How to Get a Private Invitation for Latvia as a Foreigner?

18th Apr 2026 Updated on: 18th Apr 2026

How to Get a Private Invitation for Latvia as a Foreigner: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you have family or close friends living in Latvia and you're planning to visit them, there's one document that often sits at the centre of your visa application — the private invitation, known locally as ielūgums. Many first-time applicants underestimate it. They treat it as a simple letter. In reality, it's a formal document issued by the Latvian authorities, and without it, most short-stay visa applications for a private visit will not be processed.

This guide walks you through the entire process in plain language — what a private invitation is, who can issue one, what it costs, how long it takes, and what both the host in Latvia and the foreign applicant need to do. Everything here is based strictly on official information published by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and the national services portal Latvija.gov.lv.

What exactly is a private invitation?

A private invitation for Latvia is an official electronic document. It is prepared by a host living in Latvia — a citizen, non-citizen, or legal resident — and then formally approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP / OCMA). Once approved, it becomes part of the supporting documentation that the invited foreign national submits to the Latvian embassy or a VFS Global visa centre when applying for a Schengen short-stay visa.

The key word here is private. This type of invitation covers visits for personal reasons only: meeting family, spending time with friends, attending a wedding or a funeral, and similar non-commercial purposes. It cannot be used for employment, for starting a business, or for a commercial engagement in Latvia. A separate invitation procedure exists for those situations, and it is not what this article is about.

Once it is approved by PMLP, a private invitation is valid for six months from the date of approval, unless a shorter visit window has been specified inside the document itself.

Why do you actually need one?

When you apply for a Schengen visa to travel to Latvia, the embassy needs to understand why you are going. If you're a tourist, a hotel booking is usually enough. If you're attending a conference, you'll submit the conference documents. But when the purpose is a private visit to someone's home, the embassy needs proof that a real person in Latvia is expecting you — and that this person has been checked by the Latvian authorities.

That's what the approved invitation provides. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explicitly lists it under the documents required for family, friends, or private-visit visa applications. Without it, your file will almost certainly be considered incomplete.

Who can be your inviter?

Not everyone in Latvia is allowed to act as a private-visit host. The list of eligible inviters, as set out by PMLP, includes:

An adult citizen of Latvia or a non-citizen of Latvia
A foreigner holding a valid permanent residence permit in Latvia
A foreigner holding a valid temporary residence permit — but only to invite a spouse or a relative up to the third degree of kinship, and only for a stay that does not exceed the validity of their permit
A citizen of an EU or EEA Member State, or of Switzerland, residing in Latvia on the basis of a registration certificate or permanent residence certificate

In short: permanent status allows broad private invitations, while temporary residents can only invite close family.

The full process, step by step

The procedure has two halves. First, the host in Latvia prepares and submits the invitation. Second, after it is approved, the foreign applicant uses it to apply for the visa.

Part 1 — What the host in Latvia does

Step 1: Log in to Latvija.gov.lv. The inviter signs in to the state administration services portal using eID, eParaksts, or an authorised internet-banking login.

Step 2: Open the correct e-service. The relevant service is called "Approval of an invitation or a call for requesting a visa or residence permit in the Republic of Latvia". This is the official electronic channel for private invitations. Alternatively, the paperwork can be filed at any PMLP territorial division, but electronic filing is cheaper and faster.

Step 3: Fill in the application. The form asks for the host's contact details and for a detailed description of the foreigner being invited — full name (as written in the passport, in Latin script), nationality, gender, date and place of birth, place of residence abroad, occupation, the address where they will stay in Latvia, the purpose of the visit, and the planned dates.

Step 4: Decide on financial coverage. The host must state whether they will cover the visitor's expenses. If yes, they attach proof of their own financial means, such as a bank statement or income document. For very close relatives — a spouse, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren or their spouses — the host can simply sign a declaration that they can support the visitor without further paperwork.

Step 5: Pay the state fee. Payment is made to the State Treasury, with the reference number of the service clearly stated in the payment purpose.

Step 6: Wait for the decision. PMLP officers review the file and issue a decision, usually within two working days.

Part 2 — What the foreign applicant does

Step 1: Wait for confirmation. Only after the host confirms that the invitation has been approved by PMLP should the applicant start the visa process.

Step 2: Book a visa appointment. Applications are submitted at the nearest Latvian embassy or, in many countries, through VFS Global. Appointments should be booked no earlier than six months before the trip, and no later than 15 calendar days before the intended departure.

Step 3: Complete the online visa application. The Schengen short-stay visa application form is filled in online through the PMLP e-form system, then printed and signed.

Step 4: Gather the supporting documents. These include the passport, biometric photo, travel medical insurance, and proof of the private invitation approval. The full list is in the next section.

Step 5: Attend the appointment. Biometrics are collected where required, and the file is submitted for processing.

Step 6: Submit the Electronic Travel Declaration. Since 1 September 2025, most third-country nationals who enter Latvia without a Latvian visa or residence permit must submit a declaration at eta.gov.lv at least 48 hours before arrival. This applies even to transit. Travellers who already hold a Latvian visa are exempt, but it's worth checking the current list on the MFA website.

Basic documents you'll need

For the inviter in Latvia:

Personal identification document
A working phone number and email address
The foreigner's full data (name, nationality, DOB, passport-style details)
Payment receipt for the state fee
Documents proving the relationship, if requested
Financial documents, if the inviter undertakes to cover the visitor's expenses

For the applicant abroad, when the approved invitation is in place:

A valid travel document, issued within the last 10 years, with at least two blank pages and at least three months of validity beyond the intended visa expiry
The completed and signed Schengen visa application form
One recent colour photograph (35 × 45 mm, white background)
Travel medical insurance valid across the Schengen area, with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000, covering the full visit plus an additional 15 days
Confirmation that the private invitation has been approved by PMLP (the embassy verifies this electronically against the PMLP database)
Proof of sufficient financial means, unless the invitation clearly states the host will cover costs
Proof of ties to the home country (employment, property, family), to support return intent

Processing time

For a purely private invitation, PMLP decides within two working days after all required documents have been submitted. If the file needs additional verification — for example, when the relationship or circumstances need extra checks — the decision period can be extended to up to 10 working days. Cases linked to employment have a separate 5-day standard, but those are outside the scope of a private visit.

The Schengen visa itself is usually decided within 15 calendar days of submission at the embassy, though complex cases can take longer.

State fees

The fees for private invitation approval, as published by PMLP, are:

EUR 10 when the application is submitted electronically through the e-service on Latvija.gov.lv
EUR 17 when the application is submitted in paper form at a PMLP territorial division
EUR 10 additional for each extra person included in the same invitation
EUR 14 for each correction or specification made at the inviter's request after submission

Fees are paid to the State Treasury (Valsts kase), account LV37TREL1060140918500, BIC TRELLV22, with the service reference and the invitee's name in the payment purpose. Fees are non-refundable even if the invitation is later rejected or withdrawn.

The visa fee itself is paid separately at the embassy or visa centre and is set under the EU Visa Code.

Financial means — how much money must be shown

Latvia applies the same benchmark as several other Schengen states. The foreigner must demonstrate access to:

At least EUR 14 per day of stay, if the visit does not exceed 30 days, or
At least the Latvian minimum monthly salary — currently EUR 780 — if the visit exceeds 30 days

If the host in Latvia has formally committed to cover the visitor's expenses, and has proved that they can do so, the applicant is generally not asked to provide separate financial proof. When close family is invited and the host signs the standard declaration, PMLP may waive the requirement to submit additional financial documents altogether.

Important notes and common pitfalls

A few practical points that cause unnecessary rejections:

Names must match the passport exactly. Any mismatch between the invitation and the travel document can hold up the visa.
The six-month validity is counted from the approval date, not from the planned visit date. Don't ask the host to prepare the invitation too early.
Temporary residents have narrower rights. If your relative in Latvia holds a temporary residence permit, they can only invite close family, and only for the duration of their own permit.
The invitation is not the visa. It's a supporting document. The final decision on entry is made by the embassy and, ultimately, by the State Border Guard at the point of entry.
The state fee is non-refundable. If the invitation is rejected or cancelled, the money is not returned.
Electronic Travel Declaration. Most visa-free and visa-holder categories still need to submit the Electronic Travel Declaration at eta.gov.lv before entering Latvia. Check your category on the MFA website before you fly.
Providing false information has consequences. If PMLP finds that the inviter has given false details, they can be banned from inviting foreigners for up to one year, and in some cases longer.

How AtoZ Serwis Plus Can Help You

Navigating the private invitation process in Latvia can feel overwhelming, especially when you're coordinating with a host in Latvia and a visa application in your home country. That's where AtoZ Serwis Plus comes in.

We assist foreigners and their hosts with every stage of the Latvia private invitation journey:

Guidance on eligibility — helping you confirm whether your host in Latvia qualifies as an inviter under PMLP rules
Document checklist support — making sure every required document is correctly prepared before submission
Application review — reviewing your invitation details and visa file to reduce the risk of rejection
Step-by-step assistance — walking both the inviter and the applicant through the Latvija.gov.lv e-service and embassy process
Financial means guidance — helping you present income and sponsorship documents the right way
Schengen visa preparation — supporting your short-stay visa file, insurance, and appointment booking
Electronic Travel Declaration help — ensuring you submit the eta.gov.lv declaration correctly before arrival
Ongoing support — answering your questions at every stage, from invitation to airport

Whether you're inviting a parent, spouse, close friend, or relative to Latvia, AtoZ Serwis Plus makes the process simpler, faster, and less stressful.

Get in touch with AtoZ Serwis Plus today and let our team handle the details — so you can focus on the reunion that matters.

Disclaimer

This article is a general information guide, not legal advice. Immigration rules, fees, and forms can change at short notice, and individual cases may be subject to additional requirements. Always verify the current rules on the official websites listed below before paying any fee or booking travel, and contact PMLP or the nearest Latvian embassy for questions about your specific situation.

Official sources

The information in this article is drawn from the following Latvian government websites:

Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP / OCMA) — Approval of written invitation, visas and invitations, state fees, and receiving a visa: https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/approval-written-invitation, https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/visas-and-invitations, https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/receiving-visa
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia (MFA) — Applying for a visa, documents required, and Electronic Travel Declaration: https://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/applying-visa, https://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/documents-required-apply-visa, https://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/electronic-travel-declaration
Latvija.gov.lv — National e-services portal for invitation approval and residence permit services: https://latvija.gov.lv/Services/6320

FAQs

Yes — but only if the purpose of your trip is something other than a private visit, such as tourism with a hotel booking, a business meeting with a corporate invitation, or a conference. For a genuine family or friends visit, the approved private invitation is expected.

Plan for roughly 3 to 6 weeks in total. The invitation itself is typically approved within two working days. Still, you also need time for the applicant to collect documents, book an appointment, and wait for the 15-day Schengen visa decision.

Friends can absolutely invite you. The law does not restrict private invitations to blood relatives, provided the inviter meets the eligibility criteria set by PMLP.

In that case, they can only invite a spouse or relatives up to the third degree of kinship, and only for a period not exceeding the validity of their own residence permit. Kinship may need to be proved with legal documents.

No. The invitation confirms the purpose of the visit and the identity of the host. The embassy makes the final visa decision based on the full application — including your ties to your home country, insurance, funds, and travel history.

Yes. Multiple people can be included in a single invitation, but an additional EUR 10 state fee is charged for each extra person listed.

If the invitation is still valid for six months and the dates remain covered, you can travel without having to redo the invitation. If the dates fall outside the window or the invitation has expired, the host will need to issue a new one.

At the Latvian embassy or consulate that covers your country of residence, or at the authorised VFS Global visa centre in your country. The Latvian diplomatic mission's website — reached via mfa.gov.lv — lists the correct address, appointment system, and accepted payment methods for your location.

Category: Europe

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