Latvia Work permit

Employer-sponsored temporary residence permit with the right to employment. The employer registers the vacancy with the State Employment Agency (open for at least 10 working days) and submits a sponsorship request to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs; the permit is issued with the right to work for that employer. ^{1 2 3 4}

What you must show and pay

• Income of at least EUR 1,815 a month (≈ $2,030) · Where the average wage in the sector is higher than the national average gross monthly wage, the required pay is not less than the national average of EUR1,815 (≈ $2,030) (from 1 April 2026); otherwise the sector average or the sectoral general-agreement minimum applies (Cabinet Regulation 225, subparagraph 11.4). ¹
• A fee of EUR 160 (≈ $180) · State fee for review of documents for a temporary residence permit within 30 days; EUR 280 (≈ $310) within 10 working days and EUR 560 (≈ $630) within 5 working days. ⁵

Requirements

• The permit is not available where the employer is a microenterprise-tax payer. ⁴
• Pay is at the sector average gross monthly wage or the sectoral general-agreement minimum. ¹
• Where the sector average is higher than the national average, pay is not less than EUR 1,815 (≈ $2,030) (from 1 April 2026). ¹
• The employment contract and education documents are submitted with the sponsorship request. ^{2 4}
• Initial permit documents may be in Latvian or English; renewals and employer documents must be in Latvian. ³
• The employer registers the vacancy with the State Employment Agency, open for at least 10 working days. ^{2 4}
• The employer submits a sponsorship request. ^{2 4}
• A State Employment Agency opinion on the need to recruit a foreigner is required. ^{2 4}
• The employer is responsible for wages, housing, health care and any removal costs. ²

Stay

• Permit issued for up to one year; renewable. The new Immigration Law abolished annual registration of temporary permits.
• First stay: up to 12 months, decided case by case.
• Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.

Nationality

Third-country nationals except Russian citizens; Russian and Belarusian citizens who already have a right to employment and have worked at least three months can renew for one year. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.

Work

Employment with the sponsoring employer.

Family

Family members must show subsistence; EUR234 (≈ $260) a month per minor child.

Checked 2026-10-11

Official sources

1. The necessary subsistence (from 1 April 2026) · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA/PMLP) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-03-16
2. Employment of foreigners · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA/PMLP) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-02-19
3. New Immigration Law takes effect (15 September 2026) · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA/PMLP) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-09-15
4. Immigration Law (adopted 20 August 2026, in force 15 September 2026) · Saeima of the Republic of Latvia (likumi.lv) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-09-01
5. State fee for issuing the residence permit · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia (OCMA) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-03-18
6. The long-term resident status of the European Community in Latvia · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2020-10-06
7. Naturalisation (Latvian citizenship) · Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), Latvia · checked 2026-10-11