Temporary residence permit in Latvia based on employment

Foreigners can apply for a temporary residence permit (TRP) for a period that corresponds to the term of office but no longer than 5 years if the vacancy has been registered with the State Employment Agency and has been vacant for at least 10 business days.

In case of applying for an EU Blue Card (for professional employees with either 5 years of experience in the field or 3 years of higher education in the field) vacancy registration with State Employment Agency is not required.

Family members (spouse, children) can apply for TRP simultaneously with the main applicant.

Below is the action plan with an estimated time frame (please note that the time frame is approximate as it depends on how fast the necessary documents are gathered and reviewed by the Latvian Immigration authority):

1. Invitation process
7-9 business days	The Invitation for the employee is prepared in approximately 2 business days, if necessary, documents described in section 2 of this document are gathered and submitted to us. Then, the Invitation is submitted to the Migration authority and the review takes up to 5 business days after which the approval from the Migration authority is received. If the Migration Authority asks for more documents, the term can be extended.
2. Submitting documents to the Immigration Authority
-	Gathering all the necessary documents for application for the TRP. The necessary documents are the following: Valid passport Picture of every applicant (size 3x4) A notice from relevant authorities as proof of no-criminal record of an applicant who is older than 14 years A document proving existence of financial means to cover living costs of the applicant and, if necessary – his family. For employment based TRP the necessary funds currently are a monthly salary in the amount of at least EUR 1,143 (gross). Such documents would be the employment contract. In case of application for the EU Blue Card: EUR 1,715. A document proving the existence of the residence place in Latvia (in case the real estate is owned – a notice from the Latvian Land Book or in case of rent – a confirmation from the owner of the real estate).
2-3 business days	Additional documents required upon the submission: A special application form for each person. A confirmation letter from the main applicant that he / she undertakes to ensure the financial means and place of residence for his family members, if they apply for TRP simultaneously.
1-2 months	Submitting the application for TRP to a Latvian foreign embassy (if applicant applies from abroad) Filled, signed application forms. A proof of state fee payment* (a payment is made either by ibank or at the foreign embassy). State fee for revision of theapplication: Within 30 days: EUR 100 Within 10 business days: EUR 200/ Blue card EUR 100 Within 5 business days: EUR 400/ Blue card EUR 200 Documents indicated in Part 1 above. Immigration Authority’s decision In general, the decision can be adopted within 30 days in case of standard procedure or within 10 or 5 business days in case of the accelerated procedure. Please note that our prior experience shows that the Immigration authority can prolong the term up to 90 days, in case it considers that (a) more information is required or (b) it requires more time to adopt the decision
2-10 business days	Visiting the Immigration Authority in Latvia Once the decision is made, the applicant and his dependants that applied with him/her can submit their biometric data to the Migration Authority and submit additional documents that wasn’t submitted earlier in the process (only allowed for tuberculosis tests, insurance policies and original employment contracts). TRP cards will be made and can be received by each applicant personally (children also need to be present, if their cards are being received). Upon receiving the cards, the applicants will need to submit: Health insurance policy for all applicants; A notice from a Latvian doctor/medical institution that the applicant is not suffering from tuberculosis in active phase – for first time applicants only (we can assist in arranging an appointment). It is possible to obtain the TRP card within 10 or 2 business days. The stamp duties are the following: Within 10 business days: EUR 15 Within 2 business days: EUR 30