Latvia Golden Visa — Residence by Investment, from the UAE & India
EU residence in the Baltics through investment — with Schengen travel as a residence permit. A clear, honest read on what is open, what changed, and what is under review in 2026.
Last updated: 12 June 2026 — reviewed against Latvian law and official sources (LSM, the national public broadcaster).
Free Latvia Residence Assessment — company share capital (from EUR 50,000; 2-year permit) under the law in force since 15 Sept 2026; the real-estate and bank-deposit routes are closed to new applicants. EU residence, not citizenship.
Get AssessmentKey Takeaways
- Latvia's new Immigration Law took effect on 15 September 2026. For new applications the real-estate route has been removed, and the subordinated bank-deposit route is reported as removed too; applications filed by 14 September 2026 are reported to be handled under the old rules. The company share-capital route remains (EUR 50,000 or EUR 100,000 depending on the company, plus a EUR 10,000 state fee), but its permit is now issued for up to 2 years. A new route through a EUR 150,000 investment in a state alternative investment fund (permit up to 5 years) is in the law but not yet operational (as at 21 October 2026). Confirm the live position at assessment before committing.
- For new applications since 15 September 2026, the open route is company share capital from EUR 50,000 (or EUR 100,000, depending on the company) plus a EUR 10,000 state fee, with a permit of up to 2 years. A EUR 150,000 state alternative-investment-fund route (permit up to 5 years) is in the new law but not yet operational. The real-estate route (from EUR 250,000) is closed to new applicants, and the subordinated bank-deposit route (from EUR 280,000) is reported as closed too (fees confirmed after assessment).
- The government-securities (bonds) route has been removed by the Saeima — it is no longer available.
- This is an EU residence permit with Schengen 90/180 travel — not citizenship and not a visa-free passport.
- Cosmos holds no Latvian or EU licence; applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network.
Program Fact Card
| Latvia Golden Visa — Residence by Investment (RBI) | |
|---|---|
| Governing authority | Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, Republic of Latvia |
| Real estate route | Closed to new applications from 15 Sept 2026 (was from EUR 250,000, constructed property in Riga or within ~30 km, plus ~5% state duty) |
| Company route | From EUR 50,000 share capital (EUR 100,000 for some companies) plus a EUR 10,000 state fee; permit up to 2 years since 15 Sept 2026 |
| Bank-deposit route | Reported closed to new applications from 15 Sept 2026 (was from EUR 280,000 subordinated deposit, 5-year term, plus ~EUR 25,000 state fee) |
| Result | Temporary residence permit (company route up to 2 years; fund route up to 5 years, once operational) · Schengen 90/180 travel · PR eligibility after 5 years of residence |
| Status | CHANGED: new Immigration Law in force 15 Sept 2026 (as at 21 Oct 2026) |
| As of | 12 June 2026 |
Cosmos services have no published price on this page; any Cosmos fee is confirmed only after assessment. Program thresholds and state duties above are set by Latvian authorities and are subject to change.
Advisory experience
Decision-ready files
We tell you the risks
Authorised agents & legal practitioners
Latvia Residence-by-Investment Guidance for the UAE, GCC & India
We work with investors based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat, Manama, and across India. Latvia's program offers a relatively accessible entry point into EU residence, with the practical benefit of Schengen travel that comes with a residence permit.
It is also the most politically exposed program in the EU residence set right now. Our job is to give you the honest picture — what is open today, what is genuinely at risk, and which route fits your file — before you move any money.
The rules changed on 15 September 2026: read this first.
The rules changed on 15 September 2026 (summary above). Before the change, a Saeima investigation commission had pushed for the program's complete closure, driven by a roughly EUR 10 million fraud probe involving shell companies and around 200 investors. The government-securities route had already been removed. The immigration bill then in its third reading (amendment deadline 9 April 2026) became the law now in force. Routes, fees and validity can change again — we confirm the live position at your assessment, and we will not promise that any single route stays open.
What is the Latvia Golden Visa, and is it citizenship or residence?
The Latvia Golden Visa is a residence-by-investment program that grants a five-year EU temporary residence permit — it is residence, not citizenship, and not a visa-free passport. The permit lets you live in Latvia and travel within the Schengen area on the standard 90/180 basis. Citizenship is a separate, far longer path.
In practice, the first residence card is issued for two years, after which you re-register annually up to year five. There is no statutory minimum stay, though roughly one visit a year is expected to keep the permit live. After five continuous years you may become eligible for permanent residence; a citizenship pathway sits at around ten years. If EU residence with Baltic access is your goal, this can fit — but frame it as residence from day one. Find out whether it fits your profile — free assessment.
How much do you need to invest for Latvia residence in 2026?
For new applications since 15 September 2026, the open route is company share capital from EUR 50,000 (or EUR 100,000, depending on the company) plus a EUR 10,000 state fee, with a permit of up to 2 years. A EUR 150,000 state alternative-investment-fund route (permit up to 5 years) is in the new law but not yet operational. The real-estate route (from EUR 250,000) is closed to new applicants, and the subordinated bank-deposit route (from EUR 280,000) is reported as closed too. Each carries a separate state fee or duty on top of the investment, and the figures here are ranges — the exact numbers for your case are confirmed after assessment.
Under the old rules (reported to apply to applications filed by 14 September 2026), the real-estate route needed a single, already-constructed property in Riga or within about 30 km, plus a state duty of roughly 5% of the purchase price. The company route asks for share capital from about EUR 50,000 plus a state fee of EUR 10,000, now with a permit of up to 2 years. The deposit route was a five-year subordinated bank deposit from about EUR 280,000 with a state fee near EUR 25,000. The bonds route that older guides mention has been removed — ignore it.
What You Receive in Your Consultation
- Route shortlist: company share capital (or the fund route once it opens); real estate only for files filed under the old rules (the deposit route is reported closed)
- Live-status read: what is open today and what is genuinely at risk of changing in 2026
- Document roadmap: what to prepare, in what order, and what to avoid
- Network handoff: who actually prepares and lodges the application in Latvia
Can Russian or Belarusian nationals apply for the Latvia Golden Visa?
No. Russian and Belarusian nationals are excluded from the program, under entry and visa restrictions that Latvia has extended through the end of 2026. This is a firm eligibility bar, not a processing delay.
For most UAE- and India-based investors this restriction is not a factor, but it matters for mixed-nationality families and for anyone holding one of those passports. We screen nationality eligibility at the very first step, so no one builds a plan on a route they cannot use. Message us on WhatsApp if you want a quick read on your situation.
Does the Latvia Golden Visa give visa-free travel across Europe?
The Latvia residence permit grants Schengen travel on the standard 90/180 basis — you may move within the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This is the mobility that comes with an EU residence permit; it is not the unlimited free movement that EU citizenship would give, and it is not a visa-free passport.
That distinction matters. Schengen rules and the 90/180 limit can be tightened or adjusted by EU and member-state policy, and a residence permit does not give you the right to work or settle freely in other EU countries. Treat the travel benefit as a real but bounded convenience tied to your Latvian residence — not as a second passport.
How Latvia Residence Support Works
Cosmos Immigration holds no Latvian or EU immigration licence. For Latvia we work to a facilitator model: we handle eligibility review, documentation preparation and case management, while the application itself is prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network. Canadian (CICC), Australian (MARA) and New Zealand (IAA) registrations do not cover EU residence, so we are clear about who does what.
- Eligibility and route assessment against the live program rules
- Evidence organisation, source-of-funds preparation and quality control
- Coordination with authorised Latvian agents and regulated legal practitioners
- Case-management and milestone tracking through to lodgement
A note for investors remitting from India
Because Latvia's program grants residence, not citizenship, India's bar on dual citizenship, passport surrender and OCI rules do not apply — you keep your Indian passport and status. What does apply is the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS): the Reserve Bank of India currently caps outward remittance at USD 250,000 per person per financial year (as of June 2026), which is relevant when moving a EUR 250,000-plus investment abroad. Timing and the documentation your authorised dealer bank requires need to be planned in advance.
This is general information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Remittances are governed by RBI regulations under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme and your bank's compliance requirements — consult a qualified chartered accountant or your authorised dealer bank before moving funds.
What changed for 2026
- As of 2026: the Saeima has removed the government-securities (bonds) route — it had attracted only about 88 investors in roughly ten years, and it is no longer available.
- As of 27 April 2026: a Saeima investigation commission, chaired by Janis Dombrava, was pushing for complete closure, describing the company share-capital route as a crude way of circumventing the system (source: LSM, the official Latvian public broadcaster).
- As of 2026: a roughly EUR 10 million fraud probe is the trigger — Latvian financial intelligence flagged 20-plus companies running suspected shell investment schemes, with around 200 foreign investors and 100-plus permit holders including family members (source: IMI Daily).
- As of 15 September 2026: the new Immigration Law is in force, with the route changes summarised at the top of this page.
- As of 2025: the program recorded 201 approvals, up roughly 35% year on year — small but growing, even amid the review.
Criteria and figures are set by the relevant governments and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.
Latvia Golden Visa — quick answers
Is the Latvia Golden Visa still open in 2026?
Partly. Since 15 September 2026 the real-estate route is closed to new applicants, the bank-deposit route is reported closed, and the company share-capital route remains with a permit of up to 2 years. A EUR 150,000 state fund route is in the law but not yet operational (as at 21 October 2026). Confirm the live position at assessment before committing.
Does the Latvia Golden Visa give me citizenship?
No. It grants a five-year EU temporary residence permit with Schengen 90/180 travel — residence, not citizenship, and not a visa-free passport. Permanent residence eligibility comes after five continuous years, and a citizenship pathway sits at around ten years.
What is the minimum investment for Latvia residence?
For new applications since 15 September 2026, the open route is company share capital from EUR 50,000 (or EUR 100,000, depending on the company) plus a EUR 10,000 state fee, with a permit of up to 2 years. A EUR 150,000 state alternative-investment-fund route (permit up to 5 years) is in the new law but not yet operational. The real-estate route (from EUR 250,000) is closed to new applicants, and the subordinated bank-deposit route (from EUR 280,000) is reported as closed too. Each route has a separate state fee or duty on top, and these are ranges — the exact figures for your case are confirmed after assessment.
Do I have to live in Latvia to keep the permit?
There is no statutory minimum stay, but roughly one visit a year is expected to keep the permit live, with the first card issued for two years and annual re-registration up to year five. Requirements can change while the program is under review, so we confirm the current rules at assessment.
Can Cosmos lodge a Latvia application directly?
No — Cosmos holds no Latvian or EU licence. We handle eligibility, documentation and case management, while the application is prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network. We are clear about who does what at every step.
Cosmos Immigration is a private immigration consultancy in Dubai, operating since 2014. We work with a team of registered practitioners: 4+ CICC-registered consultants for Canada and 3+ MARA-registered agents for Australia. We also work with an IAA-registered adviser for UK files. We have offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad and Oakville. For EU residence programs such as Latvia, where we hold no local licence, applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network — and you can verify the practitioners we work with yourself. Verify Our Credentials
Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body, and is not affiliated with any government. Program criteria, fees and figures are set by the relevant governments and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.
Start with a free assessment, not a sales pitch — or message us on WhatsApp. We'll show you whether Latvia fits — and the next step to take.
← View all residence-by-investment pathways on the investment migration hub.
Speak With a Residence-by-Investment Adviser
Monday to Saturday | 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (UAE Time)
Enter your information
Choose the Destination to migrate
