Country Information

The legal base for metrology in Lithuania is the Law on Metrology, adopted on 9 July 1996 (revised in 2006, last amendments in 2016 and 2018).

State Metrology Service of the Republic of Lithuania (VMT) was reorganised from the 1st of July of 2014 and its functions were distributed to the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian Metrology Inspectorate and Centre for Physical Sciences and Technology.

The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania establishes and executes metrology policy in Lithuania, co-ordinates traceability of measurements, organises and implements scientific, legal and administrative activities related to metrology.

Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania defines the general rules of legal metrology, prepares and adopts regulations, participates in European or international organizations (European Commission, WELMEC, OIML).

The Lithuanian Metrology Inspectorate with its ten offices in the districts is a Market surveillance authority.

Verification of various measuring instruments is performed by 1 state company – Vilnius Metrology Centre –with its five offices, located in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevežys and Šiauliai, and by a number of designated private or public or semi-public laboratories.

The functions of National Metrology Institute in Lithuania are performed by Centre for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC). FTMC together with the designated institutes – Vilnius Metrology Centre (VMC) and Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI) – are responsible for assurance of traceability in Lithuania and participates in European or international organizations (BIPM, EURAMET and COOMET).

Accreditation of calibration and (or) testing laboratories or inspection bodies is performed by National accreditation body (NAB).

The list of measuring instrument subject to legal metrological controls is specified in Regulation No. 4-523 of the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania dated 1 August 2014 on groups of measuring instruments subject to legal metrological controls and re-verification intervals (last updated in 2017). The groups of measuring instruments subject to legal metrological controls are as follows:

• Dimensional measuring instruments, including area, and sieves, excluding GPS based
• Mass measuring instruments (weighing instruments, weights, capacity measures for grain)
• Force measuring instruments (dynamometers)
• Pressure measuring instruments (barometers, manometers, differential meters)
• Movement meters (taximeters, tachographs, air (gas) speed meters, vehicle speed meters, car break meters)
• Gas and liquids meters (flow meters and systems, heat meters, gas meters, gas volume conversion devices, water meters, petrol pumps, other instruments for quantity of liquids, road tankers, material measures, level measuring instruments, liquid gas phase meters, bottle counters, orifice plate meters)
• Physical and chemical measuring instruments (capacity measures, hygrometers, viscosity meters, smoke analysers, alcohol in human body measuring instruments, milk properties measuring instruments, exhaust analysers (instruments for measuring vehicle exhaust emissions), oxygen in water measuring instruments, measuring instruments for explosive gas quantity, car windscreen, side and rear window transparency meters)
• Temperature measuring instruments
• Optical and optical physical measuring instruments (for illumination, flame photometers, colorimeters, fuel calorimeters, polarimeters and spectrophotometers)
• Acoustic and vibration (sound meters, vibration meters)
• Electrical energy meters, measuring transformers, insulation meters, electrical field strength meters)
• Time and frequency (high frequency, stopwatches, time watches in combination with electricity meters and parking meters, telephone call quantity and duration measuring systems)
• Radiotechnical measuring instruments (electromagnetic field power measuring instruments, high frequency power and density measuring instruments)
• Ionising radiation (dosimeters, X-ray meters, radiometers)
• Medical measuring instruments (audiometers, body temperature meters, non-invasive sphygmomanometers, eye tonometers, veloergometers, and medical weighing instruments)

Measuring instruments on the above mentioned list are subject to legal metrological controls only if used in areas listed in article 15 of the Law on Metrology:  

• for the calculation of quantity and value of goods and services in transactions
• for the measurement, affecting the value of a administrative (criminal) fine or compensation of damages
• for the operations of customs, banks, tax levying institutions and postal services
• for the measurement in the fields of public health and environment protection, veterinary and labour safety
• for the measurement performed in law enforcement proceedings and pursuant to an order of state institutions

Legal metrological controls of measuring instruments consists of these stages:

• Conformity assessment
• Type approval
• Initial verification 
• Subsequent verification (re-verification)

The Directive was implemented by Regulation of Director of VMT No. V-126 dated 17 December 2009 and by Regulation No. 4-730 of the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania dated 19 November 2015.

JSC Vilnius Metrology Centre (1398) and JSC Vakaru „Imega” (2419) are notified for EC verification (Annex II.3).

The gravity values in Lithuania are approved by Regulation of Director of VMT No. V-127 dated on 11 October 2012 (came in to force on 1 May 2013). Information about it is presented on the WELMEC website section Gravity Information.

The directive was implemented by regulation of Director of VMT No. V-31 dated 30 March 2006 and by Regulation No. 4-699 of the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania dated 30 October 2015.

The directive is transposed for all categories of measuring instruments and all of them are subject to legal metrological control.

Lithuanian Energy Institute Laboratory of Heat-Equipment Research and Testing is a notified body (1621) for module B of gas meters and water meters under MID (Annex MI-001 and Annex MI-004) for module D and F for Heat Meters and Water Meters (Annex MI-001 and Annex MI-004) and for module F for Measuring Instruments for Liquids Other than Water (Annex MI-005).

Information about Type examination certificates is available on the website www.ukmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/verslo-aplinka/metrologija/tipo-tyrimo-sertifikatai

The type approval of the measuring instrument is a decision of the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania, which admits that measuring instruments of a given type complies with metrological requirements, specified in the relevant regulations.

Some groups of measuring instruments are not required to undergo type approval:

• Measuring instruments of a simple construction;
• Measuring instruments that act as separate parts (components) of a device;
• Measuring instruments that act as separate parts (components) of a measuring system, and do not influence the total error of a measuring system

Groups of measuring instruments exempt from type approval are subject to initial verification.

Type approval of the measuring instrument must be performed prior to the placing on the market and putting into use in areas specified in article 15 of the Law on Metrology.

Type approval of the measuring instrument is not applicable for measuring instruments covered by MID and NAWI directives.

Initial verification of a measuring instrument is the first verification after its production (on the basis of a national type approval certificate), also it is performed when a measuring instrument has been repaired.

Initial verification of a measuring instrument must be conducted prior to the placing on the market and putting into use in areas specified in article 15 of the Law on Metrology.

National initial verification of measuring instruments is carried out by designated laboratories, accredited for EN 17020 or EN 17025, or on approval of quality system of verification laboratory (see the list on   www.ukmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/verslo-aplinka/metrologija/veiklos-sritys-metrologija/paskirtosios-istaigos).

Initial verification is not applicable for measuring instruments covered by MID and NAWI directives.

Control of measuring instruments in service is generally based on a mandatory periodical verification performed by designated laboratories accredited for EN 17020 or EN 17025, or on approval of quality system of verification laboratory (see the list on www.ukmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/verslo-aplinka/metrologija/veiklos-sritys-metrologija/paskirtosios-istaigos).

Accredited verification laboratories are designated by The Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania for a termless period of time; verification laboratories, performing verification on approval of their quality system, are designated for a period of two years.  

The intervals of mandatory re-verification of measuring instruments are specified in Regulation of the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania dated 1 August 2014 on groups of measuring instruments subject to legal metrological controls and re-verification intervals (last updated in 2017).  

For example, some re-verification intervals are:

• Water meters: 4 year
• Gas meters: 12 years
• Electricity meters: 12 years
• Heat meters: 4 years
• Petrol pumps: 1 year
• Weights: 2 years
• Weighting instruments: 2 years
• Taximeter: 1 year
• Material measures: 2 years
• Dimensional measuring instruments: 2 years
• Exhaust analysers: 0,5 year

Market surveillance is performed by Lithuanian Metrology Inspectorate: www.metrinsp.lt

Spot checks are performed by Lithuanian Metrology Inspectorate. Results are published on the website www.metrinsp.lt

Training of legal metrology officers is provided by the Kaunas Technology University Metrology Institute according to the program approved by Kaunas Technology University.

System of administrative fines is available. Criminal offences may be invoked as well. Inspectors may issue written warnings. Fines are set by general legislation, not by specific legal metrology laws. 

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