You can become a nail technician within a few months: complete practical courses, attend the mandatory hygiene skills and first aid training, get a health check, choose a business form and, if you work independently, obtain a hygiene permit (leidimas-higienos pasas) for your workplace. What a nail technician earns depends not on a diploma but on the number of clients, your prices and your costs. Below we show how to calculate it for your own situation.
What a nail technician does and the specialisations
Nail care services include manicures (classic, machine or combined), gel polish application, nail extensions, nail art and pedicures. Most people start with a manicure with gel polish and later learn extensions or design.
It is important to know the limit. The National Public Health Centre (NVSC) states that, for example, treating an ingrown nail with titanium thread braces, removing deformed nails or caring for nails affected by fungus count as personal healthcare services. Only licensed healthcare institutions may provide them, not a beauty salon.
Courses: which to choose and whether the Employment Service helps
You can study at vocational training institutions, which award a qualification or part of one, or at private schools. Judge a course not by how the certificate looks, but by the following:
- how many hours are devoted to practice with models rather than demonstrations alone;
- whether the group is small and the instructor corrects your technique;
- whether the programme covers tool disinfection, sterilisation and safe work with an e-file;
- whether you will work with professional equipment during training.
Online courses suit theory and design, but hand technique needs live feedback.
The Employment Service funds vocational training for the unemployed and, in certain cases, for those who are working. Clients who receive a learning voucher choose programmes on the Kursuok.lt platform, with priority given to in-demand professions. Under the bilateral agreement, after training you must find a job or start self-employment in the qualification you gained and work for at least 6 months. Check with your Employment Service adviser whether a specific manicure programme will be funded.
Mandatory training, health check and hygiene permit
The main requirements are set by the Lithuanian hygiene standard HN 117:2007 "Health safety requirements for beauty services". Under it, people providing beauty services:
- may work only after a health check, and the personal medical book is kept at the workplace;
- must have completed the mandatory hygiene skills and first aid training and hold the certificates of completion at the workplace.
Two different documents are often both called a "hygiene passport". The hygiene skills certificate is personal, while the hygiene permit (leidimas-higienos pasas) is issued for the place of business, and it is issued by the NVSC. According to the NVSC guidance, if you provide services with a business certificate or as self-employed, the hygiene permit is required for your workplace. If you work for a company under an employment contract, the company holds it.
Business form: self-employment or business certificate
A self-employed manicurist can buy a business certificate for hairdressing, cosmetics and beauty salon activities, or register self-employment under a certificate (pažyma). The main differences according to VMI (tax authority) and Sodra (social insurance) information for 2026:
| Business certificate | Self-employment (certificate) | |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax | Fixed; the amount and any reliefs are set by the municipality; paid for the chosen period | Based on profit: when taxable income does not exceed €20,000, effectively 5%; from €20,000 to €42,500 the rate rises gradually up to 20% |
| Income limit | €50,000 per year; the part above is taxed as self-employment income | No separate limit |
| Services to companies | Only to companies that do not carry out the same activity, and no more than €4,500 per year | No such restriction |
| Sodra contributions | VSD and PSD; the amount is shown by Sodra's business certificate calculator | VSD and PSD on 90% of taxable income |
In both cases you must keep income and expense records (the free VMI tool i.APS works for this) and submit the annual income declaration by 2 May. At the start, while you have few clients, a business certificate is often simpler. Once larger costs appear – rent, equipment, materials – self-employment can be more beneficial, because tax is calculated on profit. It is worth consulting VMI before deciding.
Working at home, in a rented room or in a salon
You cannot legally work in your own flat: the NVSC states that beauty services cannot be provided in premises designated for residential use and a hygiene permit is not issued for such premises. The premises must be designated for services or another permitted use, such as retail or administrative. The most common routes:
- working in a salon under an employment contract – the least investment and risk, but usually a smaller share of the service price;
- renting a workstation in a salon – you work independently, but your workplace still needs a hygiene permit;
- your own studio – the most freedom and the highest costs.
HN 117 requires, for example, a wash basin with hand hygiene products, a separate area for cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising tools, and lighting of at least 500 lux at the workstation. A workstation for artificial nail extensions must be in a separate enclosed room with dust extraction and ventilation. We covered all the requirements in the article manicure studio requirements.
How much a nail technician earns in Lithuania: how to calculate
There is no single correct figure: earnings depend on the city, specialisation, prices, how busy you are and how many clients come back. The most reliable approach is to work it out yourself:
- Income: number of treatments per month × average treatment price.
- Materials: subtract the products used per treatment – base coat, colour, top coat, disposable files, wipes, disinfectants.
- Fixed costs: rent, utilities, equipment maintenance and repairs, advertising, training.
- Taxes: income tax and Sodra contributions according to the chosen business form.
Plan your time realistically: a combined manicure with gel polish often takes an hour and a half to two hours, longer for a beginner, and you also need time to process tools and prepare the workstation. The first months are usually leaner. Income stabilises once you build a circle of regular clients who return every 3–4 weeks.
Start-up investment and payback
For your workstation you will need a UV/LED lamp, an e-file, a dust collector, sterilisation equipment, disinfection and disposable supplies, materials, a desk and a good work lamp. You will find a detailed list with priorities in the article what a beginner nail technician needs, and the equipment in the sections for e-files, UV/LED lamps and disinfection and sterilisation.
The investment pays back once your monthly profit, calculated as above, covers it. It is worth saving not on the lamp, e-file or sterilisation, but on the number of colours: a few of the most popular shades are enough to begin with, and you can add others according to client requests.
How to find your first clients
- Build a portfolio: photograph every piece of work from the same angle and in daylight.
- On social media, post not only photos but also prices, working hours and how to book.
- Create a Google Business Profile – it helps people searching for a service nearby find you.
- While learning, work with models for the cost of materials and ask for reviews.
- Show your hygiene: under HN 117, sterile instruments used in services that break the skin are unpacked in front of the client. Clients see this as a clear sign of quality. We explain how to process tools in the guide how to sterilise manicure tools.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nail technician earn in Lithuania?
It depends on the number of clients, your prices, the city and your costs. Calculate it like this: number of treatments × price, minus materials, rent, other costs, taxes and Sodra contributions.
Do you need a licence for manicure services?
You do not need the kind of licence that healthcare institutions hold, but beauty services require a hygiene permit issued by the NVSC. In addition, the technician must have a health check and complete the mandatory hygiene skills and first aid training.
Which to choose: self-employment or a business certificate?
At the start, a business certificate with a fixed tax is often simpler. When costs are higher, self-employment can be more beneficial, because tax is calculated on profit. Check your municipality's rate on the VMI website.
Can you work as a nail technician at home?
Not in premises designated for residential use: the NVSC does not issue a hygiene permit for such premises. You need premises whose designated use matches service activities.