Such a requirement came into force in November of last year, given the riskiness of this sector and in order to ensure that only well-prepared companies with adequate financial resources operate in the market.
The lists of the operators of the virtual currency exchange and the depositary virtual currency wallets are published as part of the implementation of the provisions of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, which entered into force on 1 February. The list is available on the website of the Centre of Registers (virtual currency exchange operators at https://bit.ly/rc_jar_sarasai_vvko and depositary virtual currency wallet operators at https://bit.ly/rc_jar_sarasai_dvvpo).
Rolandas Kiškis, director of the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS), which oversees the sector of virtual currency operators, says the emergence and publication of such a list is long-awaited.
“The emergence of this list is another step towards more transparent activities in the virtual currency operators sector, and it is of the utmost importance for the FCIS as its supervisor. The list of virtual currency operators will also bring more clarity to the market, for example, which companies are registered in Lithuania and meet the requirements currently in effect. Such information will benefit both customers and the operators themselves", says R. Kiškis, Director of the FCIS.
More than 200 companies listed
The lists of the operators of the virtual currency exchange and the depositary virtual currency wallets include the name, code, registered office address, operation start date, e-mail address (if provided in the Register of Legal Entities) and website address of a legal entity or its branch (if indicated in the Register of Legal Entities).
Legal entities engaged in this type of activity must indicate in the Register of Legal Entities one of the legal facts characterising their activities: an operator of a virtual currency exchange or a depositary virtual currency operator.
At the beginning of this year, about 840 legal entities registered in Lithuania had reported at least one of the above facts. However, according to the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, companies engaged in these activities must have registered authorised capital of at least EUR 125 000. Companies that do not meet the above requirement are not included in the list published by the Centre of Registers, so according to the February 1 data, the list of virtual currency exchange operators contained a total of 206 companies, and the list of depositary virtual currency operators contained 198 companies (one company may be on both lists).
17 January 2023
The Centre of Registers: new land tax values have come into force in January
The Centre of Registers, the processor of the main national data, carried out an annual mass valuation of the land parcels of the whole territory of Lithuania and established the average values of the land parcels. These values have been approved by order of the Director of the National Land Service as of 1 January for the purpose of calculating taxes on land parcels.
The Centre of Registers conducts a mass valuation of the country’s land parcels annually. The average market values, which are recalculated annually in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Government and at least every 5 years, are treated as tax values, based on which the State Tax Inspectorate calculates the amounts payable by taxpayers.
The new tax value of land parcels, which entered into force on 1 January 2023, will be used to calculate the amount of land tax until 2027, provided that the land cadastre data affecting the value of the land parcel does not change. The land mass valuation documents and the established tax values of land parcels are published on the website of the Centre of Registers and on the regional geo-informational environment service map REGIA.
How the tax value of the land has changed
The Centre of Registers processing the main national data, by identifying 1 464 value zones and creating 300 land parcels valuation models, assessed a total of more than 2.5 million land parcels.
‘The total tax value of all land parcels assessed is approximately EUR 36 billion. Over the past 5 years, the tax value of land has increased by 43%. The highest increase of 77% was observed in the tax value of agricultural land. The tax value of commercial land increased by 33%, industrial and storage land by 28%, residential land by 26%, and amateur gardening land increased by 23%", says Lina Kanišauskienė, Head of the Property Valuation Unit for State Needs of the Centre of Registers.
How can the tax value be adjusted?
Land tax payers such as land owners, natural and legal persons, who disagree with the tax value determined by the Centre of Registers, may submit an application to the Centre of Registers to assign the market value as the tax value determined by the individual assessment of the land parcel in the first quarter of each tax period, i.e. from 1 January to 31 March.
Together with the application, the applicant must submit an individual assessment report on the land parcel. The applications received in 2023 will be examined and decisions will be taken no later than 4 months from the date of receipt of the application. If the Centre of Registers has adjusted the tax value on the basis of the market value determined by individual valuation, the new tax value of the land would be considered to have taken effect on 1 January 2023 and would apply for 5 years if the land register data affecting the value of the land parcel does not change.
What is a real property mass valuation?
Mass valuation of real property is a valuation technique that uses data from the Real Property Register, other state registers and state information systems, as well as market data, within a defined timeframe, using a common mass valuation methodology, statistical data analysis and valuation techniques, to develop models for the determination of the average market value of real property, which are used to assess the properties and to draw up an overall mass valuation report of the real property for the certain territory of the real property.
The determination of the average market values of land parcels is influenced by the location, use and manner of land use, cadastral measurements and cadastral data recorded in the Real Property Cadastre and Register, as well as other factors. However, value increases or losses due to temporary improvement or deterioration of the environment, restrictions on the form of management, use, management and disposal of land and other individual characteristics of the property are not taken into account when determining the values.
12 January 2023
The Centre of Registers opens data sets to the public
The Centre of Registers, which oversees the main registers and information systems of the country, took another step in implementing the goals set out in the company’s open data strategy and this time even included data and its re-use from several registers free of charge to the public.
Now everyone will be able to access the depersonalized data of the Register of Powers of Attorney, Register of Marriage Contracts, Register of Wills, Register of Legally Incapable Persons and Persons with Limited Legal Capacity, as well as the Bailiffs’ Information System. The data controller of all these registers is the Ministry of Justice while the data processor is the Centre of Registers.
“I am delighted that the Centre of Registers is actively pursuing the path of openness and is gradually opening more and more data from its registers and information systems to the public. The more data is opened, the more services that benefit society can be developed. The possibilities of using open data are diverse — from the development of new products, services and modern technologies, to analysis, development of strategies and clear and understandable decisions to the public", says Erika Kuročkina, adviser to the Minister of Economy and Innovation.
“We are gradually moving towards achieving the goals set out in our corporate open data strategy. Until now, we have opened up data from the main national registers and information systems for free and for their re-use to the public, and this time we complement them with data sets from registers which perhaps are less known or heard of, but, nevertheless, not less important. We have no doubt that in this way we contribute to the openness and transparency of the state and at the same time provide a useful tool for data scientists, start-ups and businesses to develop innovative services and progressive solutions", says Adrijus Jusas, Director of Strategic Development of the Centre of Registers.
The Register of Powers of Attorney contains powers of attorney certified by notaries and consular officers, powers of attorney equivalent to those certified by notaries, powers of attorney certified by simplified procedures and powers of attorney granted electronically by natural and legal persons. The Register of Wills records the wills made, the facts of acceptance or renunciation of the inheritance, but this register does not contain information on the content of the will itself, the will expressed by the testator or the property inherited.
The Register of Marriage Contracts records marriage contracts, cohabitants’ contracts for the division of jointly acquired and used property, agreements on the consequences of divorce or legal separation and the facts of the division of property. The Register of Legally Incapable Persons and Persons with Limited Legal Capacity collects data on persons declared by the court as legally incapable or with limited legal capacity in a given area, as well as data on guardians and carers of these persons. The Bailiffs’ Information System collects data on enforcement cases carried out by bailiffs.
What does the open data show
Open data from the Register of Powers of Attorney contain information on the powers of attorney created and registered. For example, last year alone, more than 65 000 powers of attorney were generated and registered in Lithuania, of which about 70% were drawn up by notaries and about a quarter were made up using IT tools. From this year onwards, by extending the IT-based powers of attorney field of application, it will become possible to monitor the changes in the powers of attorney usage. Statistics on the Register of Powers of Attorney show that in many cases both the principal and the attorney are natural persons.
Analysing the data of the Register of Marriage Contracts, it can be seen that at present more than 15 000 marriage contracts are registered in the Register, of which two thirds are the post-matrimonial contracts, i.e. concluded after the marriage, and the remaining one third has been concluded before the marriage. In the past year alone, 1.7 thousand new marriage contracts have been registered, and the oldest and still valid contract was concluded in 2000. The average age of a male who enters a marriage contract is almost 41 years and a female is 38 years old.
The open data sets of the Register of Wills reveal that more than 20 000 new wills are registered each year in Lithuania. Most often wills are drawn up by women, they make up about two-thirds of all wills. It is also natural that the majority of wills are made by the elderly - around two-thirds of all wills were made by people aged 65 or older. The Register of Wills registers around 45 000 – 55 000 facts concerning the acceptance of an inheritance each year, as well as around 6 000 – 7 000 facts concerning the renunciation of an inheritance.
The open data sets of the Bailiffs’ Information System provide a wide range of useful information on the cases executed by the bailiffs, their distribution according to the subject of recovery, as well as anonymised data on debtors and collectors, and information on electronic auctions.
Open data sets attract interest
The Centre of Registers opened its first datasets to the public in 2019. Currently, anyone wishing to use the data of the Real Property Register, Register of Legal Entities, Address Register, Population Register, Information System of Legal Entities Participants, Register of Contracts and Restrictions on Rights Licensing Information System, and Information System of Lists of Political Party Members, and e-Prescription Subsystem may do so free of charge.
So far, the open data of the Centre of Registers has been accessed by more than 30 000 unique users who have made almost 700 000 datasets downloads. The data contained in the Address Register, Register of Legal Entities and Real Property Register received the most interest.
The opening of data is one of the top priorities of the Centre of Registers, the implementation of which is given special attention. The data opened by the Centre of Registers contributes to a more open, transparent and trust-based society and provides opportunities to increase business transparency. The benefits of open data for the state and its population are clear, and the strategic objective of opening up new datasets and adding relevant data to open datasets will be pursued in future.
You can find all data opened by the Centre of Registers at www.registrucentras.lt/atviri_duomenys and download it in the convenient open data formats.
About Open Data
Open data is a freely accessible data, information or part of it, recorded in the documents or collected during activities of the Centre of Registers, irrespective of the way, form or media of their delivery, including the data stored in the registers maintained by the Centre of Registers. All persons may re-use open data and distribute their sets for any purpose, indicating their source, under the same conditions as they were obtained.
Various studies conducted by the EU and other international organisations estimate that the opening of public data can generate from 0.4% to 1.5% of GDP; in the case of Lithuania, it would amount to from 200 million to 750 million euros.
It is expected that access to and re-use of open datasets of the Centre of Registers can accelerate the introduction of value-added information products and services. At the same time, wider use of open data will enable the Lithuanian public institutions to perform public tasks more efficiently and yield higher benefits to the society.
29 December 2022
The Centre of Registers: more ways to manage real property
From the beginning of January, the Centre of Registers’ customers will have more ways to use services related to the real property they own, independently and in the comfort of their own home. After the implementation of the planned changes to the Centre of Registers Self Service system, customers will be able to electronically conclude lease or loan for use agreements, submit applications for their registration in the Real Property Register and registration of legal facts on family property/ spouses' community property.
“Every year, we strive to move as many services as possible to the on-line environment. In addition, we’re also looking for ways to improve the availability of existing services, so that every individual can manage their most important life events in a convenient place and at a convenient time. As we enter the New Year, we are moving the customer services with the most demand to the Centre of Registers’ Self Service system and hope that this will save them valuable time," says Service Management Director Diana Vilytė.
In January, a wide range of on-line services of the Centre of Registers’ Self Service system will be supplemented by relevant Real Property Register services. After signing with a qualified e-signature and paying for the service, customers will be able to immediately electronically conclude and register the lease or loan for use agreements, as well as to submit applications to de-register legal facts on the expiration of a lease or loan for use agreements or to terminate an agreement before its expiry.
“In recent years, registration of lease agreements has been growing in popularity. Until now, the only way of registering and thus making public the fact that the lease agreement had been concluded was by submitting a paper application at the Centre of Registers’ customer service unit, sending it by e-mail or regular mail. The ability to conclude and register these agreements through the Self Service system can further encourage their registration and, at the same time, ensure the resulting protection for both lessees and property owners," claims D. Vilytė.
In addition, from the beginning of January, customers will be able to submit applications for registration, deregistration or transfer of legal facts about family property or registration of real property as the spouses' community property in the Centre of Registers’ Self Service. The registration of this data protects real properties from possible creditor's recoveries and allows all interested institutions to have accurate and up-to-date information on the ownership of real property and any restrictions imposed on it.
To use one of the new services, one has to log in to the Centre of Registers’ Self Service and select “Real Property Cadastre and Register” from the top menu and then “My applications” from the menu on the left of the newly opened window.
Registration of lease or loan for use agreements will continue to be available by submitting paper applications at the Centre of Registers Customer Service Unit, by e-mail or regular mail. In addition to the above-mentioned methods, residents will also be able to apply to a notary public for registration of legal facts about family property and the spouses' community property in the Real Property Register.
Currently, in the Centre of Registers’ Self Service one may order and receive free of charge the following services related to the Real Property Cadastre and Register: reviewing the list of entries in the Register of Real Property owned by an individual, acquiring an electronic copy of the excerpt from the Real Property Register or an extract of the real property cadastral map, ordering the establishment or revision of cadastral data or the energy performance certification of buildings, and others.
28 December 2022
Caverion Lietuva will reconstruct the new administrative premises of the Centre of Registers
The new administrative premises of the Centre of Registers located at Studentų Street in Vilnius, will be reconstructed by the advanced and sustainable construction and engineering services company Caverion Lietuva. This week, both companies signed a contract worth EUR 11.5 million (without VAT) for overhaul of administrative premises.
The reconstruction of new administrative premises is one part of the priority project, which, in addition to modern work places, provides for the construction of premises for a new data centre. “This past year has been full of challenges for everyone, but we never had any doubts that we can overcome them all. Today we are happy to sign a construction contract with a company that, we believe, will adapt its innovative and sustainable solutions to the new administrative premises of the Centre of Registers", said the Director General of the Centre of Registers Saulius Urbanavičius.
“Creation of sustainable ergonomic working conditions is the aspiration of modern society and the core of our organisation’s business. We are delighted with the unique partnership with the Centre of Registers and the opportunity for our team to contribute to the implementation of an advanced project," said Egidijus Šydeikis, the CEO of Caverion Lietuva.
According to the signed contract, Caverion Lietuva will carry out major repairs in the premises located at Studentų Street in Vilnius, where about 550 work places are planned to be set up. The employees of the Centre of Registers will relocate there from the current premises managed by the company’s trust in V. Kudirkos Street.
During the construction, the existing building premises will be restructured by installing new building engineering systems, dismantling current brick partitions and installing new partition walls, which will create new work places. The refurbished administrative premises will meet all the requirements and will be adapted for people with disabilities.
The contract also provides for the remediation of the area around the facility, which will be equipped with storage areas for bicycles and scooters with charging points, as well as charging stations for electric cars. In line with the sustainability goals set out in the company’s strategy, a solar power plant is planned to be installed on the roof of the building and a modern building management system will be put in place in order to achieve efficient use of energy resources.
The reconstruction of the administrative building is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of next year. Once the premises are vacated on V. Kudirkos Street, they will be handed over to Turto Bankas.
More about company Caverion Lithuania
Caverion Lietuva is one of the largest construction engineering and construction maintenance companies in Lithuania. The company provides advanced technical solutions and services in real property, industrial manufacturing and infrastructure value creation processes. Services cover all phases of the life cycle of a building: design, construction, maintenance and reconstruction. The company, which has been operating in Lithuania for almost 30 years, is part of the international Caverion Corporation. The company has 490 employees and a turnover of over EUR 36 million (in 2021).
12 December 2022
A renovated Centre of Registers’ customer service unit has opened its doors in Vilnius
On Monday, a renovated Centre of Registers’ customer service unit opened its doors in Vilnius. The premises located at the Lvivo Street have been renovated according to the Enterprise’s new visual concept, focused on improving customer experience and ensuring the comfort of employees.
“We welcome the holiday season with the upgrade of our largest customer service unit. This customer service unit in Vilnius is the seventh Centre of Registers’ unit renovated under the new concept. We are absolutely sure that our customers who visit the renovated premises will leave not only with all the answers to their questions, but also with a pleasant, modern and comfortable service experience. During renovation, we especially focused on the convenience and security of our specialists working here," says the Director General of the Centre of Registers Saulius Urbanavičius.
Eglė Markevičiūtė, the Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation, took part in the opening ceremony of the customer service unit in Vilnius and was delighted that the Centre of Registers was improving its services and the quality of customer service.
“One of the strategic objectives of the Centre of Registers is to pay special attention to the transfer and application of services for convenient use in the on-line environment and to improve the quality of customer service, both in digital and physical formats. Thousands of people visit the Centre of Registers’ offices every day, therefore convenience and expediency are of the utmost importance. I am glad that services for residents and businesses will become more modern," said the Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation E. Markevičiūtė.
The renewed Centre of Register’ customer service unit in Vilnius welcomes customers with brighter and more open, cosy and ergonomic workplaces and waiting areas for customers. Customers will be able to take advantage of a modernized self service area where they will be able to process documents and submit applications by using conveniently provided connection ports for personal computers and other devices. The new meeting space will allow customers to discuss the process of requesting services with specialists.
On average, around 600 customers visit the largest Centre of Registers’ customer service unit a day, with about 50 specialists working directly with customers.
Focus on customer and employee comfort
The Centre of Registers has been especially concentrating on the transfer of services to the online environment, but also has been taking into consideration the quality of customer service in its physical units, where around 2 500 customers visit daily throughout Lithuania.
According to S. Urbanavičius, the Head of the Centre of Registers, the company will focus on improving customer service processes and developing employees’ competencies in the coming year.
“We constantly strive to improve the quality of customer service. The customer experience will be enhanced not only by the renovated customer service units, but also by helpful professionals in their field, who will be able to provide all the necessary assistance and advice. In addition, there will also be innovations in the field of online services — in the near future we will be able to offer customers an updated and more customer-oriented website and Self Service system," says the Director General of the Centre of Registers S. Urbanavičius.
The Centre of Registers has customer service offices in 50 municipalities in the country. In recent years, some of them have been transferred to new, more modern and more customer-friendly premises, which are closer to other state or municipal institutions important to their residents. In order to further improve the quality of customer service, a new subdivision concept focused on improving customer experience has been developed.
To this day, the customer service units of Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Alytus, Marijampolė, Telšiai and Utena have been renovated.
Every year around 650 thousand customers visit the Centre of Registers customer service units throughout the country. In addition, the Centre of Registers’ consultants respond to around 1 500 customer calls and 150 online queries every day.
In order to be a partner for a progressive state, society and business, the Centre of Registers is constantly seeking positive change and renewal. This renewal entails all strategic directions of the organisation, and the quality of customer service is an integral part of these changes. In order to improve the experience of employees and customers in physical customer service units, a new visual design concept has been developed, which is based on the company’s brand and visual identity updated in 2019. The visual design concept focuses on workplace ergonomics and customer comfort.
The Centre of Registers processes the main state information resources — state registers and information systems — and in doing so follows the rules established by their controllers (different state institutions). Currently, the Centre of Registers oversees 10 registers of national significance and about 20 information systems and constantly makes proposals to their controllers for updating registers and systems, as well as implements solutions approved by controllers for the modernisation of registers and systems.
23 November 2022
REGIA map now offers more data on real property objects
From now on, one can find even more detailed and up-to-date data about real property objects in the map of regional geoinformational environment service (REGIA), created and developed by the Centre of Registers.
This week, a new data layer called Real Property Objects was added to the REGIA map.
“This new data layer further expands content for the public and for professionals in individual fields. The Real Property Cadastre and Register data which has been integrated with the REGIA map contribute to making the information collected by the Centre of Registers more accessible. We are sure that the data published on REGIA map will help its users in their daily activities, and will let them make decisions based on relevant data, which, in turn, will contribute to the progress of the entire state", — says Service Management Director Diana Vilytė.
New data layer lets the user locate land parcel boundaries (adjustable, cadastral measurements and preliminary measurements), as well as civil engineering structures, such as roads and railways, electricity and communication networks, gas and oil networks, rain and wastewater networks, water supply networks, heating networks, etc.
Collection of some of this data is a relatively recent addition, therefore it will not be available for all of the real property objects. Moreover, some of the data on the map is only displayed at a certain scale.
REGIA map is available at www.REGIA.lt.
REGIA is a user-friendly information exchange platform
REGIA map, created by the Centre of Registers, is a convenient tool specially developed for municipalities: their residents, officials and businesses operating therein. The goal of REGIA is to create convenient conditions for decision-making based on geographical location and to facilitate the exchange of information.
Most of client-relevant information published on the REGIA map is linked to real property and accurate data stored by the Centre of Registers: boundaries of land parcels, real property value zones, average and taxable market values, and information on the Address Register objects. In addition to the data mentioned above, information of other institutions is available on the map too, such as engineering networks and data published by the National Land Service, etc.
“The uses of information provided on the REGIA map are extremely broad. For example, when considering to acquire some real property, one can assess the engineering network access points in that area, how the surrounding land parcels are formed, whether the land parcel is listed as abandoned or whether there is forest land in the parcel, says D. Vilytė. REGIA is also an excellent support tool for land surveyors, as it allows the data of different institutions to be analysed in one place and thus aid in decision making. The data published by REGIA are also relevant to real property developers, designers, farmers and anyone who owns real property.”
26 October 2022
Access to e-prescription data means new opportunities for healthcare researchers and businesses
The Ministry of Health, in contribution to the implementation of the Government’s programme “Open Data — New Opportunities for Business and People”, initiated the opening of electronic prescription data. In cooperation with the State Enterprise Centre of Registers, the electronic prescription datasets are gradually being opened. In the meantime, data on the existing electronic prescriptions (medicinal products prescribed to the public) is being opened, while in the future, data on the medicines that have been actually issued (acquired by people) is also expected to be available. This initiative will allow healthcare institutions, businesses, start-ups and researchers to use and apply prescription data for a wide range of research.
Electronic prescription data is provided through the State Electronic Health Services and Cooperation Infrastructure Information System (ESPBI IS) and is accessible via the Lithuanian open data portal data.gov.lt. Currently, data is available on e-prescriptions for 2021. Preparations are also underway to open datasets for other periods.
“Change requires decisions to be based on data and facts. The availability of electronic prescription data primarily is a tool for improving the job effectiveness of interested parties. This step makes it technologically possible for users to search the datasets to find the information they are interested in and to make decisions based on that. This opens up wider opportunities not only for basing political decisions, but also facilitates the development of research, innovation, etc.", says the Vice Minister of Health Aurimas Pečkauskas.
According to the Vice Minister, maximising the openness and accessibility of data managed by the public sector improves the quality and transparency of information managed by the health sector. Another equally important aspect and ambition in opening up the use of data is to increase public confidence that the use of anonymised health data is safe and beneficial for patients, science, the healthcare system and business.
"The re-use of data, including health data, is undoubtedly important, so it is encouraging that the amount of health data currently available and the number of open datasets is growing," says Pečkauskas.
Adrijus Jusas, the Director of Strategic Development of the Centre of Registers, says that the Centre of Registers collects huge amounts of data and information that is useful to the public.
“The need and potential benefits of the collected data are undeniable, and opening data to the public is one of the company’s strategic priorities. This time, we are opening up to the public the data on e-prescriptions from e-sveikata, probably the largest information system in the country. We are confident that the open data will become an important tool for analysing the public health sector and making data-driven decisions", - says the representative of the Centre of Registers.
It is important to note that more than 680 high-quality datasets have already been uploaded to data.gov.lt since it was launched in 2020. It provides a one-stop shop for businesses and the public to conveniently access and use data processed by the public sector.
Currently, the Information Society Development Committee is implementing Phase II of the project “Development of Open Data Platform enabling efficient re-use of public sector information for business and its management tools”. The project includes seven institutions under the authority of the Ministry of Health and plans are underway to open up some 60 datasets managed by these institutions on the Lithuanian Open Data Portal by 31 March 2023.
Information from the Ministry of Health
21 September 2022
The Centre of Registers opens data on contracts, pledges and mortgages
From now on, the residents will be able to learn more about the details of registered contracts, pledges and mortgage transactions. As part of the objective to open up as much relevant data from registers and information systems as possible to the public, the Centre of Registers has added new datasets of public interest to the already open datasets.
This week, in addition to the already open datasets of other registers and information systems, the Centre of Registers has started publishing data on pledges (mortgages) on real property objects contained in the Real Property Register and data from the Register of Contracts and Restrictions on Rights on registered contracts and pledges or mortgages of other objects. Archival data from the reorganised Register of Contracts and the dissolved Register of Mortgages are also open to the public. All these registers are controlled by the Ministry of Justice.
“At the beginning of this year, certain legislative amendments have entered into force, whereby some of the data stored in the Mortgage and Contract Registers were transferred to the Real Property Register, while the other part started being compiled in the new Register of Contracts and Restrictions on Rights. This includes data on mortgages on immovable and movable assets, mortgages, leasing and hire-sale contracts. By opening this data, we not only promote openness and cooperation, but also provide a useful tool for developing innovative solutions and products," says Adrijus Jusas, the Director of Strategic Development of the Centre of Registers.
According to him, the open datasets include data from the Register of Contracts and Restrictions on Rights, which contains data on contractual and enforceable pledges, mortgages on ships and aircraft, company mortgages, conditional mortgages, hire purchase or repurchase agreements for assets not recorded in other registers (e.g. computer equipment, industrial equipment, bicycles, scooters, quadricycles or furniture), as well as lease contracts, the subject of which is an unregistrable item.
One may also find here details of mortgages and pledges over real property from the Real Property Register.
More than 25 000 users have already accessed open data from the Centre of Registers
The Centre of Registers opened its first datasets to the public in 2019. Currently, anyone wishing to use the data of the Real Property Register, Register of Legal Entities, Address Register, Population Register, Information System of Legal Entities Participants, Licensing Information System, and Information System of Lists of Political Party Members may do so free of charge.
So far, the open data of the Centre of Registers has been accessed by more than 25 000 unique users who have made almost 500 000 datasets downloads. The data contained in the Address Register, Register of Legal Entities and Real Property Register received the most interest.
The opening of data is one of the top priorities of the Centre of Registers, the implementation of which is given special attention. The data opened by the Centre of Registers contributes to a more open, transparent and trust-based society. The benefits of open data for the state and its population are clear, and the strategic objective of opening up new datasets and adding relevant data to open datasets will be pursued in future.
You can find all data opened by the Centre of Registers at www.registrucentras.lt/atviri_duomenys and download it in the convenient open data formats.
About Open Data
Open data is a freely accessible data, information or part of it, recorded in the documents or collected during activities of the Centre of Registers, irrespective of the way, form or media of their delivery, including the data stored in the registers maintained by the Centre of Registers. All persons may re-use open data and distribute their sets for any purpose, indicating their source, under the same conditions as they were obtained.
Various studies conducted by the EU and other international organisations estimate that the opening of public data can generate from 0.4% to 1.5% of GDP; in the case of Lithuania, it would amount to from 200 million to 750 million euros.
It is expected that access to and re-use of open datasets of the Centre of Registers can accelerate the introduction of value-added information products and services. At the same time, wider use of open data will enable the Lithuanian public institutions to perform public tasks more efficiently and yield higher benefits to the society.
December 1, 2021
Software robotics saving tens of thousands of staff hours at the Centre of Registers, Lithuania
Over the past six months, the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Solutions Group of the Centre of Registers has developed two robots that would replace monotonous manual work and would save tens of thousands of staff hours per year.
The first project: an automated process for distributing requests in the Service Accounting System
Some automated deployments have started already last spring and now software robots can cope with a longer list of services, correct some inconsistencies and, in particular, save 13,000 hours each year. “This software robot not only performs the functions of distributing services to the appropriate persons but also corrects software inconsistencies in the timing of execution of the services, resulting in appropriate sequencing of the service performance. It also enables to regulate the workload of the staff and the flow of requests in separate units”, says Agnė Jančiauskienė, the Chief Specialist at the Property Registers Management Service of the Centre of Registers.
Karolis Goštautas, the Head of the Group at the Operations Architecture and Process Management Division, says that the software robot was built and deployed in just two months after agreeing on the need for new functions with the process owners. “We have built the software robots to work with the Service Accounting System like an employee but much faster. Currently, the software robots activate themselves at a set time in the morning, distribute requests in the Service Accounting System, prepare processing reports for each request and automatically shut down in the evening. The process owners need only to ensure that the lists of persons performing the tasks distributed by the software robots are kept updated and to process the remaining requests, which the software robots do not know how to process”, explains Karolis.
Software robots processing notifications about the special land use conditions: create and group documents, save them in the document management systems
The second major project was the development of software robots processing notifications about the special land use conditions. In the past, when dealing with such notifications, the specialists had to mark these land areas on the cadastral map manually and enter notes about such land parcels in the Register. The need for robotic process automation was prompted by the information that the Centre of Registers would receive about 240,000 such notifications by the end of 2022. It is actually impossible to process such quantity of notifications manually within the specified time limit.
The software robot, which was created within one and a half month, saves information of the received notifications in the document management systems where document folders are created. “The process is clear, structured and convenient for both the authority sending such notifications and the staff of the Centre of Registers who processes them. Moreover, such software robot saves up to 60,000 man-hours per year”, say persons implementing these projects and are pleased that “the RPA Solutions Group can quickly help to automate monotonous and tedious processes. The Group discovers more and more possibilities to use some parts of the already built software robots within the IT systems of the Centre of Registers, thus ensuring faster and higher quality automation of routine processes.”
October 12, 2021
Open data of financial statements raised the interest of hundreds of users
When the Centre of Registers, Lithuania, opened one of the most relevant data sets in the society containing financial statement data of the companies, such data immediately generated a strong interest among the open data users. In just over a month from the opening of the data sets of financial statements of legal entities, about 600 unique users have already downloaded them.
“Opening data to the public was and is one of the priorities of the Centre of Registers; therefore, seeing such intensive use of open data, we are very glad that the vision of our Enterprise coincides perfectly with the needs of the society. Even before opening these data, we have noticed that the financial data of companies stored in the Register of Legal Entities are really needed and widely used. More than 2,000 downloads of these data sets in the first month provides one further proof that this data is needed in the society”, says the Director for Strategic Development of the Centre of Registers Adrijus Jusas.
According to A. Jusas, the data of financial statements makes it easier to assess potential business partners; it enables the media to have the insight in operational performance of the companies and organisations that are important to the society. Opening of such data makes it possible to use these data sets also by other public groups, e.g., the members of academic community, etc.
The data sets opened by the Centre of Registers contain data on the balance sheet and profit (loss) statements submitted since 2015. The data set of profit and loss statements contains data from the reports of legal entities submitted in a specific year: profit (loss) before tax, net profit and sales revenue. The balance sheet provides information on equity, amounts due and liabilities, non-current and current assets.
You can find the open data sets of financial statements on the website at https://www.registrucentras.lt/p/1094.
New sets being constantly added to the open data
The use of open data provided by the Centre of Register is constantly growing. In two years, 10,000 unique users have already downloaded various data sets for more than 250,000 times. The commitment of the Centre of Registers to open as much relevant data as possible to the public has gained new momentum this year - the data sets of financial statements have supplemented the already opened data of the Register of Legal Entities and the Information System of Licenses. The first data sets were opened to the public in mid-2019, starting with the data of the Real Property Register. Later, the data sets from the Address Register were added to the open data.
The data opened by the Centre of Registers contributes to a more open, transparent and trust-based society. The benefits of open data for the state and its population are obvious; therefore, the strategic goal of opening new data sets will be further pursued in future.
You can find all data opened by the Centre of Registers at www.registrucentras.lt/atviri_duomenys and download it in the convenient open data formats.
About open data
Open data is a freely accessible data, information or part of it, recorded in the documents or collected during activities of the Centre of Registers, irrespective of the way, form or media of their delivery, including the data stored in the registers maintained by the Centre of Registers. All persons may re-use open data and distribute their sets for any purpose, indicating their source, under the same conditions as they were obtained.
Various studies conducted by the EU and other international organisations estimate that the opening of public data can generate from 0.4% to 1.5% of GDP; in the case of Lithuania, it would amount to from 200 million to 750 million euros.
It is expected that access to and re-use of open data sets of the Centre of Registers can accelerate the introduction of value-added information products and services. At the same time, wider use of open data will enable the Lithuanian public institutions to perform public tasks more efficiently and yield higher benefits to the society.
April 14, 2021
More Than Maps: Population & businesses data
The Centre of Registers continues implementing its obligation to open more information to the public collected and stored in the registers and information systems. Therefore, more data about population and businesses of the country is available on the regional geoinformational map - REGIA, which is created and further developed by the Centre of Registers.
In addition to the information on real properties, Address Register objects or engineering networks, the REGIA map starts publishing statistics available at the Centre of Registers; namely the data about largest legal entities in terms of sales revenue and net profit in each municipality and information of the Population Register on the number of persons who have declared their place of residence in a specific municipality.
“Our goal is to achieve that the REGIA map gradually becomes a platform for open geo-referenced data, where not only the data processed in the registers or information systems of the Centre of Registers but also relevant information from other state or municipal institutions is published. This time we supplemented the map with information from the Register of Legal Entities and the Population Register. In the future, we intend to add other data that is important to the public and present it in a convenient way”, says Service Management Director Diana Vilytė.
The REGIA map displays legal entities according to their registered office address. If you click on a concrete company you may see legal entity‘s name, code, registered office address, average number of employees. You may also see sales revenue or net profit ratio, and refine data in order to find out TOP10 companies with the best ratios in a selected municipality.
If you select a layer “number of persons who have declared their place of residence”, the REGIA map will display municipalities in different colours according to the number of persons who have declared their place of residence. If you click on a specific municipality, you will find exact number of those who have declared their place of residence in that municipality, statistics by gender and age groups.
To facilitate re-use of data, all information can be downloaded in a single Excel spreadsheet.
REGIA is a user-friendly information exchange platform
REGIA map, created by the Centre of Registers, is a convenient tool specially developed for municipalities: their residents, officials and businesses operating therein. The aim of REGIA is to create convenient conditions for decision-making based on geographical location and to facilitate the exchange of information.
Most of client-relevant information published on the REGIA map is linked to real property and accurate data stored by the Centre of Registers: boundaries of land parcels, real property value zones, average and taxable market values, and information on the Address Register objects. In addition to the data mentioned above, information of other institutions is available on the map too, such as engineering networks and data published by the National Land Service, etc.
Considering user needs, the REGIA map intends to offer more data from other institutions, such as data available from the companies operating water, sewage, heating or telecommunications networks.
February 4, 2021
Centre of Registers expanding e-services: offers E-seal for companies and organisations
In addition to a number of currently available e-services to residents and businesses, the Centre of Registers is expanding their range. Residents have been able to obtain e-signature for some time, and from now on it offers a similar service for legal entities - a seal, which is often used in the activities of companies or institutions, can now have its electronic equivalent.
An electronic seal, which ensures the integrity and authenticity of electronic documents, can be useful for companies and organisations when exchanging e-documents, submitting certificates or reports, and for state and municipal institutions when issuing electronic certificates and other documents.
E-seal is a means used to ensure the reliability of electronic documents issued exclusively to legal persons. It certifies that a specific e-document and the data therein are not changed, namely, they are the same as were during the creation of e-seal. It also certifies that the document itself is created and issued by a company, organisation or institution, to which the e-seal was issued. E-seal is issued only to legal entities and, unlike e-signature, is not linked to a specific natural person; therefore can be used by any individual appointed by the head of legal entity. E-seals can be used in combination with electronic signatures but they are legally valid on their own too.
As in case of e-signature, a qualified e-seal requires qualified certificate, a pair of keys and qualified e-seal creation device (USB storage device).
The use of e-services is growing tremendously
The benefits of e-services that became evident over the last year are encouraging both the private and public sectors to develop innovative solutions to facilitate day-to-day processes. In 2020, the use of all e-services increased significantly. For example, the time stamping service provided by the Centre of Registers, which indicates exact time of e-document signing, was used 67.5 million times and this is three times more than in 2019.
At the same time, the signing of e-documents on the GoSign platform has grown almost 1.5 times in a year to 56 million units. This growth is undoubtedly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of quarantine as well, when many works and processes moved to the digital environment.
January 26, 2021
The Centre of Registers is opening data: more information about companies and organisations to the public
The State Enterprise Centre of Registers, which processes data in the registers and information systems of state significance, continues implementing one of the core strategic tasks of the Enterprise, i.e. opening of data to the public. At the end of January, the following data of the Register of Legal Entities, which has national significance, was opened for public use free of charge: a list of registered companies with their names, addresses of registered offices, information on management bodies, authorized capital and other relevant data.
"We are further implementing the expectations set by the state and the public for the Centre of Registers and take one more step towards a more open, a more transparent and a more trust-based society. We understand and appreciate the benefits of open data for the state, its residents, business, especially the start-up community; therefore, we will continue to pursue the goals related to data opening and open more new data sets. I believe open data of the Register of Legal Entities will enable everyone to have a clear picture of legal entities, which exist and operate in the country: companies, public institutions, public authorities, etc. I have no doubt that we will soon see practical examples of the use of this open data, which will contribute to the progress of all of us,” says Saulius Urbanavičius, Director General of the State Enterprise Centre of Registers.
Several different data sets of the Register of Legal Entities were offered to the public free of charge about the legal entities registered in the Register, providing their codes, names, registered office addresses, date of registration, legal form and legal status. A similar set was published about the companies or organisations, which have been already removed from the Register of Legal Entities.
Currently, more than 250 000 legal entities are registered in the Register of Legal Entities in Lithuania. Every year, this number increases by more than 10 000 newly registered companies, small partnerships, public institutions, associations or legal entities of other legal forms. The list of legal entities removed from the Register includes over 200 000 legal entities, which do not exist today.
Open data of the Register of Legal Entities is not the first trial of opening data to the public by the Centre of Registers. In the middle of 2019, the data of the Real Property Register was opened to the public; whereas in the middle of the last year, the Centre of Registers opened the data of the Address Register. The next step is opening of the anonymised data of the Population Register next year. Later, the Centre of Registers intends to open data from other registers, such as the Mortgage Register or the Register of Property Seizure Acts as well as data of the information systems.
June 28, 2018
New Director General of the State Enterprise Centre of Registers appointed
On 26 June 2018, the Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, appointed Mr Saulius Urbanavičius as the Director General of the State Enterprise Centre of Registers.
The Minister says that the new Director is tasked with ensuring the transparency and efficiency of the Centre of Registers, reviewing its business processes, improving the quality of the services provided and taking part in the process of opening data to the public. The Minister states that S. Urbanavičius is known as an experienced administrator, who has implemented quite a few reorganisations, and therefore is oriented towards teamwork.
S. Urbanavičius has started his work from getting acquainted with the activities and the staff of the Centre of Registers. The new Director is convinced that the staff has a strong desire to work for the State and understands the importance of their work. He expects sustainable work practices and meaningful future projects.
S. Urbanavičius has years of work experience in law enforcement institutions. He was engaged in creating the Customs Criminal Service (2000), contributed to the creation of laws and other legal acts regulating the fight against smuggling and corruption in Lithuania.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the State of Lithuania, the President of the Republic of Lithuania awarded S. Urbanavičius the Officer's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas. He also has received other honorary awards and acknowledgements.
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April 17, 2018
Blockchain-based companies could become reality in Lithuania as early as 2019
Lithuania is looking to become the first ever country to offer entities from around the world the opportunity to register and manage companies using blockchain technology. These Virtual Limited Liability Companies (VLLCs) would benefit from an innovation-friendly “sandbox” regulatory system that helps newcomers to set up operations. VLLCs would give companies a range of advantages. These include the ability for the company to be remotely managed, and for all share transactions to be fully transparent, as they would be performed entirely on an immutable blockchain.
The Lithuanian Centre of Registers (the manager of the country’s Register of Legal Entities) has already started to draft a proposal on legal amendments needed to make VLLCs a reality next year.
“Physical borders between countries are becoming a thing of the past. This ambitious project is the next logical step for Lithuania, given our track record in the field of financial technology (fintech),” argues Ieva Tarailiene, Acting Director General of Centre of Registers.
“Yet regulatory roadblocks are still present in the procedures for expanding businesses abroad. We are striving to become the first country to offer companies the possibility to register and manage companies remotely using blockchain technology, thus ensuring transparency and security.,” her colleague and blockchain enthusiast Jonas Udris concludes.
The plan has been endorsed by the Bank of Lithuania, the country’s regulator. The Bank is building a global reputation as a force for innovation, thanks to its positive stance on new ideas in fintech sector.
And Marius Jurgilas, a Member of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania, believes blockchain has huge potential. “Bank of Lithuania is already building LBChain – blockchain-based solutions accelerator for fintechs. Initiative to create virtual companies on blockchain is a move towards even more ambitious goal – creating LTChain, i.e. moving relevant public services on blockchain,” he says.
The ability to remotely establish and manage a company in the EU is on the wish-list of many fintech companies. Analysts from Invest Lithuania, a foreign direct investment and business development agency, believe companies from Singapore, the US, Israel and other non-EU locations would all be interested in such a service.
“As the world is moving towards a paper- and bureaucracy-free future, jurisdictions that adapt to the increasing demand for instant solutions will win in the long run. As of now, the country already offers fintech companies the ability to receive a payments institution (PI) or e-money institution (EMI) license in just three months, which is 2-3 faster than in other EU countries. These draft proposals on the possibility of establishing a virtual company which can be managed remotely is another step in the right direction,” explains Mantas Katinas, Managing Director of Invest Lithuania.
According to Jonas Udris, introducing blockchain-based VLLCs is essential for Lithuania to strengthen its leadership in technological progress in the financial sector. The most important innovation, says Udris, would be a legal framework and a technological infrastructure that allows shares in a corporate entity to be issued and traded on the blockchain.
“Blockchain-based VLLCs represent an entirely new level of transparency, security, and convenience. With them, information about a company’s shareholders and the entire history of share ownership would be easily accessible to anybody at any time. Shareholders could manage their shares online, in real time, with far less paperwork. Shares could even be traded directly on the blockchain, without intermediaries,” says Udris.
This new breed of VLLCs could range from small companies owned by a single individual to large corporations with publicly-traded shares and other securities. They would be fully-recognised corporate entities under Lithuanian law and would file financial statements and pay taxes in Lithuania.
If the necessary amendments to the legal framework are made, entities from around the world would be able to register virtual companies in Lithuania as early as 2019. Those eager to test out the new system should look out for a Hackathon event expected in the Autumn of 2018. Anyone interested can get in touch directly with the Centre of Registers.
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December 28th, 2017 publication in a national newspaper „Lietuvos žinios“ about the Horizon 2020 project
InnoITeam: a solution to stop brain drain?
Dr Romualdas Požėra, the Chief Strategic Planning Expert of the Centre of Registers, says that the projects with the aim to pool and retain the highest competencies are becoming more and more important in the country where many discussions are going on about the brain drain.
What was the goal and intentions of the partners?
The project with symbolical title “InnoITeam” has offered a unique opportunity to get familiar with the best practices of Sweden, which is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, in pooling competencies and utilising them not only in the field of research and development but also transferring innovative solutions to business and public sector.
Kaunas University of Technology is the main coordinator of the InnoITeam project where excellence of Kaunas University in the Internet of Things in the Baltic region will be combined with the competencies of other project partners. Vilnius Gediminas Technical University is strong in the field of cybernetics, while the Centre of Registers is the largest keeper of the public sector data. The expertise of Swedish University of Linkoping in the field of data visualization is globally well known; whereas the Swedish Research and Innovation Centre RISE has been proficient in developing and implementing innovations in IT sector. The establishment of such centre of excellence in Lithuania will enable the transition from declarations on innovations to the creation of innovation ecosystem.
Moreover, as I have already mentioned, such projects motivate young people, prevent the brain drain and may also attract the potential of the Lithuanian academic diaspora abroad.
Can you give some examples how the results of this project could serve the public?
The scope of applying the Internet of Things solutions is very wide: from automated production, energy or transportation to public security and healthcare. In general, the intelligent systems analyse our behaviour and changes in environmental parameters, make appropriate decisions on the basis of the obtained results and are able to learn and constantly improve the quality of forecasts. To my opinion, these systems will be the usual thing in future as computers, mobile phones or TV sets today. However, many problems should be solved on the way: in particular, processing of huge data flows, analysis and delivery of results in a human-readable way as well as ensuring of cyber-security. Therefore, artificial intelligence and cognitive computing solutions should be created or have to be adapted for these purposes. In addition, the challenges of personal data protection and certain legal aspects of liability should be also addressed.
How do partners imagine the project progress and organisation?
Although the project is primarily aimed at research and educational activities, it will also bring a significant applied value to the public sector, especially in developing future public e-services.
Already now, we have to focus on digital transformation and a smart public sector, which is based on the efficient personalised public services. This can be achieved by combining or utilising the data, which is our property and which could be the raw material of the future economy.
How can this be achieved?
The activities of the Centre of Excellence will focus on the creation, research and development of a smart environment and service ecosystem in the strategic directions set at the global level: future way of life, work, education and government. Therefore, the understanding and support of the national government authorities is of particular importance when it comes to new international joint study programs, the development of the Internet of Things, the control of urban growth or the resolution of demographic problems using flexible predictive models or cognitive computing.
Why did you get involved in this project? What benefits do you see?
This is an opportunity to participate directly in creating innovations and implementing them. In addition, all this is in perfect harmony with the main mission of the Centre of Registers, i.e. to effectively manage the information resources of the country, thus creating value for members of the public. Given the country’s digitalisation goals, this is an opportunity to increase data dissemination, test, deploy and implement Open Data business models using the data kept by the Centre of Registers. Of course, great attention will be paid to the protection of private information.
Thank you for the conversation.
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EU Twinning project KS 15 IPA JH 04 16 “Support to Civil Registration and Document Security”
December 4, 2017
In its path towards the EU Kosovo is recommended to reduce an administrative burden for the citizens
Lithuania proposes the Civil Registry Agency in Kosovo to refuse paper certificates and ensure efficient exchange of digital data by reducing an administrative burden for citizens in the country. At the same time, data stored in the state databases of Kosovo are proposed to have legal power.
Such primary recommendations were given by the specialists of the Centre of Registers to the Civil Registry Agency in Kosovo, which is the beneficiary in the Twinning project implemented by State Enterprise Centre of Registers, Lithuania, and the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, the Netherlands. The purpose of the project is to provide support to Kosovo institutions to improve the civil status registration system.
During the project, Lithuania together with the partner from the Netherlands will share the best practice and provide recommendations on improvement and harmonisation of legal framework for the registration of civil status acts, development of new efficient business processes and modernisation of register management information systems that would ensure provision of electronic services for the residents and businesses in Kosovo.
Kipras Mensevičius, representative of the Centre of Registers, who presented proposals for legal framework to the officials in Kosovo says that currently legal acts in Kosovo do not provide for the solutions on reducing the number of certificates that are issued to or are requested from the residents; therefore the Civil Registry Agency of Kosovo and other public institutions request various information from the applicants instead of taking it from the databases. The country is proposed to start from major changes in legal framework, enabling transition from paper to electronic documents and ensuring efficient exchange of data between the institutions.
During the project that would last about two and a half years, the administrative and organisational structures in the public administration sector of Kosovo that are related to civil status registration, including institutional internal and external relationships of subordination shall be reviewed with reference to the EU standards and experience of the Netherlands and Lithuania.
The overall objective of the Twinning project is to support the Civil Registry Agency and Municipal Civil Status offices in improving the standards of civil registration system and document security in accordance with EU standards and best practices.
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