A foreigner shall be entitled to request a visa, if he or she has sufficient financial means for the whole period of stay in Latvia and other member states of the Schengen Treaty (if the trip is planned also to other Schengen countries), as well as for covering of the expenses of return (or travel to any other country). The amount of necessary financial means shall be as follows:
- at least EUR 14 for each day of stay, if the planned period of stay in the Republic of Latvia does not exceed 30 days;
- not less than the minimum monthly salary (EUR 700), if the planned period of stay in the Republic of Latvia does not exceed 30 days;
- if the foreigner wishes to receive a visa in relation to employment - not less than the labour payment, in accordance with average monthly gross salary from employment in the Republic of Latvia (in accordance with the last published information of the Central Statistic Bureau) or the minimum wage determined by the general agreement of the industry (1537 EUR) SEE HERE;
- not less than the labour payment of in the planned employment field of the foreigner, who receives visa as a seasonal worker in the agriculture, forestry and fishery field:
- crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities - EUR 1297;
- forestry and logging - EUR 1748;
- fishery - EUR 1539.
If a foreigner requests a visa for repeated entry, he or she shall submit evidence, confirming the amount of necessary financial means for the first time of stay, and attach a submission, certifying that he or she is informed on the need of financial means for further times of entry and stay.
If a foreigner has to pay for the planned accommodation place, he or she shall prove that he/she has necessary financial means (in addition to the above-mentioned amount of financial means), in order to cover such expenses, as well as the fact that payment for accommodation has been made.
Financial means or the documents confirming the existence thereof, as well as a return ticket or sufficient financial means for acquisition of fuel necessary for a trip (if a foreigner travels with a personal vehicle) shall be presented to the relevant officials, when requesting for a visa, or to the State Border Guard pursuant to its request.
Covering of the expenses of stay of the foreigner may be assumed by the inviter of the foreigner (a natural or legal person) or any other natural or legal person (for example, a citizen of Latvia, a non-citizen of Latvia, a foreigner who stays in Latvia on the basis of a valid residence permit, a legal person registered in the Republic of Latvia).
If the inviter assumes to cover expenses of stay of the foreigner, he or she may prove the existence of sufficient financial means by submitting to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs a request for invitation and documents confirming the possibility to cover such expenses. In such a case the information shall be registered in the electronic data base and additional evidence on sufficient financial means shall not be requested from a foreigner.
If a spouse, parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren and their spouses are invited and the inviter, when submitting to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs a request for invitation, shall confirm with a signature that he or she has sufficient provision of subsistence and the invited foreigner, when staying in Latvia, will not become a burden t o the state social assistance system, the documents on the existence of financial means may not be requested.