Latvia visa guideA Latvian tourist visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for holidays in Latvia and the rest of the Schengen area, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. You lodge the file in person at VFS Global, which has centres in Jalandhar, Chandigarh and New Delhi, and the Embassy of Latvia in New Delhi decides, within 15 calendar days as a rule.
Latvia asks tourists for more commitment than most Schengen states. Tickets must be confirmed and paid for. Hotels must be prepaid, with the confirmation coming directly from the hotel, because bookings from social booking platforms are not considered valid. Insurance must run 15 days beyond the trip.
Do Indians need a visa for Latvia, and which one?
Yes. Latvia is a Schengen state, so an Indian passport holder going to Riga or Jūrmala on holiday needs a Schengen short-stay visa, type C. It is not an e-visa. You complete Latvia's application form online, print it with its barcoded sheets, sign it, and lodge the file in person at a VFS Global centre, where your fingerprints and photo are taken.
The visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all 29 Schengen countries together. The Embassy of Latvia in New Delhi decides; it handles Schengen applications from citizens and residents of India, the Maldives, Myanmar and Bhutan. The sticker shows the entries allowed: "1", "2" or "MULT", and a multiple-entry holder may come and go any number of times while keeping to the 90-day rule.
For Indians with a travel history, the EU's April 2024 cascade rules matter: after two Schengen visas obtained and lawfully used within the previous three years, a two-year multiple-entry visa can be issued, normally followed by a five-year one if the passport has enough validity left.
Latvia tourist visa at a glance
- VisaOnline form, then paper file and biometrics at VFS
- Schengen short-stay visa, type C
- Longest stay
- 90 days in any 180-day period
- Decided by
- Embassy of Latvia, New Delhi
- Nearest centresPre-booked appointments only since 1 October 2026
- VFS Chandigarh, Jalandhar and New Delhi
- Visa feeUnder 6: no visa fee, but the VFS charge applies
- €90 adult, €45 child aged 6 to 11
- Money to showAt least €780, Latvia's minimum monthly wage, for longer stays
- At least €14 a day for trips up to 30 days
- InsuranceThe 15 days match the visa's period of grace
- €30,000, whole stay plus 15 days
Embassy of Latvia in India, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global Latvia India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Two limits apply to every Schengen tourist. A visa does not by itself give an automatic right to enter: at the border you may be asked for a return ticket, hotel booking, insurance and money for the stay. And it does not allow work of any kind.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
Latvia's foreign ministry says visa applications to its missions are lodged through the external service provider VFS Global. Punjab is well placed: VFS runs Latvia centres in Jalandhar, open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 16:00, and Chandigarh, open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 15:00, as well as New Delhi, open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 16:00. The other centres are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
Every file is decided in New Delhi, so the centre you pick changes only the travel time. VFS says applications lodged at offices other than New Delhi take another two days because of postal delivery.
Book before you go. VFS announced that from 1 October 2026, everyone applying for a Latvia visa, short-term or long-term, must have a pre-booked online appointment before submitting the application. Walking in with a file no longer works.
On the day:
- Bring the paperwork VFS lists: a printed copy of the application, the 2D barcoded sheets (2 copies), two copies of the passport bio page, and the passport itself with at least 2 pages blank on both sides.
- Attend yourself. You cannot send someone in your place, and only applicants and one parent or caregiver accompanying a child under 18 may enter.
- Fingerprints and a photo. All 10 fingers are scanned. Latvia's embassy says fingerprints are, in principle, collected every 59 months, so a recent Schengen traveller may be spared.
- Children. VFS's Latvia page is not consistent: one line says a child under 14 need not attend, while others say children aged 12 to 17 give fingerprints with a parent or guardian present. Take the child along unless VFS confirms otherwise.
- Clothes and hands. VFS recommends bright rather than light-coloured clothing for the photo, and fingertips free of henna, cuts or marks.
- Missed appointment? A new one can be booked only after 24 hours.
Before choosing a date, look at the Latvia appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The common checklist is printed further down this page. Latvia's money section has two layers. VFS's tourist checklist wants the original private bank statement for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, with a bank certificate. The embassy's own India page adds Indian income tax return acknowledgements for the last two assessment years. Give both.
Salaried
- What Latvia asks you to add
- Payslips for the last 3 months; the embassy also lists your employment contract and your employer's statement approving the holiday
Company owner or self-employed
- What Latvia asks you to add
- Certificate of registration of the company, including its GST registration number
Retired
- What Latvia asks you to add
- Pension statements for the last 3 months and/or proof of regular income from property or a business
Sponsored
- What Latvia asks you to add
- The sponsor's bank statement for 3 months, with their salary slips or business registration certificate
Minor with one parent
- What Latvia asks you to add
- Notarised consent of the other parent or guardian, or a court order or other proof of sole custody
Minor without parents
- What Latvia asks you to add
- Notarised consent of both parents or guardians having custody
For any minor, add copies of both parents' passports or, if that is not possible, the child's birth certificate with copies of the parents' ID cards.
The bank certificate is easy to miss. The statement shows the movements; the certificate is a separate signed letter from the bank about the account. Ask the branch for both on the same visit.
Two more Latvia habits:
- Two photographs. VFS's checklist and the embassy page both ask for two colour photos, 35 × 45 mm, taken in the last six months on a white background. The foreign ministry's general page mentions one. Carry two.
- Copies of old visas. Along with the passport's identification pages, Latvia wants copies of the pages carrying previously issued visas.
Visiting relatives or friends who live in Latvia rather than touring? That needs an approved invitation, covered in the Latvia family visit visa guide.
How much is the Latvia visa fee for Indians?
The visa fee is €90 for applicants aged 12 and over and €45 for children from 6 to under 12; VFS's rupee rates from 1 October 2026 are ₹9,794 and ₹4,897. Children under 6 pay no visa fee, but VFS still levies its service charge of ₹2,938 per applicant, GST included (all checked 14 Oct 2026). VFS accepts cash or a debit or credit card. Both the visa fee and the service charge are non-refundable if the visa is refused. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
Two official figures exist, so plan on the longer one. Latvia's foreign ministry and the embassy say a decision is made within 15 calendar days of lodging, extendable to 45 calendar days in individual cases. VFS says processing takes up to 10 working days and asks applicants to apply at least 2 weeks in advance. From Chandigarh or Jalandhar, add the two days of postal transit.
The window: no earlier than 6 months before the trip and no later than 15 calendar days before it. A holder of a multiple-entry visa may apply for the next one up to six months before the current one expires.
Remember that Latvia's tourist checklist asks for paid tickets and prepaid hotels before you apply. That money is at risk until the decision, so apply early enough that a delay does not force you to rebook.
Why do Latvia visas get refused for Indian applicants?
Latvia refuses on the EU's standard form, which ticks numbered reasons. These are the ones that hit holiday files, with the Latvian twist on each.
Bookings Latvia does not count (reason 2)
VFS's tourist checklist says accommodation must be confirmed and prepaid, with payment details, directly from the hotels, and that social booking platforms will not be considered valid. A booking-app screenshot leaves the stay unjustified. Pay the hotel and get its own confirmation.
Money that falls short of Latvia's rule (reason 3)
Latvia's minimum is €14 for each day of a stay up to 30 days, and at least €780, the Latvian minimum monthly wage, for a longer stay. Meeting the number is not enough if the statement shows a sudden deposit; three months of normal movement and two years of ITRs carry the file.
Doubts that you will go home (reason 13)
The embassy lists the leave approval and employment contract for a reason. Show the job, business or pension you return to, and keep the trip short and specific.
Insurance that ends too soon (reason 16)
Latvia's checklist asks for cover of at least €30,000 for the whole Schengen area, for the entire visit plus 15 days. A policy that stops on your return date can be treated as inadequate. Count the extra days.
Dates that do not line up (reason 10)
Paid flights, prepaid hotels, the itinerary and the insurance all carry dates. If they disagree, the information can be judged unreliable. Fix the dates first, then buy.
Our Schengen refusal reasons page explains every box on the refusal form and how to answer it.
Tips for a stronger file
- Hotels direct, with a receipt. E-mail the hotel, pay it, and ask for a confirmation on its letterhead showing the dates, the guests and the amount received.
- Refundable fares. Latvia wants confirmed tickets with proof of payment, and the embassy states that it does not take responsibility for purchased tickets if the visa is refused. Pick a fare you can change or cancel.
- A written travel plan. The tourist checklist asks for a document indicating the envisaged travel plans. One page, day by day, matching the hotels.
- Stamped and certified. Statement stamped and signed, plus the bank certificate. A net-banking printout fails on both counts.
- Photos. Two prints, 35 × 45 mm, white background, not used in your passport before. VFS has a photo booth at the centre.
- Copies to return. The embassy asks you to give copies of any documents you want back when you submit.
- Emergencies. For a death or serious illness in the family abroad, the embassy asks you to contact it about submitting the application.
For cover that meets these rules, see our Schengen travel insurance explainer.
What is Latvia's 15-day period of grace?
It explains the insurance rule. The embassy says that when Latvia issues a visa for one or two entries, it adds 15 days to the validity you asked for. Its own example: ask to enter on 1 January and leave on 10 January, and the visa is valid from 1 to 25 January. You still get only the 10 days of stay you applied for, but you may use them anywhere inside that wider window.
That is why VFS's checklist wants insurance covering the entire visit plus an additional 15 days. If a flight is delayed and you shift the trip within the window, you are still covered. The foreign ministry's own insurance page sets the basics: €30,000 minimum, valid in all Schengen states, covering urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation in the event of death.
Can you appeal a Latvia visa refusal?
Yes. You have 30 days from being notified of the decision. The appeal is a written letter in Latvian or English, signed by you, addressed to the Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can hand it in at the embassy that refused the visa or send it to the Consular Department in Riga, in person, by post, or electronically with a secure digital signature. Only the refused applicant can appeal; your host or a third party cannot do it for you.
The Director decides within 30 days whether the refusal stands or is repealed in full or in part, and that decision can be taken to a Latvian court, whose ruling is final. The refusal stays in force while the appeal runs, so if the problem was a missing document, a fresh application is often faster. Count your days with our refusal deadline tool, and see the Latvia country page for the other visa types.
Official sources
- Applying for a Short Stay (Schengen) Visa, Embassy of Latvia in India
- Frequently Asked Questions, Embassy of Latvia in India
- Applying for a visa, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Documents required to apply for a visa, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Visa application fees, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Travel medical insurance policy, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Processing of visa applications and prior consultation, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Appeal against refusal, annulment and revocation of a visa, Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- VFS Global Latvia India: home and news
- VFS Global Latvia India: visa types, fees and processing time
- VFS Global Latvia India: visa application centres
- VFS Global Latvia India: what happens at the centre
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
- Visa Code, consolidated text (EUR-Lex)
