Short term visits
Citizens of the United States do not need a visa to travel to Latvia if their stay does not exceed 90 days in a 180-day period, as long as they are not employed or involved in any paid activity. After the expiry of the maximum permitted duration of stay – 90 days within any 180-day period – the US citizen, without leaving the territory of Latvia, can extend his/her stay in Latvia for up to another 90 days period laid down in the bilateral visa waiver agreement between Latvia and the US.
After the expiry of the time period laid down in the Schengen Convention and respective bilateral agreement, the US citizen must leave the territory of the Schengen area or the territory of Latvia, if he/she is entering another member state of the Schengen area with which his/her country of nationality has signed a bilateral visa waiver agreement.
A repeated entry into Schengen countries including Latvia is possible after a 90-day interval subsequent to leaving the Schengen area. This also applies to cases when the US citizen has not used up all the duration of stay provided for in the bilateral visa waiver agreement.
The US citizen is under obligation to provide proof of his/her stay outside the Republic of Latvia for at least 90 days after the expiry of the permitted length of stay, if this is not proved by border crossing stamps.
Moving to Latvia
If a US citizen plans to live and work in Latvia in the long-term, they must apply for a residence permit. Citizens of the United States may travel to Latvia and apply for a residence permit at the competent institution issuing residence permits – the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA). The grounds for requesting a residence permit and the list of required documents for the residence permit application are available on the following website of the OCMA website.
Working in Latvia
US citizens travelling to Latvia with the purpose of being employed or involved in any paid activity must apply for a visa with employment rights. Information on employment in Latvia can be found on the website of OCMA.
Employment rights are granted with the decision to issue a visa (for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period) or a residence permit (for stays longer than 90 days). The right to employment is certified by a corresponding entry in the visa or residence permit.
The Embassy is issuing visas with employment rights based on an invitation approved by the OCMA. As soon as the invitation is approved, the person may apply for a visa at the Embassy. Information on the visa application process and the required documents is available here.
If your planned stay in Latvia is longer than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit. As a US citizen you may travel to Latvia and apply for a residence permit directly at the OCMA. You may also submit your application to the Embassy for further forwarding to the OCMA for processing. There is a fee for document forwarding. If you choose to submit your documents to the Embassy, please see this page.
In case of further inquiries, please contact the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs by phone +371 67209400, by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or via the website.