Latvia can be called with confidence a pretty attractive country for our people: a mild climate, plenty of places to relax on the Baltic Sea shore, beautiful nature and cities, Russian-speaking environment. In addition, to tourists from Russia, the attitude in the country is much better than in other Baltic states. That is why a large number of our people are eager to visit Latvia and enjoy its atmosphere. And if you are among them, you are probably worried about whether you need a visa to Latvia, and how to arrange all the necessary documents for obtaining it.
Where can I get a visa to Latvia on my own?
Recently, for residents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, visits to the countries of the Schengen visa are possible without an invitation, including to Latvia. This means that you can apply for entry into the country yourself.
If you are a Russian citizen, you need to apply to the Latvian Embassy in Moscow (Chaplygin St., 3) or to the Latvian Consulate in St. Petersburg (Vasilievsky Island, 10 Line, 11) to obtain a visa to Latvia. In addition, Schengen visas are processed in the offices of courier company Pony-Express in more than 70 cities of Russia.
Citizens of Ukraine must apply to the Embassy in Kiev (Mazepy str., 6B), as well as to the Representative Office in Odessa, Kharkov, Simferopol, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk or offices of the same Pony-Express.
Belarusians must apply for a visa to Latvia to the Embassy in Minsk (Doroshevich str., 6a) or the Consulate in Vitebsk (Khmelnitskogo st., 27a).
The easiest way is to get a short-term Schengen visa to Latvia for the purpose of transit, visits to friends or relatives, a tourist or short-term business visit.
How to get a visa to Latvia?
To apply to the above institutions, you need to prepare the following documents for a visa to Latvia:
1. A completed visa application form stating the name, date of birth, citizenship, marital status, place of work, purpose of travel and time of stay in Latvia, estimated costs, etc. All data are written in Latin letters. The application form is signed personally by the applicant.
2. Foreign passport .
3. The general passport.
4. Medical insurance policy with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros. And the period of validity of the policy should exceed at least 15 days the time of your stay in the countries of the Schengen visa.
5. Two photographs measuring 35x45 mm on a gray or white background.
6. Documents that are confirmation of the purpose of the trip. It can be:
- electronic reservation / voucher for payment of hotel room;
- booking tickets / tickets;
- documents for the car (driver's passport, technical passport, power of attorney certified by a notary public, insurance policy "green card").
7. Confirmation of the availability of funds for the period of stay in the Schengen visa countries. They can be:
- Bank statements showing cash flows for the last three months;
- certificates from the place of work on wages.
Visa to Latvia: processing time and cost
In general, a short-term entry visa to Latvia is issued for 7-10 days. If you need an accelerated visa, it will be ready in 1-3 days.
The cost of a visa to Latvia (the state fee for consideration of applications) for both Russian citizens and citizens of Ukraine is 35 euros. Applicants with Belarusian citizenship for a visa have to pay 60 euros. By the way, an urgent visa to Latvia will cost twice as much. In the event of refusal to receive the types, the consular fee is not refundable.