Latvia tourist visa (Schengen type C)

Apply to Latvia when it is your only destination or the country where you will spend the most nights. You apply where you legally reside; if you live outside your country of nationality, show your residence permit there. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and stay valid for at least three months after you leave the Schengen area.

OCMA sets a reference amount of EUR 14 for each day of a stay of up to 30 days; for longer trips the benchmark is the minimum monthly wage of EUR 780. If you pay for your accommodation, you must show funds for it in addition and prove that it has been paid. Missions usually ask for recent bank statements and income proof such as payslips; a host in Latvia can take over your costs through an OCMA-approved invitation, in which case no further proof of funds is requested.

Travel medical insurance must cover emergency care, hospital treatment and medical repatriation in all Schengen states for the whole trip, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. For a multiple-entry visa the policy for the first trip is enough if you sign the declaration in the form.

The Schengen fee is EUR 90 and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 are exempt under the Visa Code. The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. A visa application centre charges a separate service fee.

You can apply at the earliest six months and at the latest 15 days before the trip. Under the Visa Code a decision is taken within 15 calendar days; in individual cases it can take up to 45 days. Fingerprints are taken at the first application and normally reused for 59 months.

A C visa can be extended in Latvia only in exceptional cases. With proof of force majeure or humanitarian reasons OCMA extends it free of charge; for serious personal reasons the fee is EUR 30. Documents go by post to the OCMA Migration Division in Riga or the Daugavpils, Jūrmala, Liepāja, Valmiera or Ventspils offices, and the total stay may not exceed 90 days in 180.

If the visa is refused, only the applicant may appeal, within 30 days of being notified, with a hand-signed letter in Latvian, Russian or English to the Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lodged at the embassy or sent to Elizabetes iela 57, Riga. The Director decides within 30 days; that decision can be taken to the Administrative Court, whose ruling is final. An appeal does not suspend the refusal.