Registration of a visa to Latvia

To enter the territory of Latvia, Russians, Belarusians and other citizens of the CIS countries must obtain a visa. In Russia, the issuance of entry permits is in charge of the consular service at the embassy, ​​and in Latvia - the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA).

Latvia has been implementing the Schengen Agreement since 2007. Citizens of countries that are not members of the European Union or the Schengen area are granted visas of several categories by the Latvian Consulate.

On rare occasions, foreigners are issued with limited-valid short-stay visas, allowing entry to a limited number of countries. C or D visas issued by another Schengen state also allow you to visit Latvia.

A foreigner is required to document the legal grounds for issuing a Category C visa:

The grounds for obtaining a national visa are considered by the OCMA staff on an individual basis. Usually it is issued to foreigners invited to work by a Latvian company or who have received approval for applying for a Latvian residence permit (residence permit).

An applicant, his legal representative or a relative has the right to submit the application personally. An application for a business trip is drawn up by an employee of the inviting company with the right to sign.

Groups of people with the same purpose and duration of travel (tours in Riga, Jurmala) have the right to transfer documents through one person by written agreement. A separate permit is made to enter Jurmala by car.

An application for a D visa is accepted only with the personal appeal of the applicant to the consulate of Latvia. It is prohibited to use the services of intermediaries.

The Pony Express company is engaged in forwarding the collected documents for a Schengen visa to the nearest consular department. Branches of the company are open in 56 cities of Russia... In addition to documents, you can submit biometric data for a visa. Documents are accepted from 9:00 to 17:00 by local time.

Information about the necessary documents and requirements for them is posted on the embassy's website. For an additional fee, employees of Pony Express and other visa centers help to fill out the documents correctly, provide advice on visa issues.

In Belarus, visa applications are also accepted by travel agencies accredited by the embassy.

Citizens of the CIS countries legally residing in the Russian Federation without a visa have the right to apply for a visa through offices Pony express and consular departments. The application must be accompanied by a copy of registration in the Russian Federation, valid for at least 3 months after the expected date of departure from

Working citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia, instead of a work permit, provide an original 2-NDFL certificate and a copy of an employment contract with a Russian company. Working citizens of Ukraine and Georgia, instead of a work permit, have the right to provide a copy of the patent. Ukrainians and Georgians with biometric passports are entitled to visa-free travel to Latvia.

Visa applications from citizens are accepted by Latvian missions strictly by appointment. The territorial competence of the departments is respected. There are 4 representative offices in Russia.

The embassy accepts applications on weekdays from 9:00 to 12:00, documents are issued from 15:00 to 15:30... Consultations on visa issues are carried out by phone 8-495-23-29-74-3 (from 10:00 to 12:00).

They begin to collect documents no earlier than 3 months before the start of the trip. The main package of securities includes:

Documents for a category D visa are usually submitted after receiving an official letter approving the issuance of a Latvian residence permit. Attach to the application:

The grounds for entry have already been considered by the UGDM of Latvia by the time the application is submitted. Both types of applications are accompanied by a receipt for payment of the consular fee.

Schengen visa applicants are required to submit biometric data (fingerprints and color photograph). Children under 12 years of age and persons who do not have the physical ability to undergo fingerprinting are exempted from the procedure.

A medical examination is not required.

It takes up to 7 days to process C and D visa applications. The consulate has the right to extend the consideration period up to 30 days if suspicions arise.

An urgent visa of category C is prepared in 3 days, issued for 4 days. When registering through Pony Express, consideration takes 4 days, issue on day 5 (delivery of a finished passport takes up to 5 days).

The readiness of the Schengen visa is displayed on the Pony Express website. You must enter the invoice number (under the barcode in the upper corner). The St. Petersburg branch does not accept documents for an urgent visa.

The finished visa is received at the place of application. The document has the right to pick up:

The recipient and the payer are indicated in the invoice. A passport with a glued-in visa is kept at the place of filing an application on demand. If the courier of the visa center did not find the recipient at home, then the passport is sent to the Moscow branch of Pony Express.

For consideration of the application by the consular service, a fee is charged, depending on the type of permission requested, the nationality of the applicant and the urgency of the request:

Pony Express services are paid with a service fee, which is additionally charged for each issued visa. The amount of the fee depends on the location of the office:

Consular and service fees are paid in rubles at the exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation at the time of application.

Permits can be single, double or multiple (multiple entry visas). The validity of single and double Schengen visas is 15 days longer than the period of stay. This is a formality that allows you to leave the Schengen area without violating the visa regime. A multivisa can be valid from 6 months to 5 years.

A national visa issued for entry in order to obtain a residence permit is valid for 30 days. In other cases - up to 1 year (working).

The Schengen visa is extended due to exceptional circumstances, the decision is made by the OCMA of Latvia. A Category D visa is renewed based on an individual review. An application for an extension is submitted no later than 3 days before the expiration of the visa.

The consulate has the right not to issue the requested visa or cancel the current visa if it turns out:

Refusal is formalized by official notification. You can appeal not late 30 days from the date of receipt. The appeal is sent to the refused representation of Latvia. Compiled in Russian, English or Latvian. The appeal is pending up to 30 days, the decision is subject to appeal in the court of Latvia.

When submitting an application, you should be as honest as possible. Even with weak grounds for entry, a visa is likely to be granted, and an unlawful refusal is easy to challenge. If the officers convict the applicant of visa fraud, then they may well prohibit entry to both Latvia and the entire Schengen zone for life.