On September 24, 2022, amendments to the Latvian Immigration Law came into force, establishing a new procedure for obtaining a residence permit for Russian citizens.
The amendments did not affect the already existing residence permits, i.е. those Russians who have a residence permit based on investments in real estate or the authorized capital of a Latvian company can still go through the annual registration procedure, but it is important to understand that after the expiration of the five-year residence permit, they will be able to apply for a new residence permit only on those bases that provided by the new edition of the Immigration Law of Latvia.
The above amendments provide that Russian citizens can now apply for a residence permit in Latvia in the following cases:
- if a citizen of the Russian Federation is the spouse of a citizen/non-citizen of Latvia or a holder of a permanent residence permit in Latvia, a parent of a citizen/non-citizen of Latvia who has reached retirement age, and was also a citizen of Latvia on June 17, 1940, or one of whose parents is a citizen of Latvia;
- a citizen of the Russian Federation will be able to request a residence permit for a period not exceeding one year, if the stay in Latvia is related to employment determined by the legal acts of the European Union, i.e. if the “blue card” is requested;
- a citizen of the Russian Federation will be able to request a residence permit for a period not exceeding one year, if the stay in Latvia is related to participation in a scientific cooperation project or study at an accredited university and such residence rights are determined by the legal acts of the European Union;
- if they have been granted an alternative status, or they are guardians or custodians of a citizen or non-citizen of Latvia (in case of establishment of guardianship, a residence permit is issued for a period not exceeding five years);
- citizens of the Russian Federation may apply for a residence permit for a period not exceeding one year, if the applicant must remain in Latvia until the completion of the investigation of a criminal case or consideration in court;
- citizens of the Russian Federation will also have the right to request a residence permit for a period not exceeding five years, if the applicant previously left Latvia for another country and lost the status of a permanent resident of the EU in Latvia, and also if a residence permit is requested no later than three years after leaving Latvia;
- citizens of Russia will have the right to apply for a residence permit for a period not exceeding five years, if the foreigner has a valid EU permanent residence permit issued in another EU country;
- a citizen of Russia will have the right to request a residence permit for a period not exceeding one year, if he was granted the right to work in Latvia, he worked in Latvia for at least the last three months before requesting a second residence permit, and during this period, payments on income tax from residents were made for him.
As we can see from the law, the basis for obtaining a residence permit through the purchase of real estate was excluded, but the basis for obtaining this status through the “blue card” was added.
If a citizen of Russia has a diploma of a highly qualified specialist in a number of professions (from a programmer and financial analyst to a physicist, mathematician and electronic engineer), then he can apply for this type of residence permit (“blue card”), provided that he is hired in Latvia with a salary from 1532 to 1916 euros.
Law office Inlatplus is ready to provide consultations on the above issues and assist in obtaining a temporary residence permit in Latvia for all foreigners, including citizens of Russia.
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