Latvia
Latvia
All Students
Students should make sure their passports are signed and stamped when entering and exiting Border Controls. These stamps will prove the duration of your visit and more importantly prove to the visa official that you have not overstayed your 90-day visit.
It is important to understand the Schengen 90/180 rule. You are allocated 90 visa free days to use within the Schengen Zone, however you must remember these are rolling days and are added onto a cumulative total of days in the Schengen region. Leaving and entering does not reset your calculator – only leaving for a period of 90 days in a non-Schengen country will reset your visa free 90-day allowance.
You can read about the Schengen rules here.
Study (Up to 3 months)
Study (Up to 3 months)UK Students do not require a visa to enter Latvia for less than 90 days to complete the following activities:
- Tourism
- Visiting family or friends
- Attending business meetings
- Cultural or Sports events
- Short-term studies or training
You can see if you can enter Latvia without a visa here.
EU/EEA citizens are not required to have a visa to enter Latvia.
Non-EU/EEA Students are required to apply for long-term (D-type) visa at the Embassy/Consulate of Latvia according to its territorial competence or, for citizens of visa-free countries, at the Embassy/Consulate of Latvia
Gather Your Documents
To apply for a Schengen Visa, you will need to gather the following documents:
- Passport or other travel document
- A visa application form (online visa application form
- One colour photograph (35mm x 45mm)
- Travel medical insurance policy valid for all of the Schengen Member States and covering the entire period of the foreign national’s intended visit in the Schengen area
- A visa fee for processing the visa application.
- Documents indicating the purpose of the journey
- Documents showing your accommodation in
- Documents indicating that the applicant possesses sufficient means of subsistence for the duration of the intended stay in Latvia
- Proof of valid travel medical insurance policy.
For a full list of documentation click here.
How to Apply
When applying for a Schengen visa, you are required to provide your biometric data (fingerprints).Please note, if your biometric data have already been collected by a diplomatic/consular mission of a Schengen state during the past five years, there is no need to provide them again.
Study (more than 6 months)
Study (more than 6 months)EU/EEA Students do not need a visa to enter Latvia.
To find out if you do not need a visa to enter Latvia for a period of up to 90 days in a 180 period click here.
Exchange students are advised to apply for long-term (D-type) visa at the Embassy/Consulate of Latvia in thier home country.
Since UK students do not need a visa to enter Latvia, you may come to Riga and apply for the long-term (D-type) visa in person in the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA). Please note that you may reside in Latvia (Schengen area) for no longer than 90 days within half a year. It is advisable to apply for the long-term visa within the first 30 days of your stay in Latvia.
It is possible to apply for the long-term (D-type) visa also before arriving in Latvia. In this case you will need to apply for the visa at the Embassy of Latvia
Gather Your Documents
- Completed and signed D-visa application form
- Copy of the passport
- 1 passport photo
- Valid health insurance (need to be valid for the entire Schengen area for the entire period of stay in Latvia; the minimum amount insured for D-visa is EUR 42,600)
- Document confirming necessary subsistence (minimum 500 EUR/month)
- Bank statement (in English) confirming that you have sufficient financial means to live in Latvia for the whole period of your stay, ie, 500 EUR multiplied by months that you will spend in Latvia (eg, 500 EUR x 5 months = 2500 EUR). Original of this document with a signature and stamp + credit/debit card affiliated to your bank account must be presented
- Original Acceptance letter prepared by the Mobility Division confirming that you are accepted for exchange studies
- Document confirming your accommodation address in Latvia.
Work (less than 3 months)
Work (less than 3 months)EU/EEA Students do not require any additional documents apart from a Passport/National ID Card to enter and work in Latvia for a duration if 90 days.
UK students and students from visa exempt countries can enter Latvia for a duration of 90 days under the Schengen Waiver. The following activities can be completed:
- Running or attending job interviews
- Going to court as a witness
- Attending trade fairs
- Attending board meetings
- Meeting clients or customers (including entertainment like eating at a restaurant)
- Meeting colleagues, contractors or sellers
- Fact-finding visits
- Negotiating, signing and executing deals or contracts
- Attending, speaking or presenting at a conference as long as you’re not being paid
- Studying
- Team-building activities
- Visiting business partners
- Conducting research or developing professional contacts
Prior to entry into Latvia a visa needs to be obtained at Latvian consular missions in foreign countries or at the consulates of other Schengen Member States who are competent to process Schengen visa application for travelling to Latvia.
Non EU nationals will need to apply for a Schegen Visa Type-C to study for a duration of up to 90 days in Latvia.
Foreigners who enter Latvia with or without visa are not allowed to exercise economic activities in an employed capacity. Foreigners can be employed only in cases that are stated in normative acts and if they have received a visa for employment and work permit.
Work (more than 6 months)
Work (more than 6 months)For EU/EEA Students visa and work permits are not required regardless of length of stay however you must have a valid Passport/Work Permit.
For stays over 90 days EU nationals must register at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
Non-EEA/EU Students will require a Long Stay Visa (D). The Long Stay Visa (D) allows you to enter Latvia for a minimum period of 1 year but you will also will need to apply for a Work Permit upon arrival.
For stays over 90 days EU nationals must register at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
UK Students may apply for visa for seasonal work to work in Latvia for a maximum of 6 months.
If you are entering Latvia for the purposes of employment, your employer will need to seek prior permission to employ you.
Here is a process for your employment in Latvia
- Your prospective employer in Latvia requests permission from the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs to employ you.
- You submit a residence permit application to the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs or to the Latvian consulate or embassy.
- You make an appointment with the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and submit biometrics.
- You’re tested for tuberculosis (TB) in Latvia.
- You make a second appointment with the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs to collect your residence permit.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-latvia-for-work
Click here for further information in relation to working in Latvia for over 90 days please contact the Latvian embassy or consulate.