The diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Republic of Latvia accept visa applications from the citizens of the Russian Federation in following cases:
- family members (spouse, grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, and dependent persons) of a national of the Republic of Latvia;
- family members of the nationals of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or the Swiss Confederation (under Cabinet Regulation No. 675 of 30 August 2011, “Procedures for the Entry and Residence in the Republic of Latvia of Citizens of the Union and their Family Members”);
- persons who have received the right of residence in Latvia;
- persons whose entry is related to humanitarian considerations (a serious illness of a relative or the need to attend a funeral, or there are threats to their or their family member's safety or life).
Each visa application is assessed in detail on a case by case basis to obtain proof that the person falls within any of the above listed categories. Where the purpose of entry is related to humanitarian considerations, the visa applicant must present documents confirming the purpose of entry and kinship.
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For inquiries regarding border crossing procedures, please contact the Latvian State Border Guard by phone: +371 67075616, by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or via the website.
All travellers are responsible for verifying travel restrictions in place before departure. Holders of a Schengen visa are not automatically entitled to enter the Schengen area but must respect the travel restrictions in place.
Please note that starting from 1 January 2021, holders of the UK residence documents will not be exempted from the visa requirement in order to travel to Latvia.
Citizens of third countries who are residents of the United Kingdom and would like to travel to Latvia can apply for Schengen visa at the Embassy of Latvia in London. The Embassy of Latvia has appointed VF Services (UK) Limited in London, Manchester and Edinburgh to provide document collection and submission service for Schengen visa applicants traveling to Latvia. Visa applications are to be submitted in the visa application centres, from where they will be sent to the Embassy of Latvia in London for their further assessment. Additional information is available here: Apply for VISA to Latvia.
Visa applications can be submitted no more than six months before the intended visit and no later than 15 calendar days before the start of the intended visit.
Appointments for Schengen visa applicants can be scheduled at The Joint Visa Application Centres for the Latvia.
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SCHENGEN VISA
IMPORTANT: All visa applicants aged 12 years and older must apply for Schengen visa in person in order to have fingerprints taken.
The service focuses on delivering visas within a short period of time (10 days calculated from the date that the Embassy receives the application). Please note that all applications are processed individually. The Visa Officer may request further documentation or information, which can prolong the processing time. In certain cases it may take up to 45 days when additional documents are requested or an interview at the Embassy is scheduled.
For the following nationals the visa processing time takes a minimum of 10 working days.
All fees paid for processing a visa application are non-refundable. Any documents submitted (except for the passport) are not a matter of return after the application is made.
- If you want to visit Latvia, please apply for a visa at the Embassy of Latvia. If you want to visit other Schengen country, apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of that country.
- If you want to visit several Schengen countries, or if several separate visits are to be carried out within a period of two months, apply at the Embassy or Consulate of the country of your main destination or the country where you intend to stay for the longest period of time.
- If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, but do not have the main destination, you should apply at the Embassy or Consulate of the Schengen country of your first entry.
Holders of the following types of UK travel documents are required to apply for a Schengen visa in order to travel to Latvia:
- A stateless persons travel document, being red coloured (Convention of 28 September 1954);
- A certificate of travel, also called a certificate of identity, being either brown or black coloured. LTD visa;
- A convention travel document, being blue coloured (convention of 28 July 1951).
Emergencies
In an emergency, such as the death or serious illness of a relative, please contact the Embassy for further information. When you travel to Latvia, the Schengen visa should be in your valid passport. Old passport with a valid Schengen visa can be used for travel if a new passport has been issued because there were not sufficiently many free pages for visas and notes on border-crossing in the previous passport. Holders of Schengen visa are still subject to immigration controls and are not guaranteed entry into any of the Schengen countries.
Documents required when applying for a short-stay visa to enter Latvia