According to the Consular territorial competence, Embassy of Latvia in the United Arab Emirates accepts national visa applications/residence permit requests ONLY from citizens and residents of the GCC countries and Pakistan (on visit/tourist visa).
All appointments are booked only through online appointment system.
How to apply for a residence permit for studies in Latvia
Applicants who intend to enter Latvia on study purposes, are subjected to apply for the residence permit at the Embassy of Latvia in the United Arab Emirates in person. Once the decision by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia on granting rights of residence is made, student can apply for a long stay visa at the Embassy of Latvia in United Arab Emirates.
Here are the steps how to apply for the residence permit:
A. Student must receive an official invitation from the University. The invitation is filed in the Office of Citizenship and Migration (OCMA) by the University representative. Student must provide the invitation number upon submitting the documents.
B. Student should arrange an appointment with the Consular Section of the Embassy to submit the documents. The appointments are booked only through online appointment system.
Note: Residence permit application is submitted in person only. No documents are accepted by mail.
C. During the appointment the applicant should submit all the required documents and have an interview with the Consular Officer. Below is the list of the required documents:
- A definite sample form for a residence permit request;
- A photo;
- Passport and copy of passport;
- Proof or permanent residence in the United Aram Emirates or a valid visa for Pakistani nationals;
- Invitation number;
- Study contract;
- Letter confirming the envisaged place of residence;
- Police certificate;
- Certificates of previous education;
- Academic Information center (AIC) certificate if it has been issued;
- A document confirming the necessary subsistence. For students in 2024, minimum subsistence is 8 400 EUR or its equivalent in foreign currency.
- If another person is paying for the studies – affidavit of financial support and documents clarifying the source of income, kinship documents;
- Other certificates and documents student deems relevant (e.g. IELTS, professional experience certificates, study course diploma etc.).
In order to submit foreign public documents (school diplomas, kinship documents and police clearance certificate) at the Embassy of Latvia, documents need to be legalised or authenticated with an Apostille at the competent institution of the relevant foreign country. If a document is issued in a foreign country which has joined the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents it must be authenticated with an Apostille by the competent institution of the relevant foreign country. If a document issued in a foreign country which has not joined the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents, must be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the document origin country and then that country’s Embassy here in the UAE.
D. At the Embassy of Latvia, the consular and state fees have to be paid:
- state fee for the legalization of documents – 25 EUR for one document (in 5 working days) or 40 EUR (in 2 hours);
- consular fee for the application – 80 EUR or 110 EUR;
- state fee for the application:
- 70 EUR for the review of the application in 30 days’ time after the documents have reached Latvia (for master and doctor students the review in 30 days’ time is for free);
- 200 EUR for the review of the application in 10 working days after the documents have reached Latvia;
- 400 EUR for the review of the application in 5 working days after the documents have reached Latvia.
At the Embassy, the payment is possible by card only. Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and American Express are accepted at the Embassy.
E. Residence permit application is reviewed by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) of Latvia. If the decision of OCMA is positive the student can apply for D type visa at the VFS Global offices. List of the required documents for D type visa:
- Passport;
- 2 photos, on white background, 70% should be covered by the face; 1 photo should be attached to the application form itself, the 2nd photo should be submitted separately along with your application;
- E-Visa application form for Latvian National Visa D filled in on our web-site, printed out and signed in relevant boxes of the application form which are marked by “signature” note. Visa application form is available on the web-site https://epak.pmlp.gov.lv/NVIS.EService001.WebSite/ApplicationInquiry.aspx?;
- Health insurance for the period of 90 days from the date of arrival to Latvia, insurance coverage amount should be not less than 42 600 €;
- Cору of flight ticket booking;
- A written confirmation from University regarding the matriculation of the student and the necessity of the presence of student in Latvia;
- Non-refundable fee of 60 EUR to be paid by card during the appointment (no fee is required for master and doctor student).
D type visa is issued within few days up to 10 days.