Latvian Embassy in China - Consular Information


EN :: 中文 :: LV		http://www.latvianembassy.org.cn

LATVIA IN DETAIL

CONSULAR INFORMATION

Applying for a visa to the Schengen area

Since 21 December 2007 Latvia is a part of the Schengen visa area

General information

A visa issued by a Schengen country permits free travel within the Schengen area, if not stated otherwise on the visa. The Schengen area includes 24 countries, namely: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Competent Embassy or Consulate General The Embassy or Consulate General of the country of the main destination is the competent authority to deal with the application. If the main destination cannot be determined, the application should be made to the embassy of the country in which the longest visit shall be. If the visits in different Schengen countries are of equal length, the first destination shall be the determining factor.

Visa application

Required documentation for Schengen business visa:

One visa application form duly completed and signed by the applicant

(download here);

Up-to-date photo with WHITE background;
Passport, valid until at least 30 days after expiration of the visa; plus copies of the identification pages and all the pages containing information about visas that have already been issued;
Documents confirming that the visa applicant has an invitation to visit Latvia which has been approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs at the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Latvia no later than six months prior to the application date (the number of the above mentioned invitation is sufficient);
Original introduction letter (translated either into English or into the language of the country that receives the application) of the Chinese company (stating address, telephone/fax-numbers, position and salary of the visa applicant, how long she/he has worked for the company, subject of the intended business activity) including signature and seal of the company;
Copy of the business license of the Chinese company including translation into English or the language of the country that receives the application;
A valid health insurance policy (minimum coverage of € 30,000, valid for the entire duration of the trip, covering the costs of any emergency medical treatment and repatriation for medical reasons as well as in a case of death repatriation of human remains), original + 1 copy.

Download: List of travel health insurance companies recognized by the Embassies and Consulates of Schengen countries

Booking of the airline ticket for the whole trip;
Family book - Hukoubu (the original should be provided and a copy submitted);
ID card (the original should be provided and a copy submitted);
Visa fee – 650 RMB.

Required documentation for Schengen private visit /family visit visa:

One visa application form duly completed and signed by the applicant

(download here);

Up-to-date photo with WHITE background;
Passport, valid until at least 30 days after expiration of the visa; plus copies of the identification pages and all the pages containing information about visas that have already been issued;
Documents confirming that the visa applicant has an invitation to visit Latvia which has been approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs at the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Latvia no later than six months prior to the application date (the number of the above mentioned invitation is sufficient);
Proof of financial means – original bank statement and document of bank transactions for the last 6 month;
Marriage certificate or notarised document of a relationship (document should be in translated into English; original provided and copies submitted);
Letter from the employment in the language of the receiving country or in English, stating the applicant’s name, position, guarantee of leave for the duration of the trip as well as salary. The certificate has to include address, telephone and fax numbers and the seal of the company or school.
In case of minors travelling: written consent of both parents (either personally given in the writing at the Embassy of certified by a notary public) in the language of the receiving country or in English. In case of divorced parents: divorce certificate and proof of custody in original translated in the language of the receiving country or in English.
A valid health insurance policy (minimum coverage of € 30,000, valid for the entire duration of the trip, covering the costs of any emergency medical treatment and repatriation for medical reasons as well as in a case of death repatriation of human remains), original + 1 copy.

Download: List of travel health insurance companies recognized by the Embassies and Consulates of Schengen countries

Booking of the airline ticket for the whole trip;
Family book - Hukoubu (the original should be provided and copies submitted);
ID card (the original should be provided and a copy submitted);
Visa fee – 650 RMB.

Additional remarks

The above mentioned requirements are not an exhaustive list. The relevant Schengen consular office maintains the right to ask for further documents if necessary.
The visa procedure takes 5-10 working days.
The visa processing fee is non-refundable. The Embassy is not responsible for costs that can be incurred if a visa is refused.
Regarding specific country information and the business hours of the visa section, please contact the relevant consular office or consult its website.

Please make an appointment by e-mail or by making a phone call prior to coming to the Embassy to apply for a visa. We ask you to provide us with the number of your invitation so that it could be confirmed in advance.

Changes in crossing the territory of Latvia in transit as of 1 December 2006

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.