Where and how to apply for a Latvian visa in Moscow

Do Russians need a visa to Latvia?

Regardless of the reasons for the trip, Russians must obtain a visa to legally stay in the territory of the Republic of Latvia. Depending on the purpose of their stay in the country, Russian citizens can apply for a Schengen visa, a national visa or a residence permit. If Latvia will be used only as a transit country, then you will need to obtain a transit visa.

For short-term trips, Schengen is issued. This type of visa can be single-entry, double-entry or multiple-entry with different validity periods, from “for the date of travel” to 5 years. For a longer stay in the country, you need to apply for either a national visa or a residence permit in Latvia.

List of documents for a Schengen visa

Because The Schengen visa to Latvia is the most popular among Russians, so we will talk about it in this article. The main list of documents without which it is impossible to obtain a Latvian Schengen visa:

• Visa application form (filled out online).
• A foreign passport with at least 2 blank pages left for making marks. It must be valid for another 90 days after the applicant’s expected return from Latvia.
• Internal passport. If the applicant does not have one, he must provide a certificate of the appropriate form and a vacation ticket indicating his registration. If a minor is traveling, a birth certificate must be present.
• 2 photos for documents (1 of them must be pasted onto the completed visa application form). The photo size is 35 by 45 mm, the background should only be gray or white. There should be no corners in the photo. Photos for visa documents have an expiration date. It must be done no later than 6 months before the date of submission of the package of papers to the visa office. The applicant must not be wearing outer clothing, sunglasses or a hat when taking photographs.
• Provide a document indicating the purpose of the visit. This could be confirmation of a hotel room reservation or ticket registration. Both numbers and tickets must include the applicant's full name. If you travel by personal transport, you must provide the travel route, documents for the car, license and, if necessary, a power of attorney.
• Medical insurance that will be valid throughout the Schengen territory. The minimum insurance coverage must be at least 30 thousand euros. By the way, you can apply for a policy online.

• Documents that confirm the financial viability of the applicant for the period of the trip to Latvia. As such a document, you can provide a certificate from work with information about your position and salary, you can take a bank statement showing the movement of personal funds in the account for 90 days. If the applicant does not have enough funds, a letter of guarantee (sponsorship) must be provided.
• Receipts for payment of duties. Fees are payable by applicants who have reached 6 years of age.
• From the age of 14, having your own foreign passport when crossing the Latvian border is mandatory. If a minor travels to Latvia or any other Schengen country without parents, the parents must provide a notarized permission for the child to leave in the name of the accompanying person. If he is traveling only with his father or mother, then permission from the second parent will also be necessary. If the child does not have one of the parents, then the other must attach a document confirming this fact (a court decision on guardianship, a death certificate, or that he/she has been considered missing for 12 months).

Depending on the purpose of the trip, additional documents may be needed:

• During a guest visit. There must be an invitation from relatives, which is certified by the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It must contain guarantees that those invited will have a place to live there and all expenses for its maintenance will be covered. Relatives or friends must also provide a document that they themselves are in Latvia legally.
• Business visit: an invitation from a business partner who provides a document about the purpose of the visit and the provision of accommodation. The length of stay in the country and guaranteed coverage of all expenses must be indicated.
• Those who are traveling as a participant to cultural or sporting events - availability of tickets, proof of accommodation reservation and invitation from the organizers.
• If going for a long period of time to study, the applicant must present an invitation from the educational institution. It must be provided on a special form with the seal and signature of the university administration.

Application form for a visa to Latvia: form and sample filling

The Latvian consulate or visa centers accept visa applications that are completed online. The application form for a Schengen visa can be filled out online on the page: epak.pmlp.gov.lv. Using this service, you can both save and edit the entered data.

All points of the form must be completed in accordance with your trip and travel document. The applicant personally signs the application form, with the exception of applicants under 18 years of age, for whom this is done by parents or legal representatives (guardians). An example of filling out an application for a visa to Latvia is below:

How much money should be in the account

The amount of finance in the account depends on the period for which the applicant is traveling to Latvia and for what purpose.

• If the period of stay in Latvia is up to 30 days , then the bank certificate must indicate the amount at the rate of at least 14 euros for each day of stay .
• If the planned stay is more than a month at least 430 euros in your account . This amount is the minimum wage in Latvia.
• If the purpose of the visit is employment at least 1004 euros in his account - the average annual salary in the country.

List of required documents

Application for a visa to Bulgaria in 2018
To avoid being refused, it is not enough to simply fill out the application online. It is necessary to collect all documents for a Latvian visa. In the absence of any certificate from the list below, a person is not eligible to submit an application. He will simply be refused without explanation.

You must have with you:

• International passport with blank visa pages.
• A recent photograph measuring 35 by 45 mm. There should be only one person in the photo, against a neutral background. The majority of the photo should be taken up by the person's face and shoulders.
• Medical insurance that will be valid throughout the tourist’s stay in the country.
• Receipt confirming payment of the consular fee.
• Confirmation that the tourist has a sufficient amount of funds (thus proving financial solvency).
• An invitation from a relative or other person, if any.
• Confirmation that a person has a place to live on foreign territory.
• A document stating the purpose of the trip (tourism, education, family reunion, starting a business, etc.).

It is worth collecting documentation for a child if he is traveling with his family. The package is attached to the visa and, if necessary, sent by express letter. Despite the fact that the questionnaire is electronic, the physical presence of the person will be required - he can be invited to an appointment at any time.

Applying for a Schengen visa to Latvia yourself: step-by-step instructions

To obtain a Latvian Schengen, it is not necessary to contact travel agencies or other auxiliary institutions. The applicant can do this independently by bringing a full package of documents to the consulate or visa center. You just need to pay attention to the fact that to obtain a short-term Schengen visa, you can contact both the embassy and the visa center. A Latvian national visa or residence permit can only be issued through a diplomatic mission of this country (consulate).

Features of obtaining a visa through the consulate

At the consulate, unlike the visa center, you can apply for any type of visa.

• Pre-registration will be required to apply for any type of visa. Ethnic Latvians, spouses and children of legal citizens of Latvia and the EU do not have to worry about registration in advance. We remind you that today there are 4 Latvian representative offices in Russia: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Pskov and Kaliningrad. Each of them has its own characteristics of making an appointment and operating hours.
• On the specified day, the applicant appears at the consulate to submit documents, pay the consular fee, and submit biometric data (if the applicant has never submitted them or 5 years have passed since the last submission).
• Once all the documents have been submitted by the applicant and verified by the consular officer, all that remains is to wait for the result and receive a visa.

Features of obtaining a visa through a visa center

To apply to a visa center to obtain a permit, you need to go through the following steps and take into account the following nuances:

• Visa centers cooperate with the logistics company Pony Express, which accepts documents for visas to Latvia for further transfer to the Consulate. Visas can be issued either standard or urgent.
• An appointment is not required to apply to visa centers. You just need to come to the center and show your documents to the center manager, who will be standing at the entrance, for a superficial inspection. After inspection, he issues a ticket that allows you to join the electronic queue. Most applicants are offered to use additional services of the center.
• Both the submission of documents and the submission of biometrics, payment of fees is carried out using an electronic queue coupon.
• After the turn has come to submit documents, they have been accepted, the papers are transferred to the Latvian consulate, where a decision will be made on issuing or refusing a visa. You can track the readiness of a visa center client’s passport here.

Additional information for those traveling to Latvia

Since September 2015, a new rule has come into force stating that all citizens over 12 years of age must submit biometric data when applying for a Schengen visa. This means that the applicant must appear in person at the representative office.

This rule applies only to those who have not submitted biometric data when applying for a visa to any of the Schengen countries over the past five years.

If you are planning a trip abroad for the first time, keep in mind that scammers continue to make money by providing assistance to those traveling abroad. Be careful. All the necessary information is presented on the website of the Latvian Embassy, ​​including an example of filling it out. On the resource you can get comprehensive answers to all questions.

Price of a visa to Latvia at the embassy and visa center

Fees for processing documents and obtaining a visa will depend on where the application will take place.

When applying to the Latvian consulate for Schengen registration, the fee will be:

• 35 euros – for obtaining a Schengen visa in the usual manner (the cost is relevant for citizens of Russia and 11 other European countries).
• 70 euros – when applying for a visa in an expedited manner.
• If the visa is issued by citizens of countries that are not included in the list of 12 with which visa agreements have been signed, they must pay 60 euros for a standard visa.

When applying to any Latvian visa center in Russia, in addition to the consular fee, a service fee is also paid. This is a fee for collecting and sending documents by center employees to the consulate. If the visa center is located in Moscow or St. Petersburg, the service fee will be 20 euros. At other regional Latvian visa centers, applicants pay a fee of 30 euros.

When paying visa fees, you need to consider:

• Whatever the result of the work, neither the consular nor the service fee will be refunded.
• Payment of the fee is carried out on the day of submission of documents in ruble equivalent. Payment is possible both in cash and by card.

When completing documents on the official website of the visa agency, pay attention to the fact that there is a group of applicants who may be exempt from paying the fee.

How to apply for a visa to Latvia through the Consulate in Moscow

A Schengen (short-term, up to 3 months) or national (long-term, up to 1 year) visa to Latvia at the Moscow Consulate is obtained according to a certain algorithm:

1. collect the necessary documents;
2. make an appointment by calling 8-800-250-49-36 (toll-free) or book a date and time to visit the office to submit documents on the Embassy portal;
3. receive an invitation letter for a visit;
4. fill out a form on the website of the representative office and send it electronically;
5. print out the document, sign and attach it to other papers;
6. come to the Consular Section at the appointed time and submit documents;
7. if necessary, undergo a biometrics procedure;
8. pay the consular fee;
9. return home, awaiting a visa decision;
10. come to the Consular Section to collect your passport.

Embassy of Latvia in Moscow
Pre-registration for the submission of papers is not required for ethnic Latvians, Livs, their spouses and children, as well as for those traveling to the republic for the funeral of a relative or wife/husband.

Registration deadlines

It is not allowed to apply for a visa earlier than 3 months before the planned trip. If a foreigner has a multiple-entry visa, he has the opportunity to apply for a new visa before its expiration date.

The Visa Code (Article 23) states that consulate employees review the submitted package of documents within 15 working days, taking into account the day of submission. However, in practice, applicants can pick up their passport within a week.

If unusual situations arise or if questions arise regarding the applicant or his documents, the period for reviewing the papers may take up to a month. Very rarely the review period extends beyond 60 days.

And remember! Having a visa is not a basis for crossing the border. The customs officer has the right to request additional information from the entrant, as well as refuse entry into Latvia if he considers such a decision necessary.

How long does it take to get a visa to Latvia?

The permissible period of stay in Latvia depends on the type of visa issued.

• Regular Schengen can be issued for a period from several weeks to 5 years. Usually issued by tourists.
• A national visa is issued for those who need to stay in the country for more than 90 days without leaving the country.

The period for which a visa will be issued depends on the visa history of the applicant. If you are applying for a visa on a “clean” passport, then most likely you will receive a visa strictly for the dates of your trip. When applying for Schengen for the second or third time, you can count on a visa valid for 6 or 12 months. A two-year Latvian Schengen can be obtained by applicants who have been in the country more than 3 times and have never had any violations recorded against them. Schengen for a period of 3 years is issued in rare cases.

How to obtain a Latvian visa through a visa center in Moscow

A Schengen visa to Latvia through a visa center in Moscow is issued as follows:

• the visitor comes to the office with a prepared package of documents on any working day from 9.00 to 17.00;
• a specialist checks them and issues a ticket for the electronic queue;
• The visa applicant fills out the form himself or, with the help of a center employee, fills out an electronic version if he wants to use the service for an additional fee;
• in the electronic queue order, the visitor transfers his documents along with the application form to the reception window;
• if necessary, a biometric procedure is performed;
• the visitor pays the consular fee and additional services ordered by him, and goes home;
• the center employees transfer the documents to the Consular Section of the Embassy the next day after the reception;
• A visa applicant can monitor the status of his application on the center’s website;
• the applicant is notified about the readiness of the visa via SMS or email;
• he picks up the passport at the center or receives it at home by courier delivery if he ordered the service.

National visas are not issued at PONY EXPRESS; this is done only through the Embassy.