Approval of written invitation

• Indicate a telephone number and e-mail address that provides communication options;
• present a personal identification document;
• provide information about the foreigner: name (names) and surname in the Latin alphabet like it is specified in the travel document of the foreigner, nationality; gender; date of birth; place of birth; place of residence abroad; occupation; expected place of stay in the Republic of Latvia; purpose and time of stay in the Republic of Latvia; expected place of submission of the request for a visa;
• his or her information about the occupation;
• payment document, confirming payment of the State fee;
• in case of need, the documents shall be submitted, certifying the relation of the inviter with the foreigner to be invited and the need of the foreigner to enter Latvia.

If the inviter, when sending the request for invitation, specifies that he or she will cover expenses related to the entry and stay of the foreigner in the Republic of Latvia, he or she shall submit the documents, confirming that there are necessary financial means available at his or her disposal.

Such documents may not be requested by the official of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, if a spouse, parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren and their spouses are invited and the inviter confirms with a signature that he or she has sufficient means of subsistence and the invited foreigner, while staying in the Republic of Latvia, will not become a burden for the state social support system.

Authorised representative of the LEGAL PERSON shall (state or municipal authority of the Republic of Latvia, legal person registered in the Republic of Latvia):

• present a personal identification document and accordingly prepared power of attorney or a certified copy thereof (authorisation may be included in the submission);
• shall submit a submission;
• payment document, confirming payment of the State fee;
• in case of need shall present the documents, certifying:
  • the relation of the inviter with the foreigner to be invited (for example, the documents confirming the cooperation - all kind of agreements, letters of intent, product delivery notes - invoice, plans, reports, orders etc.or certified copies thereof);
  • the need of a foreigner to enter Latvia (for example, a written certification of the foreign cooperation partner regarding the need of the person to enter Latvia, in order to implement the declared purpose of entry or certified copies thereof);

If the inviter undertakes to cover all expenses related to entry and maintenance of the foreigner in the Republic of Latvia, it shall be specified in the request for invitation and confirmed that the necessary financial means are at the disposal of the legal person.

THE EMPLOYER  or his or her authorised representative, if the foreigner will be employed in the Republic of Latvia on the basis of the employment contract, company contract or any other civil contract, shall:

• submit accordingly prepared power of attorney or a certified copy thereof (authorisation may be included in the submission);
• shall submit a submission;
• if the profession of the foreigner is regulated, a copy of the certificate on recognition of the qualification or similar document shall be submitted, certifying the compliance of the professional qualification with the requirements determined in the Republic of Latvia. If the profession of a foreigner is not regulated, a legalized and certified copy of the education document or a document certifying experience of three years in the profession, where the employer plans to employ the foreigner, shall be submitted, enclosing the translation in the official language, certified in accordance with certain procedure. The documents referred to in this sub-paragraph shall not be submitted, when approving a written request for a member of the board or the council, procurator, administrator, liquidator or member of the partnership, being entitled to represent the partnership, or a person, being authorised to represent the merchant (foreign merchant) in activities related with the branch, registered in the Commercial Register;
• if the work of the foreigner in the Republic of Latvia is planned in accordance with employment contract or company contract, a certified copy of the employment contract or draft thereof or a certified copy of the company contract or draft thereof shall be submitted;
• if the employer plans to employ a foreigner in work, the performance of which requires a permit (licence), a certified copy of the permit (licence) shall be submitted;
• payment document, confirming payment of the State fee, shall be submitted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health has developed the facilitated procedure for receipt of visas for foreigners, who wish to enter Latvia with a purpose to receive medical treatment services (medical tourism) in any medical treatment institution of Latvia. Read more

The official of the Office shall adopt the decision regarding approval of the invitation within two working days or, if the request for invitation is related to the employment of the foreigner in the Republic of Latvia, - within five working days after submission of documents necessary for approval of the invitation. If additional examination is required for adoption of the decision, the official shall inform the inviter on that and adopt the decision within 10 working days.

The invitation shall be valid for 6 months from the date of approval of the invitation (unless a specific time of visit is specified in the invitation).

• For the submitted request on approval of the invitation – 17 euro;
• For request on approval of the invitation, which has been submitted electronically by using the special online form available on the state administration service on the portal www.latvija.gov.lv  - 10 euro;
• in addition - for each person included in the request for invitation – 10 euro;
• in addition - for each request for right of the person to be invited to employment – 85 euro. 

For each specification in the information included in the request for invitation, which was performed in accordance with the request of the inviter, – 14 euro.

Details:
The Beneficiary: THE TREASURY, registration number 90000050138
Beneficiary institution: THE TREASURY, BIC code: TRELLV22
Beneficiary’s account No.: LV37TREL1060140918500
PAYMENT PURPOSE: SF for (type of service - invitation, written request or visa) and (data of the service receiver - name, surname and data of birth of the person/-s, regarding whom the payment of the State fee is made)

The invitation shall not be approved or the approved invitation shall be cancelled in the following cases:

1. due to reasons set forth in Section 16, Paragraph one, Clauses 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20 of the Immigration Law;
2. the inviter has failed to submit the documents necessary for approval of the invitation and specified in Cabinet Regulation or refuses to provide the requested explanations, being related to approval of the invitation and entry and stay of the foreigner to be invited in the Republic of Latvia;
3. it was established that the inviter has provided false information;
4. it was established that the invited foreigner does not have a travel document recognized in the Republic of Latvia;
5. the information provided by the inviter or acquired by the Office does not indicate on sustainable relation with his or her home country and there is a reason to consider that the foreigner causes a risk of illegal immigration;
6. the inviter has lost the right stipulated by this Law to invite the foreigner;
7. equity capital of the commercial company of the inviter is not paid up, in accordance with the Commercial Law;
8. the reason for inviting a foreigner is employment under an employment contract and the employer has not registered a vacant job position with the State Employment Agency or the job position is registered but the opinion of the State Employment Agency on the necessity of attracting a foreigner has not been received, or the qualifications or employment conditions of the invited foreigner do not correspond to those indicated in the application for the registered vacant job position;
9. it has been established that the Republic of Latvia is not the country responsible for examining the visa application;
10. the true purpose of entry of the foreigner does not correspond to the purpose indicated in the documents;
11. the foreigner is included in the list;
12. the inviter withdraws the invitation or invitation in writing;
13. the foreigner has been found guilty by a court verdict of committing a criminal offence in the Republic of Latvia or outside it, for which the law of the Republic of Latvia provides for a penalty of deprivation of liberty for a period of not less than one year. This condition does not apply if the criminal record has been expunged or removed in accordance with the procedure laid down by law, but in relation to criminal offences committed abroad - no less than five years have passed since the custodial sentence was served;
14. competent state authorities have provided information that serves as a basis for prohibiting the foreigner from entering and residing in the Republic of Latvia;
15. it has been established that the foreigner has been banned from entering the Schengen territory;
16. it has been established that the foreigner, while residing in the Republic of Latvia, has committed an administrative violation within the last five years, counting from the date on which the documents for requesting a visa were submitted, and has not paid the imposed fine within the period laid down in regulatory enactments, except in the case when the operation of the administrative act has been suspended or the court ruling on the payment of the fine has not entered into force;
17. the foreigner has been expelled from the Republic of Latvia within the last five years and he or his inviter has not covered the expenses related to the execution of the departure order or the forced expulsion of the foreigner;
18. it has been established that the foreigner has repeatedly violated the rules on entry or residence in the Republic of Latvia or another Schengen Agreement Member State within the last year or has used a previously issued visa for an inappropriate purpose of entry;
19. the inviter who invites a foreigner for seasonal work has declared the insolvency of his merchant or insolvency proceedings have been initiated against the merchant, or the merchant has been liquidated, or no economic activity is being carried out.

If it has been established that the inviter has provided false information, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban on this person inviting a foreigner for a period of up to one year.

If it is established that the inviter has violated the requirements of the regulatory enactments related to the employment of foreigners during the last year or has not ensured the remuneration of the invited foreigners in the amount or in accordance with the procedure specified in the documents submitted for the visa application, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban for this person to invite a foreigner for a period of up to three years.

If it is established that the inviter has invited a foreigner during the last year who has violated the requirements of the regulatory enactments related to the entry and stay of foreigners or whose stay in the Republic of Latvia does not comply with the grounds for requesting a visa specified in the invitation, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban for this person to invite a foreigner for a period of up to two years.

If it is established that the inviter has failed to fulfill the obligation to ensure the coverage of the expenses related to the foreigner's health care, stay in the Republic of Latvia and return to the country of residence during the last year, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban for this person to invite a foreigner for a period of up to one year. If the inviter has not covered these expenses during the period of validity of the decision on imposing a ban, OCMA may adopt a repeated decision on the ban on inviting a foreigner.