To visit the capital of Latvia you need a Schengen visa to Riga. You can get it in two ways:

  1. Submit documents to the consulate yourself.
  2. Use the services of visa centers, which help not only in processing visa documents, but sometimes in collecting them.

Narrow street in the center of Riga

The person himself decides which method to resort to based on personal motives, financial situation and individual needs.

In order to independently obtain visa documents, you need to go through several stages, such as:

  1. Collection of required documents.
  2. Filling out the application form.
  3. Purchasing health insurance.
  4. Booking a room in a hotel complex.
  5. Payment of duties.

Sample of Schengen visa to Riga

Documentation

The package of documents is standard for all foreigners, including Russians and Ukrainians. The only exceptions are citizens of European Union countries. They do not need a visa to Riga; they can cross the border freely only with EU travel documents. Moreover, after entering the territory of the Republic of Latvia, citizens of European Union countries can stay there for three months (ninety days).
The standard package of documents for obtaining a visa consists of:


Additional Documentation

If a person crosses the Latvian border in his own car, he will need to provide car documents and a driver's license instead of tickets. For Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians who decide to go to work in Riga, they will need to have:

  1. An invitation from an employer who guarantees the provision of a job for a certain period.
  2. Medical certificate. It confirms the absence of various types of diseases.
  3. Labor contract.

Requirements for the application form

For foreign citizens, first of all, you need to take care of filling out the application form. It is definitely needed, but it is important to remember that you need to look for it yourself on the Internet on the website of the consulate or embassy of Latvia.

Sample of filling out an application form for obtaining a visa to Riga

In some cities where Latvian representative offices are located, it is possible to take a questionnaire directly from the organization’s employees. The questionnaire is presented in electronic form on Internet resources. To fill it out, you must first print it out from beginning to end, then fill it out in block letters. You can also fill it out electronically, but it will take a little longer.

Particular attention should be paid to the presence of your own signature in paragraph thirty-seven. It is mandatory. Without it, the document will not be accepted at the consulate.

If a trip with children is planned, then one of the parents is given the opportunity to fill out the application form. The signature is placed by the person who completed the filling. Also, the application form must include a photo of the child. The state government notes that the form must be filled out in one of two languages. A person can choose between English and Latvian languages.

Government building in Latvia

The application form consists of four pages. It is very important that all information filled out is truthful and reliable. If the consulate staff discovers that the information is unreliable, the person will be denied a Schengen visa.

Document requirements

The main document is a foreign passport. It has special requirements, such as:

  1. Availability of free pages for stamping. There must be at least two of them.
  2. Reality and authenticity.
  3. The expiration date is no earlier than three months after the end of the trip.

If you plan to travel with a child under fourteen years of age, the parents must have a corresponding entry in their foreign passport. But this is only necessary if the child does not have his own foreign passport.
The photo should also be taken seriously. For a Schengen visa, you must prepare passport size photographs measuring 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm. The background also plays an important role. It should be white or light gray. The photo should clearly show the person's face, head without a headdress and covered shoulders.

To travel to Riga you need medical insurance. It can be purchased directly in the Schengen zone. The amount of insurance coverage should not be less than thirty thousand euros. In this case, you should pay attention to its validity period. She should be active for another two weeks after the end of the trip. For foreign representatives, including Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, you need to take care of booking a hotel room in advance. In addition, the consulate may require hotel details in Riga, so you also need to find out these in advance.

Gutenbergs Hotel building in Riga