Procedure for the entry of young citizens of Japan into the Republic of Latvia in accordance with the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of Japan on the working holiday scheme applies to citizens of Japan, who lives in Japan and who, on the day of application submission, are aged between 18 and 30 years (including) and meet the conditions of Article 2 of the Agreement, i.e.:
- they plan to enter the Republic of Latvia primarily to spend a holiday;
- they are not accompanied by dependants;
- they have a valid passport and a return ticket or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket;
- they have sufficient funds to cover expenses for residence in the Republic of Latvia during the initial period of stay;
- they plan to leave the Republic of Latvia at the end of their stay and do not change their residence status during their stay;
- the Republic of Latvia has not previously issued them a long-term visa in accordance with the working holiday scheme;
- they have adequate medical insurance;
- they have no criminal record.
A citizen of Japan submits the following to the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Japan:
- a valid copy of a Japanese citizen's passport (presenting the original), the validity of which exceeds the intended period of stay in the Republic of Latvia by at least three months;
- a specified application form for requesting a long-term visa, indicating the reason for stay – in accordance with the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of Japan on the working holiday scheme (fill in e-application form);
- a photo;
- a document confirming that the person has medical insurance policy;
- documents confirming sufficient financial means for the initial period of stay.
In certain cases, a criminal record extract may be requested.
A long-term visa is issued for free for a period of up to one year.
The issued visa bears the endorsements 'WORKING HOLIDAY PROGRAM – JAPAN' and 'THE RIGHT TO WORK WITHOUT RESTRICTION'.
A Japanese citizen who has been granted a long-term visa under the Agreement is exempt from the requirement to obtain a work permit in order to be employed as a salaried worker.
The annual quota for the number of entrants under the working holiday scheme is 100.