Can you record a phone call in Lithuania?
Get the other person's agreement before you record a call. Lithuania's Electronic Communications Law bans recording calls without the users' consent. A business may record calls that document a deal after announcing the recording and its purpose.
- Phone calls
- Article 73 of the Law on Electronic Communications bans listening to or recording the content of calls without the consent of the actual users, and does not exempt the people on the call. The Criminal Code (Article 166) punishes unlawfully recording or listening to conversations over electronic networks. In 2015 a data protection inspector said people may record their own calls for personal use, so the law is unclear.
- Business calls
- The law lets a business record calls that prove a transaction or other business dealing with legal effect, if it first tells the caller about the recording and its purpose. Keep such recordings only while the deal can be challenged. For other purposes, such as notes, get consent. The GDPR also applies: legal basis, clear purpose, privacy notice, right to object.
- What counts as consent
- Announce the recording and its purpose before it starts, every time. For anything other than documenting a deal, ask for consent and get a clear yes: under the GDPR, silence or simply staying on the line is not consent.
- Penalties
- Unlawfully recording or listening to conversations over electronic networks: community service, a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest or up to 2 years in prison. Companies can be liable. GDPR fines go up to EUR 20 million or 4% of turnover.
Say this at the start
Telling everyone and asking is the safe habit everywhere.
- English
Before we start: I record my calls so I can keep accurate notes. Is that OK with you?
- Lithuanian
Prieš pradedant: aš įrašau savo pokalbius, kad mano užrašai būtų tikslūs. Ar jums tai tinka?
Worth knowing
- Article 73 has no exception for people on the call, and its business exception assumes a company's recordings are covered. A data protection inspector said in 2015 private people may record for personal use. This page follows the stricter reading.
- Courts weigh secretly made recordings case by case: lack of consent alone does not make a recording inadmissible as evidence in a civil case.
Sources
Checked on 14 October 2026. A plain summary of the law, not legal advice.
- Law on Electronic Communications No IX-2135, consolidated English text (Article 73), e-seimasstatute
- Law No XIV-635 setting out the Law on Electronic Communications in new wording (Article 73, in Lithuanian), e-seimasstatute
- Criminal Code Article 166, violation of the inviolability of correspondence (LR Valstybė)guide
- LRT: Ar galima įrašinėti asmeninius pokalbius? (VDAI inspector, 2015)guide
- VU Teisės klinika: secretly made audio recordings as evidence in civil casesguide
Other countries
More free tools
Questions
Is Lithuania a one-party consent country?
No. Get the other person's agreement before you record a call. Lithuania's Electronic Communications Law bans recording calls without the users' consent. A business may record calls that document a deal after announcing the recording and its purpose.
Can a business record calls in Lithuania?
The law lets a business record calls that prove a transaction or other business dealing with legal effect, if it first tells the caller about the recording and its purpose. Keep such recordings only while the deal can be challenged. For other purposes, such as notes, get consent. The GDPR also applies: legal basis, clear purpose, privacy notice, right to object.
What counts as consent in Lithuania?
Announce the recording and its purpose before it starts, every time. For anything other than documenting a deal, ask for consent and get a clear yes: under the GDPR, silence or simply staying on the line is not consent.
What happens if you record a call illegally in Lithuania?
Unlawfully recording or listening to conversations over electronic networks: community service, a fine, restriction of liberty, arrest or up to 2 years in prison. Companies can be liable. GDPR fines go up to EUR 20 million or 4% of turnover.
Hang up. The notes are done.
Superscribe records your business calls on the number you already have and writes the note when you hang up. You say one line at the start, and it does the rest.
