The indicator has remained almost unchanged for three years
Out of 91,546 applications reviewed in 2024–2026, only 30% were approved. 29% of applications were rejected after evaluating the project itself, while the largest portion – 41% – was rejected even before the project evaluation began, for example, due to missing documents or inaccurately submitted information. This ratio has remained essentially unchanged over three years: in 2024, 30% of applications were approved, in 2025 – 29.6%, and in January–April 2026 – 29.9%.
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“The data shows that a significant portion of applications are rejected even before the project itself begins to be evaluated – due to a missing document or inaccurately submitted information. In such a case, the application must be submitted again, so the entire process starts from the beginning and the time until the final decision lengthens,” says Romas Kvaselis, founder of UAB “Digital Property Market”.
The same law – different municipal results
The analysis revealed significant differences between individual municipalities. In Vilnius City Municipality, 17.8% of applications were approved during the analyzed period, in Palanga – 25.4%. Meanwhile, in Šiauliai city – 35%, and in Šiauliai district – 45%. Thus, the proportion of approved applications in Šiauliai district was 2.5 times higher than in Vilnius city, even though the same Construction Law and the same “Infostatyba” information system are applied in all municipalities.
“Such differences raise the question of why, with the same Construction Law in force and the same information system being used, the results of municipalities differ so significantly. In our opinion, this indicates a need for a more detailed analysis not only of the regulation itself but also of its application practice in different municipalities,” says R. Kvaselis.
One application – 25 attempts
The analysis shows that 73.5% of developers submitted an application for a permit more than once, almost half (46.3%) – three or more times, and 14.1% – five or more times. In one of the analyzed cases, the application for the same project was submitted as many as 25 times, and the entire process lasted 14 months. Each resubmission lengthens the path to the final decision – the more times an application is resubmitted, the more time is lost waiting for re-evaluation.
Reform did not change the indicator
On November 1, 2024, amendments to the Construction Law came into force, which, among other things, aimed to improve and streamline the process of issuing construction permits. According to the analysis, in the month the reform came into effect, the proportion of rejected applications increased to 50.7% and returned to its previous level after about half a year. Meanwhile, the proportion of approved applications remained essentially unchanged, staying at about 30% both before and after the reform.
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This data is also relevant now, as new changes to the regulation of construction processes are being considered, aiming to further simplify and accelerate procedures.
Proposes to change the process
“Digital Property Market” proposes to consider enshrining a principle in the Construction Law whereby formal deficiencies that do not alter the essential design solutions of the project and do not affect the legality or safety of construction could be corrected without stopping the entire process and without returning the project to the initial evaluation stage. Similar principles are applied in Germany and the United Kingdom, where in certain cases, non-essential deficiencies can be rectified during the process without halting the entire procedure.
According to the company’s calculations, based on the histories of 26,334 analyzed projects, applying such a model could significantly increase the proportion of applications approved on the first attempt.
“We see an opportunity to make the process more efficient without reducing the requirements for the project itself and without abandoning necessary control. The proposed principle would allow non-essential deficiencies to be corrected without stopping the entire process, while maintaining the same strict project verification. According to our calculations, this could help the Lithuanian construction sector save about 300,000 days annually,” says R. Kvaselis.
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