Residence permit in Latvia: procedure, necessary documents, conditions for receipt, deadlines for submission and consideration

A residence permit in Latvia is an official document allowing a migrant to stay in the Republic of Latvia for more than 90 days for one half-year.

Since 2012, a new residence permit in Latvia has been issued in the form of an ID card, which is not associated with the applicant’s national passport, but which will have to be registered annually, i.e. supposedly to renew or confirm.

What is a residence permit for?

A temporary residence permit (aka residence permit) is issued for the purpose of staying in the country for more than 3 months for six months for employment, training, moving to relatives, opening one's own business and other benefits.

Advantages of the Latvian residence permit:

• the possibility of obtaining resident status in 5 years, and a citizen of Latvia in 10 years;
• the use of a number of social benefits available to foreigners, including (assistance at childbirth, loss of work, etc.);
• official employment;
• obtaining permission for members of your family (when buying real estate, investing or after registering a permanent status);
• registration of a driver's license of the European type (at the same time there is an additional employment opportunity if desired);
• sending invitations to relatives and friends to visit Latvia;
• Visiting Schengen countries without a visa;
• purchase of a car without payment of customs fees;
• simplified procedure for applying for visas to Canada, the USA and Australia.

Please note that official employment with a Latvian residence permit in other Schengen countries is not possible.

How to do without a residence permit?

In order not to apply for a residence permit in Latvia, it is enough to get a Schengen visa and not stay in the country longer than 90 days or for the period allowed by the visa. In this case, the migrant is allowed to visit the country as a tourist, visit relatives, stay with friends or acquaintances. Employment with only a Schengen visa in Latvia is unacceptable.

Do I need a visa?

If you plan to move to Latvia or stay here longer than 90 days, in addition to a temporary residence permit, you will need a national type D visa. This type of visa is no longer Schengen, and therefore requires a different, more extensive package of documents.

A visa is issued in a shorter time than a residence permit. It is received only after you have been approved for a residence permit in Latvia.

Types of residence permit

A residence permit can be of two types: temporary and permanent. By issuing a permit for the first time, you will receive a temporary status, which will be valid for 5 years with the possibility of renewal. Permanent status is obtained after the specified 5 years with permanent residence in the country, the availability of permanent income and housing (rented or owned).

Permanent residence permit gives its owner the status of a resident, i.e., permanently resident. The rights of a resident are wider than those of a temporary resident.

The procedure for obtaining a residence permit

How to get a residence permit in Latvia:

• Decide on the purpose of the trip. The goal is important to determine the basis on which you can count on when drawing up a new status. Also, the goal will affect the package of required documents, since you must justify and confirm the legality of the basis. For example, you cannot count on obtaining a residence permit in Latvia by reuniting with relatives, without attaching any papers that would confirm your relationship with citizens or residents of the country.
• Choose from the available list of grounds the most suitable trip for your purpose.
• Collect the required package of documents.
• Fill out the form.
• Pay the state fee or consular fee, attach the receipt of payment to the general package of documents.
• Make an appointment in advance with the relevant consulate department or familiarize yourself with the opening hours of the office in Latvia at the place of residence.
• Apply with a package of documents to the responsible authorities.
• Wait for a decision on the issue or refusal of a residence permit in Latvia.
• Get a national visa type D.

Conditions for obtaining a residence permit

An applicant who applies for a residence permit abroad must prove his solvency (solvency), the existence of a legal basis (employment, marriage, business, investment or other), the availability of housing (own or leased), regardless of the basis, except for the acquisition of real estate, as well as the absence of offenses in Latvia, the country of permanent residence or the countries of the Schengen zone. To obtain a temporary residence permit, the fulfillment of these conditions is sufficient.

Grounds for acquiring a residence permit

How to get a residence permit in Latvia on your own? The first thing to do is decide on the basis.

Full list of permissible reasons:

• reunion with family or close relatives possessing Latvian citizenship or resident status: parents; children grandchildren; brothers, sisters; with a spouse or spouse;
• registration as an individual merchant, i.e. an entrepreneur;
• registration as a member of a personal company if there is a right to represent a personal company;
• self-employment;
• employment;
• investments in capital of a Latvian company;
• acquisition of real estate;
• financial investments in the country's economy;
• joint scientific activity;
• ownership of interest-free bonds;
• training;
• practice or internship in Latvia;
• treatment;
• religious activity;
• obtaining secondary education or having a document on secondary education already received in Latvia, which was conducted in the state language;
• Latvian citizenship in the past;
• possession of the status of a citizen of Latvia on 06/17/1940;
• availability of Blue EU Card.

Relocation to family members (relatives)

Family reunification allows the applicant to apply for a temporary or permanent status of residing in Latvia. The type of residence permit depends on the situation, and therefore is issued at the discretion of employees of authorized bodies.

Foreign spouses traditionally receive a temporary residence permit valid for 1 year, with the right to extend the residence permit in Latvia for another 4 years. If the marriage is dissolved during the specified period, the issued residence permit is not subject to renewal and is canceled.

In addition to documents confirming the relationship between the applicant and the citizen of Latvia, the migrant will also need papers on the availability of housing and funds for living abroad.

Buying a property

To obtain a residence permit in Latvia, real estate is purchased from citizens of Latvia, its residents or citizens of other EU countries. The permissible value of an immovable object is at least 250,000 € (18,900,000 rubles). Payment is made only by bank transfer. Previously, the applicant confirms the legality of the funds that he plans to spend on the purchase.

The children of the applicant and the spouse (spouse) also have the right to obtain a residence permit.

When buying real estate, a residence permit in Latvia is issued only after a transaction is concluded, as well as all state taxes for the purchase are paid. The amount of tax is 5% of the value of the acquired objects.

A residence permit through real estate gives employment rights only to the main applicant. Children and the spouse do not have this right.

Investments

Wealthy Russians have the right to obtain a residence permit in the following cases:

• When investing in the amount of 280 000 € for a period of at least 5 years. It is permissible to invest in state-owned enterprises or enter into transactions with credit organizations. Annual tax payments are required.
• If the annual turnover of the enterprise is less than 10 million €, in order to obtain a residence permit it is enough to invest in it only 35,000 €.
• If the annual turnover of the enterprise is more than 10 million €, investments should be from 150 000 €.

At the same time, the staff of the enterprise should be at least 50 people. A temporary residence permit is issued only to three founders.

Employment and business

The following categories of persons are entitled to apply for permission:

• entrepreneurs who work with local organizations or own their own business in Latvia;
• Entrepreneurs who are just planning to register a business in the country;
• employees of Russian enterprises that have branches in Latvia.

Residence permit in Latvia through business is available in the following cases:

• The applicant invests at least € 50,000 in an existing Latvian company.
• The applicant registers his own company, while paying 10,000 € state fee. To own a residence permit, a foreigner must pay at least € 40,000 annually in tax.

Moving to Latvia through employment is carried out only if the applicant has a labor agreement with a local employer or an invitation from the same employer.

Package of documents

The success of obtaining a residence permit in Latvia largely depends on the completeness of the package of documents provided. It is possible that the Consulate staff will inform you of the missing documents in the list upon submission, but you should not count on their kindness and attentiveness.

What papers will be needed:

• valid passport valid in the territory of Latvia;
• copies of all completed and unfilled pages of the passport;
• general civil (internal) passport (provided for comparison with copies);
• photocopies of the pages of the general passport, on which the personal data of the applicant are indicated, the address of his permanent and temporary registration (if any);
• a completed questionnaire of the current type (a blank form can be found on the official website of the Consulate or in the appropriate department at the place of residence in Latvia);
• one photo of the applicant (photo size - 3.5 x 4.5 cm, format - color, required background image - white);
• a certificate of no criminal record from the applicant (issued by the police on the territory of Russia or in another country of residence), is required to provide to persons over 14 years of age;
• certificates of the migrant’s funds for living abroad (for example, an extract from the bank);
• a lease of housing in Latvia, the consent of the property owner to the applicant’s residence with him, a contract of sale of housing, if the foreigner purchased the property in advance or other papers that would confirm the availability of housing from the applicant;
• documents confirming that the immigrant has grounds for obtaining a residence permit (the basis depends on the purpose of the move).

Additionally, a medical policy with a coverage of € 45,000 may be required.

Please note: citizens of Ukraine with a biometric passport and citizens of the Russian Federation provide different packages of documents.

Do not hope that the employees who are considering your application will not notice the absence of a binding document and will forgive you a mistake. Most likely, you will receive a refusal and the application will have to be submitted again, while re-paying the consular fee.

Statement

The application form can be downloaded from the official website of the Latvian Consulate in Russia. The document consists of 12 pages.

In the application, the migrant indicates the following information:

• purpose of stay;
• period of planned stay in the country;
• FULL NAME.;
• citizenship;
• Date of Birth;
• place of birth (country, city);
• birth certificate number;
• floor;
• nationality;
• address of residence;
• address of the planned place of residence in Latvia;
• information on documents of ownership of property or its lease;
• personal data of relatives, spouse;
• Email;
• passport data and other information.

Russians are allowed to fill out an application in Russian.

Where to go?

The permit is issued at the Consulate of Latvia in Russia or at the Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs at the place of residence in Latvia. Before visiting the institution, familiarize yourself with its mode of operation, if necessary, sign up by phone.

The Embassy of Latvia is located at: Moscow, Chaplygina Z. Near the establishment there are 3 metro stations: Chistye Prudy, Sretensky Boulevard and Krasnye Vorota. The nearest tram stop is Bolshoy Kharitonevsky Lane.

Registration cost

A residence permit in Latvia is available to Russians only if all the necessary documents are available and the state duty is paid in advance.

A temporary residence permit is issued at the following dates upon payment of the specified state fee or consular fee (depends on the institution to which you apply).

A temporary residence permit for reunification with a spouse, with parents for minor applicants and by education will cost applicants the specified time:

Additional documents are sent from the Consulate to the Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs after payment of the consular fee of 45 €.

At the Consulate, payment is made only by bank transfer.

Reasons for refusing permission

How to get a residence permit in Latvia for Russians the first time? Please note and do not make the errors listed below.

Possible reasons for refusing to grant a residence permit:

• your passport expires too soon;
• the applicant made mistakes in the completed application;
• an incomplete package of documents has been submitted that does not confirm the legitimacy of the basis;
• submitted documents are recognized invalid;
• marriage with a citizen of Latvia is considered fictitious;
• the candidate has a serious illness;
• the applicant has an offense;
• insufficient funds for living in Latvia;
• violations of the country's migration policy have been identified;
• an immigrant does military service in another state;
• the applicant is denied entry to one or more Schengen countries;
• violations were detected by the receiving side.

When applying for a residence permit, pay attention to the permissible length of stay in the country, which is forbidden to violate.