Latvia · Visa guide
Latvia · Visa guideLatvia Family & Friends Visit Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa to visit family or friends living in Latvia — up to 90 days.
- ProcessingUsually about 15 calendar days from submission
- Visa categoryFamily & Friends Visit Visa
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Latvia Family & Friends Visit Visa — overview
A Latvian family-and-friends visit visa is a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C): up to 90 days in any 180-day period, to stay with someone who lives in Latvia. Applications from India are decided by the Embassy of Latvia in New Delhi.
Latvia handles the host's side differently from most Schengen countries. A private letter from your relative is not enough — the invitation has to be approved by Latvia's Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) before you apply. Everything else in the file is built around that approved invitation.
The invitation comes first — and it is made in Latvia, not in India
For most Schengen countries a family visit starts with your own paperwork. For Latvia it starts with your host. Before you book a VFS appointment, your relative or friend has to obtain an invitation approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP). A letter they have written and signed themselves does not meet the checklist.
Two dates matter. The approved invitation must be dated no more than six months before you apply, so an invitation arranged for a trip that was then postponed may have to be redone. And because the approval happens on the Latvian side, the timeline is your host's before it is yours — ask them to start first.
What the approved invitation changes in your file
- Accommodation. If the invitation states that you are staying with your host, no hotel booking is needed. If it does not, you need a prepaid booking with proof of payment.
- Sponsorship. Where your host is paying, the checklist accepts the sponsorship information on the invitation together with the sponsor's bank statement for the last three months.
- Insurance. Your host is allowed to buy the travel medical policy on your behalf, as long as it meets the requirements below.
Three places Latvia is stricter than the usual Schengen list
Insurance has to outlast the trip. Cover must run for the whole visit plus 15 days — the checklist calls this the period of grace. A policy that ends on your return date falls short.
Tickets are prepaid, not just reserved. The checklist asks for round-trip tickets confirmed by the airline, with payment details. Since no one can promise a visa, talk to us about refundable or changeable fares before you pay.
Bank statements are stamped and signed. An original personal statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank — a net-banking printout is not the same thing.
Showing who you are to each other
If you are visiting relatives, the embassy wants a certificate proving the relationship. For a married applicant whose passport does not record marital status, the marriage certificate is added. We line these up with the names exactly as they appear on the invitation, because a spelling that differs between the PMLP invitation and an Indian certificate is the kind of mismatch that draws a query.
Source: Embassy of Latvia, New Delhi — Visit Family & Friends visa checklist, as issued through VFS Global. Requirements can change; confirm against the current checklist before you submit.
11 items
Documents you need
Application form
Completed online, then printed and signed by the applicant.
Two photographs
35 mm × 45 mm, white background, taken in the last 6 months.
Passport
Valid at least 3 months after your intended departure from the Schengen area, issued within the previous 10 years, with at least 2 blank pages. Add copies of the identification pages and of any previously issued visas.
Invitation approved by PMLP
Your host's invitation must be approved by Latvia's Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, and dated no more than 6 months before you apply.
Proof of relationship
A certificate proving the family relationship if you are visiting relatives; a marriage certificate if you are married and your passport does not show it; a ration-card copy where applicable.
Travel medical insurance
Valid across the Schengen area for the whole visit plus an additional 15-day grace period, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover including urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation. It may be bought in India, elsewhere, or by your host.
Round-trip tickets
Prepaid flight tickets confirmed by the airline, with payment details.
Accommodation
A prepaid hotel booking with proof of payment — not needed if your accommodation is included in the approved invitation.
Proof of financial means
Your original personal bank statement showing the last 3 months of transactions, stamped and signed by the bank. Employed: payslips for the last 3 months. Self-employed or a company owner: the company's registration certificate. Retired: pension statements for the last 3 months.
If you are sponsored
Proof of sponsorship and/or the sponsorship information on the invitation, with the sponsor's bank statement for the last 3 months.
For minors
A child travelling with one parent needs the other parent's notarised consent; a child travelling without parents needs both. Include copies of the parents' passports, or the child's birth certificate with the parents' ID copies.
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.
6 answers
Frequently asked questions
No. Latvia's checklist asks for an invitation approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP). Your host arranges this in Latvia before you apply, and the approved invitation must be dated no more than 6 months before your application.
Not if your accommodation is included in the approved invitation. Otherwise the checklist asks for a prepaid hotel booking with proof of payment.
For the whole of your intended stay in the Schengen area plus a further 15 days, which the checklist calls the period of grace. Cover must be at least EUR 30,000 and include urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation. Your host is allowed to buy the policy for you.
Latvia's checklist asks for prepaid round-trip tickets confirmed by the airline, with payment details. That is stricter than the flight reservation many Schengen countries accept, so discuss refundable fares with us before you buy.
With a certificate proving the relationship to the person you are visiting. If you are married and your passport does not show your marital status, add your marriage certificate.
Up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen area. Processing is usually about 15 calendar days and can extend to 45. The embassy may ask for more documents or an interview, and the visa fee is non-refundable under the Schengen rules.
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:
- Read the actual refusal letter and pinpoint the real gaps.
- Advise whether to pull the officer's notes (CAIPS / GCMS) for the true reason.
- Identify which part was weak — funds, employment, purpose or ties.
- Tell you honestly whether to reapply now or strengthen the file first.
- Refused? Your fee back, or a rebuilt application free — your choice.
Other Latvia visas
Latvia Tourist Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for tourism and holidays in Latvia — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Latvia Business Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, conferences and training in Latvia.
Latvia Study & Research Visa
A visa for study, research or an internship in Latvia — short stays use a Schengen visa; longer study needs a residence permit.
Latvia Cultural, Sports & Religious Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for cultural, sporting and religious events and film crews in Latvia.
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