Applying for a visa

Foreign nationals submit their visa applications to the following authorities:

• A Latvian Embassy or Consulate, if there is one in the country where the foreign national legally resides.
  • The territorial competence of the Latvian diplomatic and consular missions is set out in the Cabinet Regulation of 3 August 2010, No. 725 „Regulations regarding the assignment of territorial competence for Diplomatic and Consular missions of the Republic of Latvia with respect to requesting visas”:
    • for short-stay visas (the permitted duration of stay does not exceed 90 days in any 180-day period), see Annex 1 to the Regulation,
    • for long-stay visas (the permitted duration of stay exceeds 90 days in any 180-day period), see Annex 2 to the Regulation.
  • Visa applications to Latvia’s diplomatic and consular missions shall be lodged through external service provider VFS Global.
    • Further information is available on the website of the respective diplomatic/consular mission of Latvia.
• Diplomatic or Consular Mission of another Schengen Member State, if the foreign national legally resides in a state where there is no Latvian diplomatic/consular mission, but another Schengen Member State is representing Latvia for visa purposes.
  • Diplomatic/consular missions of other Schengen Member States represent Latvia only in the issuance of short-stay visas with the permitted duration of stay in the Schengen Member States not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period.
  • Diplomatic/consular missions of other Schengen Member States do not issue long-stay visas for Latvia.
• If there is neither a Latvian diplomatic/consular mission, nor a mission of a state that represents Latvia for visa purposes in the country where the foreign national legally resides, the applicant shall apply to the Latvian diplomatic/consular mission with a territorial competence covering the applicant’s country of residence.