The Republic of Latvia has been a full member of the European Union since 2004, and since 2007 - part of the Schengen area. This means that all Russians wishing to visit its territory should take care of obtaining a Schengen visa. Obtaining official permission not to enter the country is much easier for those who have an invitation from an individual or legal entity. What is a visa to Latvia by invitation and how it is issued in 2021, read on.
What visas can be used to enter the territory of the Republic of Latvia
The Latvian Embassy issues several types of permits for foreign citizens to enter the country. In particular, these are:
- Transit visa (category A). It gives a tourist traveling through the territory of Latvia the right to stay at the airport of this country for 24 hours without leaving its borders. Necessary for citizens of such states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.
- Short-term visa to Latvia (category C). Issued if the reason for the trip is tourism, visiting relatives, work. Allows you to stay in Latvia or travel through the Schengen area for 90 days within 6 months from the moment the border was crossed. It can be single, double and multiple.
- National visa (category D). This is a permit to stay in the state for a period of more than 90 days. But its owner can travel to all other Schengen countries for no more than 90 days within a six-month period.
A visa to Latvia at the invitation of relatives and other persons for Russians looks like a Schengen short-term visa of category C.
Who can act as an inviting party
An invitation to the Republic of Latvia for a Russian can be issued by:
- Citizen of Latvia.
- A foreigner who has a residence permit in Latvia. Such an entity is entitled to invite a spouse, parents, children. It is impossible to issue an invitation for a non-blood relative. The period for which the invitation is valid must not exceed the validity period of the residence permit of the inviting party.
- Entity. An invitation to Latvia for Russian citizens of this type is issued so that they have the opportunity to study at Latvian universities, take part in international conferences, business meetings, work in Latvian companies, and so on.
To draw up a document, the inviting person does not need to be in the territory of the Republic of Latvia. In case of staying outside this state, he must apply to the Latvian embassy in the country in which he is located.
Registration procedure
The inviting party located in the Republic of Latvia must make an appointment at the nearest territorial office of the OCMA (Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs). To issue an invitation for a foreigner, you must specify:
- your surname and first name;
- citizenship;
- date of birth;
- Place of Birth;
- residence address;
- the reason for the arrival of the foreigner;
- duration of stay and address of residence of a foreign guest in the territory of the Republic of Latvia;
- the place where the foreigner will apply for a visitor visa.
If the inviting party is a blood relative of a foreign guest, you will need to present a document that confirms the fact of relationship (for example, a birth certificate).
If the invitation is drawn up by the employer for his employee, you will also need the following documents:
- a certificate confirming the status of the employer;
- papers indicating that the employee has an appropriate education position and at least three years of experience;
- receipt of payment of the state fee.
Below is an example of an invitation to the Republic of Latvia.
For the material support of a foreigner, both he himself and the inviting party can be responsible.
Having issued the document, the inviting party is not obliged to send the original to Russia so that the invited person attach it to the package of official papers required to obtain a visa.
You just need to tell the foreigner the invitation code. This number is stored in the electronic database, so the embassy staff can check the authenticity of the document using it.
The validity of an invitation to Latvia is 6 months from the date of issue. During this time, the invitee must submit a request to obtain a permit to enter the Republic of Latvia.
How to apply for a visa
Anyone who plans to apply for a visa on their own can apply directly to the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the Russian Federation. This diplomatic establishment is located at the address: Moscow, Chaplygin street, building 3. Reception is conducted by prior telephone appointment.
Another answer to the question of where to get an invitation visa is to apply to one of the Latvian consulates. For example, on the territory of Russia there are:
- Consulate General of the Republic of Latvia in St. Petersburg: Vasilievsky Island, 10th line.
- Consular Section of the Republic of Latvia in Kaliningrad: Engels Street, 52A.
- Consulate of the Republic of Latvia in Pskov: Narodnaya street, building 25.
There is also a third option for obtaining a visa on your own. It consists in applying to specialized visa centers in Latvia. In particular, such institutions operate on the territory:
- Moscow, at the address: 2nd Volkogonsky lane, 10;
- Petersburg, at the address: street Zastavskaya, house 22.
The best option for those who do not want to personally deal with the registration of an entry permit to Latvia is to use the services of travel intermediary companies. Their employees will take care of all organizational matters for a set fee.
If we talk about how to issue a visa to Latvia by invitation, it should be noted that today this can be done only with a personal visit to the chosen diplomatic institution.
The online registration service is not available due to the need to remove biometric data from the applicant. But if desired, the applicant can pre-fill a visa application form on the website of the embassy and a form for obtaining health insurance on the website of the insurance company.
A package of documents for a visa
To obtain a permit to enter the Republic of Latvia, it is necessary to submit a package of documents to the diplomatic institution, which includes:
- a completed application for a visa to Latvia by invitation;
- passport, which must remain valid for at least 90 days after the applicant returns to his homeland;
- internal passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
- 2 photos 35 × 45 mm;
- the number of the invitation or its copy certified by a notary;
- form No. 33 on registration and a vacation ticket for a soldier;
- birth certificate (for a minor traveler);
- medical insurance;
- documents confirming the applicant's financial support for a Latvian visa by invitation (certificate of his income / statement of the availability of funds in the bank account / letter of guarantee from the inviting party);
- a receipt confirming the payment of the consular fee.
If a minor child travels with only one of the parents, you will need to provide a notarized permission of the other. In the event of the death of the father / mother, a certificate confirming this fact will be required.
If the child is an orphan and travels to Latvia with a guardian, a certificate of guardianship should be attached to the package of documents. And if the parents are alive, but their child will travel with a third person, and the mother and father must give permission for this and have it certified by a notary.
This is the answer, what documents are needed to apply for a visitor visa to the Republic of Latvia.
Visa price and processing time
The term for consideration of documents for a guest visa to Latvia is 10 working days. But this period can be shortened depending on the purpose of the trip. If the applicant needs, for example, to attend a funeral of a relative, go for urgent treatment or take part in any event in the territory of the Republic of Latvia, it may take 3-4 days to obtain an entry permit.
It may take about 5 working days to review an application from a person leaving by invitation to work. If you wish, you can immediately order an urgent visa, which will be issued within 3 days, but its price will be higher.
How much a visa to Latvia by invitation costs depends on the conditions of its registration:
- The applicant must pay a consular fee of 35 euros if the visa is not urgent.
- In case of urgent registration, this amount is twice as much - 70 euros.
- When submitting documents at visa centers, you will have to pay an additional 25 euros as a service fee.
- Children who have not yet reached the age of 6 receive a permit to enter the Republic of Latvia free of charge.
If the applicant is refused a visa, the money paid will not be refunded.
What problems the applicant may face
In the territories of the states belonging to the Schengen zone, the issuance of entry permits to foreigners is treated with a high degree of responsibility. Therefore, some applicants may have difficulties in obtaining a visa, including to the Republic of Latvia.
Opening a visitor visa is problematic for those who do not officially work at the time of its registration and cannot provide a certificate of the amount of monthly income. The best option in this case is to present a sponsorship letter from the inviting party, indicating that the latter will bear all the costs associated with providing accommodation for a foreign guest.
It will not be possible to make a visitor visa if the applicant made mistakes when filling out the application form. Then you will have to apply again.
Some applicants, having received a visa, find errors in it, made due to the carelessness of the consular staff. If such a situation arises, you need to contact the institution through which the permit to enter Latvia was issued as soon as possible. The old visa must be canceled and a new one issued instead. The standard visa replacement procedure takes 1 business day.
Refusal to issue a permit to cross the borders of the Republic of Latvia
There are several reasons why they may refuse to issue a visa to Russians, Ukrainians, citizens of other states:
- submission of an incomplete package of official papers;
- incorrect filling of the visa application form;
- providing false personal information;
- presentation of invalid or false documents;
- suspicion of intent to carry out illegal migration;
- violation of the Schengen visa regime during a previous trip;
- the presence of a criminal record;
- inability to provide evidence of their financial stability;
- lack of good reason for issuing a visitor visa.
Each rejected applicant has the right to resubmit documents, having eliminated previous errors. In this case, you will have to pay all the fees again.
Conclusions
A Schengen visa by invitation to Latvia is actually a short-term visa of category C. The basis for its issuance is that the applicant has an official invitation from an individual / legal entity residing / registered in the Republic of Latvia.
To apply for a guest visa, it is not necessary to have the original of the invitation document with you: it is enough to indicate its code when filling out the application.
