Latvia
Latvia visa guide: every visa and residence permit route
- 18 visa types
- checked 24 October 2026
How visas for Latvia work
Latvia is in the Schengen area, so short trips of up to 90 days in any 180-day period need a type C Schengen visa unless your passport is visa-exempt. Short-stay (C) and long-stay (D) visa applications are lodged at the Latvian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or at the visa application centre it uses. The Schengen fee is EUR 90 (EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11) and the long-stay visa fee is EUR 90.
Stays beyond 90 days are built on the residence permit. The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA, Latvian PMLP) decides on residence permits; most routes first need a sponsor in Latvia, such as an employer, university or relative, to have a "call" (sponsorship request) approved by OCMA. Nationals of visa-required countries then lodge the residence permit application at a Latvian embassy abroad, and after approval collect a 30-day D visa to enter and pick up the permit card in Riga or another OCMA office.
Under Cabinet Regulation No. 731, in force since 1 January 2025, the review of a temporary residence permit costs EUR 160 within 30 days, EUR 280 within 10 working days or EUR 560 within 5 working days; the plastic card costs EUR 45 more. Money thresholds are tied to national statistics: in 2026 OCMA uses a minimum monthly wage of EUR 780 and an average gross monthly wage of EUR 1,815.
Since 1 September 2025 third-country nationals without a Latvian visa or residence permit must register their trip at eta.gov.lv at least 48 hours before arrival. Citizens of EU, NATO and OECD countries are exempt, and so is anyone holding a Latvian visa or residence permit.
Which visa do I need?
Holiday, visiting friends or relatives, meetings or a conference of up to 90 days: Schengen C visa, if your nationality needs one.
Paid work: an employer-sponsored residence permit, the EU Blue Card for highly qualified posts, or a D visa with the right to work for seasonal and short jobs.
Working remotely for a foreign employer in an OECD country: the one-year long-stay visa for remote work.
Studies or research: a residence permit sponsored by an accredited university or a registered scientific institution.
Founding a start-up, running your own business or investing in property, company capital or bonds: the matching temporary residence permit.
Joining a spouse or parent: family reunification; after five years on temporary permits: permanent residence.
Visa types for Latvia
Visits and short stays
- Tourist visa Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for tourism
A holiday in Latvia needs a Schengen C visa for visa-required nationals.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period - Family and friends visit visa Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for a private visit
To visit relatives or friends in Latvia you apply for a Schengen C visa with an invitation from your host, if your nationality needs a visa.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Business and self-employment
- Business visa Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for a business visit
Meetings, negotiations, trade fairs and contract talks in Latvia are done on a Schengen C business visa for EUR 90 if your nationality needs a visa.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period - Entrepreneur and start-up visa Temporary residence permit for creating an innovative product (start-up founder)
Founders who plan to create or develop an innovative product in Latvia can get a temporary residence permit for up to three years.
Maximum stay: Up to three years - Self-employed and freelancer visa Temporary residence permit for a self-employed person
Foreigners who will work in Latvia as self-employed persons can obtain a temporary residence permit for up to one year at a time.
Maximum stay: Up to one year per permit
Study and training
- Student visa Temporary residence permit for studies at an accredited educational institution
Degree students in Latvia need a temporary residence permit for the length of their studies.
Maximum stay: For the period of studies - Researcher visa Temporary residence permit for scientific cooperation
Researchers who sign a scientific cooperation agreement with an institution listed in the Latvian register of scientific institutions can get a temporary residence permit for the period of the cooperation plan, up to five years.
Maximum stay: Period of the cooperation plan, up to five years
Work
- Work visa Temporary residence permit for employment (employment contract)
Long-term work in Latvia needs a temporary residence permit with the right to employment, sponsored by your employer.
Maximum stay: Period of employment, up to five years - EU Blue Card EU Blue Card (temporary residence permit for highly qualified employment)
The EU Blue Card is Latvia’s permit for highly qualified employees.
Maximum stay: Contract period; up to five years - Intra-company transfer visa Temporary residence permit for an intra-corporate transferee
Managers, specialists and trainee employees moved by a non-EU company to its Latvian entity use the intra-corporate transferee permit.
Maximum stay: Managers and specialists up to three years; trainees up to one year - Seasonal work visa Long-stay visa (type D) for seasonal work
Seasonal workers in agriculture, forestry, fishery and other seasonal sectors come to Latvia on a visa with the remark "seasonal work".
Maximum stay: Up to six months within a 12-month period (D visa); up to 90 days in 180 on a C visa - Digital nomad visa Long-stay visa (type D) for remote work
Latvia’s remote work visa is a one-year long-stay D visa for people employed by, or self-employed in, an OECD member country who can do their job from Latvia.
Maximum stay: One year
Family
- Family reunification visa Temporary or permanent residence permit for family members
Spouses and minor children of Latvian citizens, Latvian non-citizens and foreigners with Latvian permanent residence get a residence permit on family grounds; a spouse receives one year, then four years, then a permanent permit.
Maximum stay: Spouse of a citizen or permanent resident: 1 year, then 4 years, then permanent; family of temporary residents: same term as the sponsor
Residence
- Golden visa and residence by investment Temporary residence permit for investors (real estate, company capital, credit institution, state securities)
Latvia grants temporary residence permits of up to five years to investors.
Maximum stay: Up to five years per permit - Retirement visa Temporary residence permit for pensioners from visa-free countries
Latvia offers a residence permit of up to five years to pensioners who have reached the Latvian statutory retirement age, have sufficient means and are citizens of a country whose nationals may enter Latvia without a visa.
Maximum stay: Up to five years - Permanent residence Permanent residence permit and EU long-term resident status
After five years of continuous residence on temporary permits, a foreigner can request a Latvian permanent residence permit or the status of EU long-term resident.
Maximum stay: Permanent; the card is registered and renewed periodically
Fast-track and priority services
- Fast-track and priority visa services Expedited review of residence permit applications at OCMA (paid priority tariffs)
OCMA does not sell a separate express service; instead Regulation No.
Processing time: 5 or 10 working days for the review; 2 working days for the card
Asylum and international protection
- Asylum and international protection Asylum: refugee status and alternative status
An asylum application in Latvia is made in person to the State Border Guard, either at a border crossing point or airport transit zone, or at a Border Guard office if you are already in Latvia.
Maximum stay: Right to stay in Latvia during the procedure with an asylum seeker’s identity document
Frequently asked questions
Where do I apply for a Latvian visa?
At the Latvian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or the visa application centre it uses. Residence permit applications from abroad are lodged at a Latvian embassy and decided by OCMA.
How much does a Latvian visa cost in 2026?
EUR 90 for a Schengen visa (EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11) and EUR 90 for a long-stay D visa. A visa application centre charges its own service fee on top.
How long does a decision take?
Under the Visa Code a C visa is decided within 15 calendar days and can take up to 45 days when extra checks are needed; a D visa can take up to 60 days. Residence permits are reviewed in 30 days at the standard fee.
Who needs the eta.gov.lv registration?
Third-country nationals arriving without a Latvian visa or residence permit. Citizens of NATO, EU and OECD countries are exempt from the pre-arrival registration introduced on 1 September 2025.
Can I work in Latvia on a Schengen visa?
Only if the visa carries a right-to-work remark obtained through an employer invitation; an ordinary tourist or business visa does not allow paid work.
Can I apply for a residence permit while in Latvia on a Schengen visa?
Generally no. OCMA accepts in-country applications from visa-exempt nationals, holders of another Schengen state’s residence permit and holders of a visa with the right to work; other nationals apply at a Latvian embassy abroad.
Embassies and consulates
Last checked 24 October 2026. Each visa page lists the official sources it is based on.