Latvia Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Latvia?

Only if your passport is not visa-exempt for Schengen. British, Irish and EU citizens can visit Latvia without one; a UK resident holding, say, an Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Chinese or South African passport must get a Latvia Schengen visa first, whatever their UK status.

VFS Global’s Latvia UK eligibility rules require a valid UK residence permit and say a UK short-stay (C type) visitor visa is not accepted, so someone here as a visitor should apply from their home country. Once issued, a Latvian visa also covers the other Schengen states, which makes a Riga-Tallinn-Vilnius loop straightforward. Cyprus, Ireland, Russia and Belarus are outside it.

Riga International Airport, like every external Schengen border, has run the EU Entry/Exit System in full since 10 April 2026, so your first arrival involves fingerprints and a facial image. ETIAS is a separate €20 permission for visa-exempt travellers, still without a confirmed start date, and visa holders do not need it; see our EES and ETIAS guide.

Your evidence of living here is the printed result of a UKVI eVisa check rather than a BRP card; our share code guide walks through creating it.

Latvia visa appointments in the UK

Latvia’s form comes first: fill it in on the “Visa application” e-service run by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA, or PMLP in Latvian), then book a free appointment in your own name with VFS Global in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. Latvia’s Foreign Ministry says visa applications to its missions are lodged through VFS Global, and VFS’s Latvia UK page confirms that UK residents fall under the Embassy of Latvia in London and may use any of the three centres.

Latvia has no regional split between the UK centres, so pick whichever of the three suits you. The Embassy of Latvia in London decides every file; VFS only receives documents, fees and fingerprints and hands your passport back. The Embassy’s consular section at The Grove House, 248A Marylebone Road, works by prior appointment only and does not take Schengen visa files, so do not take yours there.

Important: We do not book, hold or supply VFS slots. The Latvia booking is free and made by you, in your name, on the official VFS Global site; our role is helping with the OCMA form, the choice of centre and the booking steps.

London

London is usually the nearest option for London, the South East, the East of England and the South West. Because the Embassy is in the same city, files do not need to travel to another city first, which helps when travel is close. Take the street address from your VFS confirmation rather than an old listing.

Manchester

Manchester is handy for the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands and North Wales, and for anyone flying to Riga from Manchester Airport. Files are sent on to the Embassy in London, which can add a few days.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is usually nearest for Scotland, the North East and Northern Ireland. Its files also travel south to London, which can add a few days, but for many Scottish applicants that beats a long trip to London.

How to book

1. Finish the OCMA e-service form. Print the completed form and sign it; for a child, the parents or guardians sign. Your VFS appointment is booked separately, one per applicant, children included.
2. Open a VFS Global account under your own email, entering each name exactly as in the passport.
3. Pick a centre and date. No dates usually means the calendar is full; check again later on the same official system.
4. Print your confirmation to bring with the file.

Two seasons are especially busy for Latvia: late spring, when people apply for Midsummer (Jāņi, 23 and 24 June) and summer trips to Jūrmala, and October to November, ahead of the Riga Christmas market. Compare all three centres and look at different times of day; our appointment guide has more ideas.

On the day

Arrive on time and expect a security check. VFS says every applicant, including children and infants, attends in person; children under 12 give no fingerprints. Staff check the file, keep your passport and record fingerprints, unless you gave Schengen fingerprints within the last 59 months. Bring originals to show but submit photocopies, because documents other than your passport are not returned. Nationals of certain countries listed in Latvia’s Cabinet Regulation No. 554 may be called to a video interview at the London, Manchester or Edinburgh centre, for which VFS charges £35. Paid VFS extras, if offered, do not influence or speed up the Embassy’s decision.

Latvia visa document checklist for UK residents

Latvia wants the signed OCMA form plus the usual Schengen core, and its distinctive extra is the OCMA-approved invitation. The interactive checklist below lists every item; here is what matters most for Latvia.

The photo is colour, 35 x 45 mm, taken within the last 6 months, and must pass Latvia’s face photo quality rules. The passport needs to have been issued within the last 10 years, with at least two blank pages and 3 months’ validity after you leave Schengen; add copies of any Schengen visas from the last 3 years. VFS asks that supporting documents be recent, no more than 1 month old.

For UK residence, add the printed share code result and a proof of address such as a council tax bill. VFS’s Latvia UK checklist says your UK permission must be valid for at least 1 month beyond your return date, and a UK visitor (C type) visa is not accepted; if your leave is close to expiry, apply after it is extended. Insurance needs €30,000 of cover valid across Schengen, including any Estonian or Lithuanian days; see our travel insurance guide.

On accommodation, Latvia accepts proof of where you will stay or proof you can pay for it: hotel bookings for every night, or, when staying with family or friends, either an OCMA-approved invitation or your host’s original signed invitation letter (your name, dates and address) with a copy of their ID or passport, plus their Latvian permit of stay if they are not an EU citizen. The strongest version is the OCMA-approved invitation. Your host applies to OCMA electronically, pays a state fee (OCMA lists €17 per request, or €10 through the latvija.gov.lv e-service, plus €10 for each person invited), and usually gets a decision within two working days, or up to 10 if extra checks are needed; you then quote the case or reference number. If they undertake to cover your costs, OCMA records this in its database and does not ask you for further proof of funds. Hosts can be Latvian citizens or non-citizens, permanent residents, EU, EEA or Swiss citizens registered in Latvia, Latvian companies and, for close relatives only, temporary residence permit holders.

Evidence for your own situation (employer letter and payslips, SA302s, a university letter, pension statements, or a child’s birth certificate and parental consent) follows the standard Schengen pattern; see our documents checklist and employer letter guide. What differs for Latvia is sponsorship: a sponsor living in Latvia is best shown through an OCMA invitation naming them as paying, while a UK sponsor adds a signed letter, bank statements, passport, UK status and proof of your relationship.

How much money do you need for a Latvia visa?

OCMA and the Foreign Ministry set a floor of €14 for each day of a stay of up to 30 days. For stays over 30 days the floor is the Latvian minimum monthly wage, currently €780. If you pay for your own accommodation, you need funds for it on top.

That is a low daily figure, so do not aim for the minimum. The Embassy weighs your balance against what the trip really costs, and steady income looks stronger than a large deposit made just before applying. Where an OCMA-approved invitation records that your host pays, OCMA says it does not ask you for further proof of funds, although including your statements still helps. See our guide to bank statements.

Latvia visa fees from the UK

VFS Global collects the consular fee for the Embassy of Latvia at your appointment in pounds at its current exchange rate, plus its own service charge, which its Latvia UK page lists as £29.56 per application including VAT. The consular fee is the standard €90 for applicants aged 12 and over, €45 for children aged 6-11, and free under 6. Nationals of countries with an EU visa facilitation agreement (such as Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine) pay €35, and organised school groups, researchers and under-25s representing non-profit organisations at events are exempt. Pay by card or postal order; cash is accepted only in London, and cheques and bank transfers are not accepted. The visa fee is paid at the appointment, not when you complete the OCMA form, but a host who asks OCMA to approve an invitation pays a Latvian state fee.

All fees are non-refundable, and a refusal does not bring them back. Our Schengen visa fee guide compares countries.

How long does a Latvia visa take from the UK?

The Embassy of Latvia in London usually decides within 15 calendar days, and up to 45 in individual cases; nationals of the countries listed in Cabinet Regulation No. 554 go through prior consultation, add a questionnaire to the file and may be called to a video interview.

London files stay in the same city as the Embassy, while Manchester and Edinburgh files have to travel to London, which can add a few days, and your passport then has to come back. Applications open 6 months before travel and close 15 calendar days before. An OCMA-approved invitation is processed in Latvia before any of this, usually within a few working days, so your host should start it first.

For Midsummer, aim to attend in April or early May; for the Christmas market, in October. Our processing time guide covers common delays.

Latvia visa types for UK residents

Almost everyone needs a short-stay type C visa, covering up to 90 days in any 180, and the purpose you select on the OCMA form sets the evidence the Embassy expects.

• Tourism: hotel bookings and a rough plan, such as Riga’s Old Town and Art Nouveau district, a day at Jūrmala and a trip to Sigulda, Cēsis or Rundāle Palace.
• Visiting family or friends: your host’s signed invitation with address, dates and relationship, plus a copy of their passport, ID card or residence permit. An OCMA-approved invitation is strongest, especially when the host is paying.
• Business: an invitation from the Latvian company with its registration details, the purpose, dates and who pays, plus your UK employer’s letter.
• Cultural, sports or official visits: an invitation from the organiser, for example a festival, competition, conference or academic event in Riga.
• EU, EEA and Swiss family members: free and simplified for spouses and dependants travelling with or joining the EU national.
• Airport transit: only certain nationalities need an airport transit visa to change planes at Riga without passing through passport control; check the EU list before booking.

UK students on holiday apply as tourists, with a university letter showing ties. Stays beyond 90 days for work, study or family need a Latvian long-stay (D) visa or residence permit, a separate process not covered here; in the UK, D visa files also go through VFS Global in London.

Latvia-specific tips

Most Latvian surprises come from the OCMA steps and Baltic routing.

• Use the OCMA e-service, not a generic form. The Embassy expects the version Latvia’s own service produces, printed and signed.
• Count nights on Baltic tours. Riga sits between Tallinn and Vilnius, so itineraries often split three ways. Apply where you sleep most; if nights are equal, the purpose of the trip can settle it, otherwise your first point of entry decides; see Estonia, Lithuania and which country to apply to.
• Watch the Electronic Travel Declaration. Arriving on a Lithuanian, Estonian or other non-Latvian visa may mean filing a declaration at eta.gov.lv at least 48 hours ahead, even in transit. A Latvian visa exempts you.
• Leave Russia and Belarus out. A Schengen visa does not cover them, and Latvia applies special entry rules to Russian and Belarusian citizens; check the Embassy’s page if that affects you.
• Start invitations early. Your host applies to OCMA in Latvia, pays a state fee and usually has approval within a few working days; an approved invitation is valid for six months.
• Time your share code. It lasts 90 days, so create it a few weeks before the appointment, and make sure your UK leave runs at least 1 month past your return date.

Tip: When VFS returns your passport, read the Latvian visa straight away: validity dates, entries and permitted days. Raise any mistake with the Embassy before you fly.

Why Latvia visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Latvian refusals are usually about weak evidence rather than eligibility.

• Unexplained funds: a balance that only just meets €14 a day, or a large deposit shortly before applying.
• Unclear purpose: missing nights, a thin itinerary, or an invitation that does not match your bookings.
• Doubts about return: UK leave ending within a month of the trip, or weak ties to work or study here. Time the trip so your permission runs at least 1 month past your return.
• Wrong main destination: more nights in Estonia or Lithuania than in Latvia.
• Insurance gaps: cover below €30,000 or not valid across all Schengen states.
• Inconsistent details between the OCMA form, bookings, the invitation and your cover letter.

If you are refused, you can contest the decision to the Director of the Consular Department of Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 30 days of being notified. Write in Latvian or English and sign it; an appeal sent electronically needs a secure electronic signature. You can lodge it in person, by post or electronically, at the Embassy in London or with the Consular Department at Elizabetes iela 57, Riga. Only you, or a legal representative with a notarised power of attorney (a lawyer practising in Latvia needs only a written one), can appeal, not your host. The Director decides within 30 days of receiving it, and that decision can be challenged in a Latvian court. An appeal does not suspend the refusal, so if the problem was a missing or weak document, reapplying with stronger evidence is often the quicker route. Our refused Schengen visa guide compares both routes.