Can the Latvian company just send me an invitation letter?

No. Latvia's checklist requires an invitation approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), dated no more than six months before your application. The company arranges the approval in Latvia.

Do I need paid tickets before I have a visa?

Latvia's checklist asks for prepaid and confirmed round-trip tickets with the payment invoice. That is stricter than the reservation most Schengen countries accept, so discuss refundable or changeable fares with us before you buy.

How long must the insurance last?

For the whole visit plus 15 further days — the period of grace — with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. The inviting company is allowed to take the policy out for you.

What must the two business letters say?

Both the company's invitation and your employer's cover letter must confirm, as a minimum, your identity, the purpose of the journey, and the period and place of the intended stay.

Is a hotel booking needed if the company is putting me up?

Not if the accommodation is included in the approved invitation. Otherwise Latvia asks for a prepaid hotel booking with proof of payment.

Latvia · Visa guide

Latvia Business Visa

A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, conferences and training in Latvia.

ProcessingUsually about 15 calendar days from submission
Visa categoryBusiness Visa
Your guideOne consultant

Get a free assessment WhatsApp us

A business visitor visa is refused when the purpose looks like work. Call us with the invitation and your company details. We tell you if the purpose reads right.

Call +91 91155 80911 WhatsApp

Start here

Latvia Business Visa — overview

A Latvian business visa is a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C): up to 90 days in any 180-day period, decided by the Embassy of Latvia in New Delhi.

Latvia treats a business invitation the way it treats a family one. The Latvian company does not simply write to you — its invitation has to be approved by Latvia's Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) and dated within six months of your application. Tickets must be prepaid, not reserved, and insurance has to run 15 days past the trip.

The invitation goes through PMLP first

The Latvian company inviting you has a step to complete before you can do anything: its invitation must be approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), and it must be dated no more than six months before your application. A signed letter on letterhead, on its own, is not what the checklist names.

This is the item that sets your timetable. Tell the Latvian side at the outset, and ask for the PMLP-approved invitation together with a note of what it covers — because if accommodation is included in it, you do not need a separate hotel booking.

What both letters must say

Alongside the approved invitation, Latvia asks for a cover letter from your employer, and states the minimum both documents must confirm:

your identity;
the purpose of the journey — meetings, conferences, training or business-related events;
the period and place of intended stay.

Write them from the same brief so they agree on dates, city and purpose.

Prepaid, not reserved

Latvia asks for prepaid and confirmed round-trip tickets with the payment invoice, and — unless the invitation covers it — a prepaid hotel booking with proof of payment. Because no visa is ever certain, choose fares and rates that can be changed or refunded, and keep the invoices.

Insurance that outlasts the trip

Cover must run for the whole visit plus 15 days — Latvia's "period of grace" — with at least EUR 30,000 including urgent medical care, hospital treatment and repatriation. A policy ending on your return date falls short. Latvia allows the inviting company to buy the policy for you.

Stamped statements, two photographs

An original personal bank statement for three months, stamped and signed by the bank. Two photographs, 35 × 45 mm, under six months old. Copies of your passport's identification pages and every previous visa.

Source: Embassy of Latvia, New Delhi — Business visa checklist, as issued through VFS Global and held in our knowledge base. Requirements change; confirm against the current checklist before you submit.

9 items

Documents you need

Application form
Completed online, printed and signed by the applicant.
Two photographs
35 × 45 mm, white background, taken in the last 6 months.
Passport
Valid at least three months after your intended departure from the Schengen area, at least two blank pages, issued within the previous ten years. Copies of the identification pages and of any previously issued visas.
Invitation approved by PMLP
The Latvian company's invitation must be approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, and dated no more than 6 months before you apply.
Invitation and employer letter — the minimum content
An invitation from the inviting company or organisation and a cover letter from your employer. Both must confirm, as a minimum, your identity, the purpose of the journey (meetings, conferences, training or business-related events), and the period and place of stay.
Travel medical insurance
Whole Schengen area, entire visit plus a 15-day period of grace, at least EUR 30,000 including urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation. It may be bought in India, elsewhere, or by the inviting company.
Round-trip tickets — prepaid
Prepaid and confirmed tickets with the payment invoice.
Accommodation
A prepaid hotel booking with proof of payment — not needed if accommodation is included in the approved invitation.
Proof of financial means
Original personal bank statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank. Employed: three months' payslips. Company owner or self-employed: the company's registration certificate. Sponsored: proof of sponsorship, or the sponsorship information on the invitation.

5 steps

How the process works

Typical processing: Usually about 15 calendar days from submission — may extend up to 45 calendar days. Apply at least 2-3 weeks before travel.

Step 1
Free eligibility review
We assess your profile and build a document checklist matched to the embassy's requirements.
Step 2
Build the file & cover letter
Every document — finances, bookings, insurance and the cover letter — is prepared and verified.
Step 3
Book the VFS Global appointment
Applications in India are submitted through VFS Global — we schedule your slot.
Step 4
Submit & give biometrics
You attend the VFS centre to submit the file and provide fingerprints and a photograph.
Step 5
Decision & passport return
The embassy decides the application and your passport is returned through VFS.

Transparent

Costs & fees

Item

Amount

Schengen visa fee (adult)

EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11; under 6 exempt. Payable in INR.

EUR 90

VFS Global service charge

Plus optional add-ons such as courier.

Confirmed at booking

Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.

5 answers

Frequently asked questions

No. Latvia's checklist requires an invitation approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), dated no more than six months before your application. The company arranges the approval in Latvia.
Latvia's checklist asks for prepaid and confirmed round-trip tickets with the payment invoice. That is stricter than the reservation most Schengen countries accept, so discuss refundable or changeable fares with us before you buy.
For the whole visit plus 15 further days — the period of grace — with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. The inviting company is allowed to take the policy out for you.
Both the company's invitation and your employer's cover letter must confirm, as a minimum, your identity, the purpose of the journey, and the period and place of the intended stay.
Not if the accommodation is included in the approved invitation. Otherwise Latvia asks for a prepaid hotel booking with proof of payment.

Why it matters

Going it alone vs filing with us

On your own

Guessing the document list — one missing or wrongly formatted paper triggers a refusal.
Generic cover letters copied from the internet that officers recognise and flag.
No read on peak rejection windows or what this visa post is strict about.
Government and VFS fees are non-refundable — money lost if you are refused.
A refusal stamp follows you and weakens every future visa application.

With Lifeset Overseas

An honest case assessment before you spend a rupee on government fees.
A file built to the embassy's exact checklist and in the exact order.
Weak finances, ties or purpose identified and fixed before submission.
Previously refused? We can rescue and rebuild the file.
Every case handled by one consultant, end to end.

Refused before?

A refusal isn't the end

A refusal is not a permanent bar — but it only improves if the actual reason is found and answered, and nobody can tell you a second application will succeed. If a Latvia visa has been refused, we: