European Union (EU) Blue Card – that is a temporary residence permit, enabling its holder to live and work in the EU country that has issued the card. Besides, it enables to receive a permanent residence permit in a simplified way.
EU Blue Cards are issued in Latvia in order to attract highly qualified employees from abroad to the labour market. Right to the EU Blue Card is granted for a time period up to 5 years.
EU Blue Card has several advantages in comparison with the regular temporary residence permit:
- Holders of the EU Blue Card have more friendly conditions in the case of loss of work - if the period of unemployment does not exceed 3 consecutive months, the EU Blue Card is not annulled and a person may receive a benefit of an unemployed person for a time period up to 3 months. Benefit of an unemployed person is paid to the holders of the EU Blue Card not longer than three months.
- In case if a holder of the EU Blue Card wishes to obtain a status of a permanent EU resident in Latvia, he or she may be abroad from Latvia for a significantly longer period of time (18 months) than other persons, who have received a temporary residence permit (12 months), if the absence is related to performance of commercial activity in the statue of an employee or self-employed person or serving of the voluntary service.
In order to receive the EU Blue Card, the additional provisions shall be complied with:
- shall have a higher education (studies of at least 3 years in the speciality or sector, specified in the employment contract);
- amount of labour payment shall not be below the monthly average gross labour payment of employees of Latvia in the previous year, applying the coefficient 1.5
- amount of labour payment shall not be below the monthly average gross labour payment of employees of Latvia in the previous year, applying the coefficient 1.2, if the person is employed in the profession, where insufficient offer of labour force is established.
What documents should be submitted if you wish to receive the EU Blue Card?
- A copy of the valid personal identity document recognized in the Republic of Latvia;
- questionnaire of the certain specimen for requesting of a residence permit;
- photograph;
- a statement issued by the competent authority of the citizenship or home country, if the foreigner had stayed there for longer than 12 months, regarding criminal records (for a foreigner, who is older than 14 years);
- document, confirming the necessary means of subsistence (employment contract);
- payment documents, confirming payment of the State fee.
Before submission of documents the inviter shall approve a call at the Office. A call is a document approved by the Office, where the inviter assumes the obligations determined in the Immigration Law with regard to the foreigner, who have been invited by him or her to stay in Latvia pursuant to a residence permit. It may be arranged by both, natural persons as well as legal persons. More detailed information about approval of a call is available HERE.
In case if the spouse and the child of minor age or being in his or her custody is travelling together with foreigner, they shall submit in addition the documents confirming the kinship and a permit, which is notarially certified or signed in the presence of the official of the Office or representative office by the parent, who is not travelling together with the child, to stay in the Republic of Latvia.
State fee to be paid for review of the documents submitted for requesting of the EU Blue Card: within 10 working day - 100 euros, within 4 working days - 200 euros.
EU Blue Card visually does not differ from other temporary residence permits, except the fact that it contains an entry “EU Blue Card”.
Important to consider:
- Holders of the EU Blue Card shall notify the Office on loss of work, because failure to notify may result in annulment of the blue card;
- If the work is lost repeatedly during the validity period of the EU Blue Card, it shall be annulled and the right to receive a benefit of an unemployed person shall be lost.
If you have a valid blue card issued in Latvia and you want to change the employer, you and your family members shall have the right to stay in Latvia until the decision on granting of a residence permit or a refusal to grant it is adopted. You and your family have these rights also in the case if you have a valid blue card issued by another EU country and you have submitted the documents for receipt of the blue card in Latvia.