In accordance with the Decision No.895/2006/EC1 and the Decision No.896/06/EC2 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union of 14 June 2006, the following provisions shall be applied as of 1 December 2006:
A third-country national, holding a valid visa or a residence permit of a Schengen memberstate3 or of a new EU member state4 or a residence permit issued in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, may cross in transit the territory of Latvia without Latvian transit visa, in order to enter the territory of a Schengen state, a new EU member state, Switzerland or Liechtenstein or return to his/her country of residence or, if there is such a permit, to a third country.
[1] Decision No 895/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 introducing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia of certain documents as equivalent to their national visas for the purposes of transit through their territories
[2] Decision No 896/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 establishing a simplified regime for the control of persons at the external borders based on the unilateral recognition by the Member States of certain residence permits issued by Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the purpose of transit through their territory
[3] Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden
[4] Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia (Terms of decisions are not applicable to Bulgaria and Romania)
RESIDENCE PERMITS
A residence permit is a document providing a foreigner the right to reside in the Republic of Latvia for a definite period of time (a temporary residence permit) or permanently (a permanent residence permit). A residence permit is necessary if you are willing to reside in the Republic of Latvia for a period of time exceeding 90 days within half a year (counting from the first day of entrance) to carry out business transactions, to study, work or reside in the Republic of Latvia as a self-employed person.
Before the submission of the documents your inviter shall approve the invitation at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs Foreigners Service Centre or at a territorial office.
Basic documents to be submitted in order to receive a residence permit for stay in Latvia are as follows:
- a valid travel document recognised in the Republic of Latvia (passport);
- a definite sample form for a residence permit request ;
- two photos (35mm x 45mm, with a WHITE background);
- a statement on fluorography/ x-ray examining results - to be legalised;
- a non-criminal record issued by a competent institution of the citizenship or the host country (for a foreigner more than 14 years old) – to be legalised;
- a document confirming the necessary subsistence;
- a labour agreement or an enterprise agreement or its draft;
- a document confirming the envisaged place of residence in the Republic of Latvia;
- for students: a study contract, a diploma of high school or university (to be legalised), a document proving the sufficient knowledge of English to study in Latvia;
- state and consular fee.
Please be aware that consular officer has the right to ask for additional information and documents if necessary.
All the documents should be submitted at the Embassy personally. The documents can be completed in Latvian, English, French, Russian or German. The documents being issued abroad must be legalised or certified in accordance with the supervisions of the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, if international agreements do not stipulate otherwise. If the Document is issued by the authorities of the People's Republic of China it should be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China.
The statement on fluorography/ x-ray examining results is valid for one year since the date of its issue. The non-criminal record is valid for 6 month since the date of its issue.
State duty for processing the documents:
-within 30 working days after the receipt of the documents at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs - 70 LVL (1100 RMB)
-within 10 working days after the receipt of the documents at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs - 170 LVL (2650 RMB)
-within 5 working days after the receipt of the documents at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs - 220 LVL (3400 RMB)
Consular fee- 30 LVL (480 RMB).
State duty and consular fee must be paid before submission of the respective documents.
After the receiving of approval from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs a foreigner has to apply for a long-term visa with a validity term up to 30 days. After arrival to the Republic of Latvia a foreigner has to go personally to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs Foreign Service Centre or to a regional division and receive a residence permit. Upon this point, the foreigner has to show a passport and a valid health insurance policy.
For more information please see the homepage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia www.am.gov.lv and the homepage of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of the Republic of Latvia www.ocma.gov.lv
Please make an appointment by e-mail or by making a phone call prior to coming to the Embassy to apply for a residence permit. We kindly ask you to provide us with the number of your invitation so that it could be confirmed in advance.
Visa Application Form *
Legalisation
of documents for their use in Latvia
The Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the People’s Republic of China provides the service legalisation of documents issued in China (or other countries) and intended for the use in Latvia.
The phases in the process of legalisation are as follow. The document issued by a Chinese authority has to be:
- translated either in English or Russian;
- sealed by a notary;
- legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China;
- legalised at the Embassy of Latvia in PRC.
When a document is being submitted at the Embassy for legalisation, the person has to complete an application form and show his/her passport.
Documents of legal entities may be submitted by Chief Executive Officers (CEO) or by a person authorized by CEOs, upon presentation of their identity documents.
Natural persons who may submit documents upon presentation of their identity documents are:
- persons to whom the document refers directly;
- persons who have received a power of attorney certified by a notary, granted by the person mentioned in (1);
- relatives of persons mentioned in (1), upon presenting documents proving their kinship.
Documents are being legalized within seven (7) working days after the day of their submission. The fee per document is: - for natural persons is 80 RMB;
- for legal entities 160 RMB.
Urgent documents are legalized within 48 hours, excluding holidays.
The fee per document is: - for natural persons is 160 RMB;
- for legal entities 320 RMB. |