Latvia

Start-up visa. A temporary residence permit for founders of an innovative company registered in Latvia, valid up to three years, with no capital floor set by the state.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Start-up visa

A temporary residence permit valid up to 36 months (typically issued in stages), covering the founder and co-founders.

Who qualifies

Found or join an innovative start-up registered in Latvia and endorsed by the Start-up Latvia commission.
Law on Support for the Activities of Start-up Companies
Provide a business plan showing scalability and innovation, reviewed by the commission before the residence permit is issued, plus proof of subsistence funds of about €8,400 (about $9,240) for the main applicant and €1,800 (about $1,980) per accompanying family member.
Startup Latvia (LIAA), Startup Visa financial requirements

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

2 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: Steady income each month, rising with each person who moves.
Just you$700
2 people$850
4 people$1,150
Time: 2–4 months for the commission’s endorsement, then 4–8 weeks for the permit.
Cost: About $1,000–3,000 in state fees, legal help preparing the business plan, and company registration; no minimum capital is fixed by law.
The hard part: Getting the Start-up Latvia commission to endorse the business plan as genuinely innovative; a plain services or trading business will not qualify.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2038.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
3 years, renewable for 3 years at a time.
2030
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 3 years.
2032
Permanent residence
Under the Immigration Law in force from 15 September 2026, five years in a row on temporary residence permits, then Latvian at A2 by the state exam. Investors of more than €500,000 and people over 65 are exempt from the language test.
2037
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2038
Citizenship
The decision usually takes 6–12 months.

Language: Latvian, by a state test in two parts (written, and a ten-question interview) at an everyday-conversation level. No CEFR level is published.
Civics: A test on the Constitution and on Latvian history and culture, plus reciting the national anthem.
Time away: Five years living in Latvia counted from the day permanent residence was granted. Breaks may add up to one year in total, but none in the last year before applying.
Two passports: It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.

A temporary residence permit, so the years count toward the 5 years for permanent residence.
Whether you can keep your current citizenship depends on the rules at the time and your home country.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: Tied to actively running the endorsed company in Latvia; PMLP checks the business is genuinely operating at each renewal rather than applying a fixed day-count.
Tax: Latvian tax residence follows the normal 183-day rule once you are living and running the business there.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Read the LIAA’s Startup Visa page and the endorsement criteria.Open startuplatvia.eu ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $700 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

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