Short-term entry and residence on grounds of employment
If foreigner’s employment is related with short term or occasional residence in the Republic of Latvia, which does not exceed 90 days within half a year, the foreigner is obliged to receive a visa or temporary residence permit and work permit. This provision refers also to foreigners, who do not need visa for entering the Republic of Latvia.
If foreigner’s employment is related with regular residence in the Republic of Latvia, which exceeds 90 days within half a year, the foreigner is obliged to receive temporary residence permit and work permit.
The work permit is not needed in such cases:
if foreigner enters for road shows (concerts) as performer (musician, singer, dancer, actor, dangler etc.), author (compositor, choreograph, film/stage director, stage designer etc.), administrative or technical worker who is responsible for ensuring performances (concerts) and if planned residence time does not exceed 14 days;
if foreigner enters in accordance with educational institution’s or scientific institute’s or independent researcher’s invitation in relation with scientific studies or in order to participate in implementing educational programs and if planned residence time does not exceed 14 days.
Visa with work permit
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) issues work permit (without affirmation employer’s invitation in the State Employment Agency) accordingly to visa’s validity term (for requiring visa it is necessary to receive invitation approved by OCMA) for such persons:
1. to foreigner, who is:
- a student of accredited educational institution or student who has arrived in Latvia for field practice or to do fieldwork in the accredited educational institution or in the enterprise which is register in the Commercial register, if field practice or fieldwork is related with legal working terms;
- a consultant (expert), who gives an assistance to governmental or local authority or helps to implement international agreement or project in which Latvia is a member;
- a corporation’s board member or corporation’s officer, whose representation rights are registered in the Commercial register;
- who had invested in corporation’s core capital not less than 600 000 lats (~421 680 euro);
- a corporation’s exclusive founder and who will fulfill tasks of such officer, whose signatory powers are registered in the Commercial register;
2. to foreigner, who is planned to be employed as:
- scientist in the state’s scientific institution;
- director in the recreation centre financed by state and local authority, compositor, musician, singer, choreograph, dancer, film director, stage director or other director or actor, dangler or technical worker involved in ensuring the performance;
- pedagogue in the accredited educational institution;
- assessor, who evaluates, accredits, and monitors laboratories, certification and inspection institutions;
- IT specialist, who has proper higher professional or higher academic education in the IT field and experience in leading position in the IT sector for at least 3 years and it is planned to employ him in such positions:
– Project Director (PD);
– Quality Manager (QM);
– Lead Project Manager (PM2);
– Lead System Architect (SAR3);
– Lead Software Developer (P3);
– Lead IT Solutions Consultant (ITC3);
– Lead Business Consultant (BC3).