Latvia is known for its rich forests and sandy coastlines. The nation’s unique visual environment and the environmental attractiveness of the woods and seashore attract a large number of visitors. A large number of visitors come to the country in quest of both tranquility and thrill. It is not only a fantastic tourist attraction, but it is also a burgeoning industrial center. Moreover, Latvia boasts a rapidly rising school structure that attracts a large number of international students. A large number of adventurous sports lovers visit the country.
To visit this beautiful country, you must own a Schengen visa that enables you to travel to all Schengen countries, including Latvia.
Latvia Visa types
The aim, type, and period of your stay will determine your qualification for a Latvian permit. There are two main categories of visas:
Schengen Visa: The Permit allows for a visit of 3 months in six months. Additionally, because the entry is valid in all Schengen countries, you will be able to reside and travel to other Schengen countries. Furthermore, there will be no limit on the number of occasions you can travel or access any Schengen Countries. So, the Schengen Card is valid for one, two, and numerous visits.
National Visa: This form of permit is different from a Permit in that it is exclusively valid for 91 to 6 months in Latvia. The National Visa may be granted for a variety of purposes. Temporary workers, scholars, visiting scientists, brief workers, volunteers, and students are only a few instances.
Visa requirements
On January 1, 2021, the laws for visiting and operating in European nations transformed:
- Without a visa, you can visit nations in the Schengen zone for up to 90 days in any 180-day term. If you are moving to Latvia and other European community nations without a visa, make certain your entire trip is within the three-month maximum. It is applicable if you are moving as a visitor, to meet relatives or peers, to participate in company conferences, ethnic or sporting festivities, or for short-term research or coaching. Tours to Nations in the 180 days leading up to your departure count in your 90-day limit.
- If you’re visiting Latvia or other Schengen nations without a visa, be certain you stay for the entire 90-day period. Visits to Schengen nations in the 180 days leading up to one’s trip count to your 90-day limit.
- If you want to reside, operate or learn, commute for a company, or other purposes, you must satisfy the Latvian administration’s entrance demands.
- Consult the Latvian Consulate to determine what sort of visa and work visa you will require.
Before January 1, 2021, any period expended in Latvia or any Schengen nation does not apply as your 90-day visa-free restriction.
When queuing at the Latvian boundary, you may be required to utilize distinct lines from EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals. On arrival and departure, your passport may be marked. It’s also possible that you’ll require to:
- Demonstrate that you have adequate funds for your vacation.
- A return ticket as evidence of return.
Citizens of Latvia are subject to different criteria. If you are a Latvian citizen, you should fly with evidence of residency as well as a passport card. See our guide to Living in Latvia for more information on these criteria.
Travel limits in Latvia regarding covid
On the proposal of the European Council, Latvia placed an entrance restriction on third-country citizens in mid-March 2020, amid the Covid epidemic.
Residents of Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Rwanda, South Korea, Singapore, and those having continuous residency permission within these nations are welcome to visit Latvia. Certain necessary objectives and exemptions are permitted access from other third countries, China, and the administered regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
Furthermore, certain types of visitors with a critical role or necessity are permitted to visit Latvia, as follows:
- Individuals in the medical field and academics
- Specialists who work with the aged
- People on the frontier
- Farming migrant laborers
- Individuals in charge of transportation
- Officials
- Foreign organizations’ workers and those welcomed by foreign organizations whose actual attendance is needed for these organizations to operate properly
- Professionals in charge of public defense in the course of their duties
- Refugee assistance volunteers and army forces
- Travelers who must move for urgent personal concerns
- Travelers on route to their final location
- Sailors
- Individuals in need of refugee assistance or urgent assistance
- Third-country citizens who are attending university in the United States
- Extremely competent third-country workers whose jobs are critical from a financial standpoint and cannot be deferred or completed from afar.
