Institutional Documents and Records
Rules for the Preparation and Formatting of Documents (adopted on 30 March 2001, No. 19) in the Republic of Lithuania establish the requirements for preparing and formatting managerial, organizational, and informational documents in state and municipal institutions, companies, organizations, and other entities authorized to perform public administration functions. These requirements apply regardless of the method or medium used to prepare the documents.
Documents must be prepared in accordance with the requirements set by relevant legal acts.
A requisite is a component of a document that reflects established procedures for its preparation and validation, and which has a fixed location in the document structure.
A form is a sheet of paper of a defined format that contains formatting requisites related to the document’s originator, who has been authorized by law.
Managerial documents are legal acts issued by collegial bodies, heads of institutions, or other public servants authorized by law to carry out public or internal administrative functions (such as resolutions, decisions, orders, directives, etc.).
Organizational documents are legal acts approved by managerial documents, which define the implementation rules of laws and other legal acts (such as statutes, charters, rules, regulations, etc.).
Informational documents – outgoing and internal documents of institutions that contain information or data, record facts, events, or interactions related to the institution’s activities, including relationships with other entities (letters, reports, statements, protocols, etc.).
The Lithuanian Archives Department (under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania) prepares and publishes legal normative acts, and coordinates draft acts prepared by other state institutions. It also sets general requirements for the preparation, management, and accounting of documents in Lithuania.
Documents created or received by state or municipal institutions, agencies, or companies in the course of their legally authorized activities must be registered in document registers, organized according to the institution’s documentation plan, properly filed, and recorded in official records. Non-governmental organizations and private legal entities are also required to prepare, manage, and record such documents in accordance with the legal framework of the Republic of Lithuania.
Legal entities may provide document management and/or storage services upon receiving a license issued by the Lithuanian Archives Department. The procedure for issuing such licenses is established by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.