Latvia
Latvia is the middle of the three Baltic states, between Estonia and Lithuania, with Belarus and Russia to the east and some 500 kilometres of Baltic coast, and Riga is its capital. Latvian, one of the two surviving Baltic languages, is the language, the euro is the currency, and Latvia is a member of the EU and the Schengen Area.
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Visa Requirements for Latvia
Holders of American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports need no visa for Latvia and may stay up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen Area, for tourism or business. Irish citizens move freely as citizens of the EU, and Indian and Nigerian travellers need a Schengen visa issued before the journey. Longer stays, for study, work, research or family, need a Latvian national visa and a residence permit.
Before you travel
90 days in any 180
A visitor whose passport needs no visa may stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, not Latvia alone, for tourism or business, and may not work; the stay is recorded electronically at the border.
The passport
The passport must have been issued within the last ten years and remain valid for three months beyond the departure from the Schengen Area; travel medical insurance, a return journey and proof of accommodation and funds may be asked for.
ETIAS
Visa-free travellers should check whether the EU's European Travel Information and Authorisation System applies to them, an advance online authorisation similar to the US ESTA.
Changing planes in Riga
Nigerian travellers changing planes at Riga airport without entering the Schengen Area need an airport transit visa, unless a valid visa or residence permit of a country on the exemption list frees them from it.
Where to apply
A Schengen visa is applied for at the Latvian embassy or consulate responsible for the applicant's place of residence, or at another Schengen state's mission that represents Latvia, with travel medical insurance at the Schengen minimum.
Longer stays
Stays beyond 90 days, for study, work, research, family or seasonal work, need a Latvian national visa (Type D), issued for up to a year and combined with a residence permit for anything longer.
Visa types
Visa-Free Entry (Schengen)
Tourism, business, family visits and short courses on a passport that needs no Schengen visa.
Free movement
For Irish citizens, who live, work and study in Latvia freely as citizens of the EU, on a national ID card or passport, registering their residence for stays beyond 90 days.
Schengen Short-Stay Visa (Type C)
Tourism, business, conferences, family visits or transit on a passport that needs a Schengen visa.
National (Long-Stay) Visa — Type D
Stays longer than 90 days for study, at the University of Latvia or Riga Stradiņš University among others, for work, research, family reunification or seasonal employment.
Guides
Latvia rewards travellers who like a dense, walkable city and short trips into pine forest, sea and castle country. Riga is the base, with its UNESCO-listed Hanseatic old town and the Art Nouveau quarter beyond it, and from it Jūrmala's villa coast, the crusader castles and red-sandstone cliffs of the Gauja valley and the Baroque palace of Rundāle are all within a day trip. The far north-west, at Cape Kolka, holds the country's wildest shore. Every five years the Song and Dance Festival fills Riga with choirs, the one event worth timing a whole trip around.
Latvia travel guide →
The Song and Dance Festival: planning a trip around it, or away from it.
Money in Latvia →
The euro, cards and phones almost everywhere, and the market stalls that want cash.
Eating in Latvia →
Rye, forest and the midsummer table: foraging as a living skill and Jāņi's own cheese and beer.
Getting around Latvia →
Riga is the whole network: commuter rail to the near highlights, buses everywhere else.
Health & safety in Latvia →
Low crime, ticks in the forests, safe tap water, medical care and the 112 line.
Embassies & missions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for Latvia?
Not for a visit of up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen Area on a US, UK, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport; Irish citizens move freely as EU citizens. Indian and Nigerian travellers need a Schengen visa issued before the journey.
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Treat this Visaja page as your starting point: verify the current rules directly with the official source before you submit an application.