Do I need a visa for Latvia?
Latvia is one of the 29 countries in the Schengen Area. A short-stay visa issued by any member state normally covers entry, and the days you spend here count towards the 90 in any 180 allowed across the whole area rather than a separate national limit.
Now pick the passport you travel on.
Entry rules by passport
Select your nationality for the full answer: stay length, passport validity, pre-registration and how to apply.
| Passport | What you need | Max stay |
|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| Germany | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| France | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| Poland | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| Netherlands | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| Spain | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| Italy | Freedom of movement | No stated limit |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| India | Visa requiredApply for a India passport | No stated limit |
| China | Visa requiredApply for a China passport | No stated limit |
| Türkiye | Visa requiredApply for a Türkiye passport | No stated limit |
| Nigeria | Visa requiredApply for a Nigeria passport | No stated limit |
| South Africa | Visa requiredApply for a South Africa passport | No stated limit |
| Philippines | Visa requiredApply for a Philippines passport | No stated limit |
| Pakistan | Visa requiredApply for a Pakistan passport | No stated limit |
| Bangladesh | Visa requiredApply for a Bangladesh passport | No stated limit |
| Indonesia | Visa requiredApply for a Indonesia passport | No stated limit |
| Egypt | Visa requiredApply for a Egypt passport | No stated limit |
| Vietnam | Visa requiredApply for a Vietnam passport | No stated limit |
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What to do next
The part most visa checkers leave out: what actually needs doing before you fly.
Confirm with the official source
Rules change without notice, and only the immigration authority of Latvia can tell you where you stand. Search for its official site before you travel.
Check your passport
Passport validity required: 3 months longer than the duration of stay. Renew first if you are close, because this is the most common reason travellers are turned away.
Check the rule for your own passport
What Latvia asks for depends on the passport you travel on, and the table above differs from row to row. Open your nationality for the stay length, the validity required and whether anything has to be applied for.
Good to know about Latvia
The 180 day window is rolling, not a calendar year. Time spent in any other Schengen country, including a stopover, comes out of the same 90 days, so two short trips to different member states can still take you over.
Arriving from another Schengen country normally means no second passport check, because the border you cross into the area is the one that counts. Member states can reintroduce checks at internal borders for a period, so carry your passport even on a flight inside the area.
Common questions
Entry to Latvia, answered from the same rules the table shows.
It depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports listed above, 10 enter Latvia without a visa, 11 have to apply for something before travelling. Find your nationality in the table for the exact rule, the stay it allows and what has to be applied for.
10 of the 21 most-checked passports listed above: Lithuania, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, France, Poland, Netherlands and Spain and 2 more. The rest have to apply in advance.
90 days on every visa-free rule in the table. The limit is per entry, and staying beyond it needs a different permission rather than an extension at the border.
3 months longer than the duration of stay. Renew before you travel if you are close to that, because it is one of the most common reasons travellers are refused boarding — by the airline, before they ever reach the border.
Not for any of the 21 most-checked passports listed above. Nationalities outside that list may still be offered one, so check the rule for the passport you hold.
Not for any of the 21 most-checked passports listed above. Nationalities outside that list may still have one available.
No separate arrival registration is listed for Latvia. Your airline may still ask for advance passenger information, which is not the same thing and is handled at check-in.
Yes. Latvia is one of the 29 Schengen countries, so a short-stay Schengen visa issued by any member is valid here, and the 90-days-in-any-180 limit is counted across the whole area rather than per country.
Once you are in Latvia
Where trip1 travellers go, and what to read before you book.
Travelling somewhere else?
Check any passport against any destination
