Latvia · Visa guide
Latvia · Visa guideLatvia Tourist Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for tourism and holidays in Latvia — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- ProcessingUsually about 15 calendar days from submission
- Visa categoryTourist Visa
- Your guideOne consultant
Reading is not the hard part. Knowing if YOUR bank statements and ties will pass is. Call us and tell us your travel month. We tell you honestly if your Latvia file is ready.
Monday–Saturday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM IST
Start here
Latvia Tourist Visa — overview
A Latvian tourist 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 asks tourists for more commitment than most Schengen states. Tickets must be confirmed and paid for. Hotels must be prepaid, with the booking and payment details coming directly from the hotel — the checklist says bookings from social booking platforms will not be considered valid. Insurance must run 15 days beyond the trip.
Book with the hotel, not with an app
Latvia's tourist checklist contains a line that no other Schengen list in our files carries: "social booking platforms will not be considered valid."
What it wants instead is precise — confirmed and prepaid hotels, with payment details, directly from the hotels. A screenshot from a third-party booking app, even a paid one, does not meet that. E-mail the hotel, pay it, and ask for its own confirmation on letterhead showing the amount received and the dates. Do this before you book flights, because the hotel confirmation is the slower document.
Paid, not reserved
Where most Schengen countries accept a flight reservation, Latvia asks for confirmed tickets with proof of payment. Choose fares that can be changed or refunded, and keep the payment receipt with the ticket.
Fifteen days more than the trip
Insurance has to cover the whole visit plus a 15-day period of grace, at a minimum of EUR 30,000 including urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation. A policy that ends on your return date falls short by fifteen days.
The bank certificate
The financial item asks for the stamped three-month statement with bank certificate. The statement shows the transactions; the certificate is the bank's own signed letter confirming the account and its balance. Get both from the branch on the same day.
Travel plans, in writing
For tourism the embassy wants a document indicating the envisaged travel plans — a day-by-day itinerary that agrees with the prepaid hotels and the paid tickets. Three documents that describe the same trip, in the same dates, leave nothing to query.
Source: Embassy of Latvia, New Delhi — Tourist 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, with copies of the identification pages and previous visas.
Travel medical insurance — plus 15 days
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.
Round-trip tickets — confirmed and paid
Confirmed tickets with proof of payment.
Hotels — prepaid, booked directly
Confirmed and prepaid hotels with payment details, directly from the hotels. Bookings through social booking platforms will not be considered valid.
Proof of financial means
Original personal bank statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, with a bank certificate. Employed: three months' payslips. Company owner or self-employed: registration certificate. Retired: three months' pension statements. Sponsored: the sponsor's three-month statement, payslips or business registration.
Travel plans
A document indicating the envisaged travel plans.
For minors
Notarised consent of any parent not travelling, with copies of the parents' passports or ID cards.
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
Be careful. Latvia's checklist asks for confirmed and prepaid hotels with payment details directly from the hotels, and states that bookings from social booking platforms will not be considered valid. Book with the hotel and get its own confirmation showing payment.
Latvia asks for confirmed round-trip tickets with proof of payment. Since no visa is certain, choose refundable or changeable fares.
For the whole visit plus 15 further days, which Latvia calls the period of grace, with cover of at least EUR 30,000.
Alongside the stamped three-month statement, the checklist asks for a certificate from the bank. Ask your branch for a signed letter confirming the account and its status.
Two, 35 × 45 mm, on a white background, taken within the last six months.
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 Business Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, conferences and training in Latvia.
Latvia Family & Friends Visit Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa to visit family or friends living in Latvia — up to 90 days.
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.
Start here · One message away
Latvia visitor visa: get a straight answer before you pay the fee.
- Honest assessment
- Fixed all-in fees
- No handovers between staff
- Licensed in Patiala
Let’s discuss your case
Message us your travel month and who is paying. A consultant from our Punjab-licensed consultancy checks your ties and funds and tells you what to fix.