Published: 31.03.2025.

Employment of third-country nationals* in Latvia

On 1 January 2025, amendments to the Immigration Law and Cabinet Regulation No. 55 of 28 January 2014 “Regulations Regarding Employment of Foreigners” entered into force.

From 1 January 2025, companies applying to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs for an invitation visa or a residence permit for the employment of third-country nationals must obtain the opinion of the Agency to authorise the employment of a foreigner.

Important! The opinion of the Agency is also required if the vacancy advertisement has been published on the Agency’s CV and vacancies portal since 2024.

Scheme for obtaining the opinion (in Latvian)

Assessment of applicants on the CV and vacancies portal (in Latvian)

What steps must be taken to be eligible to employ third-country nationals?

A description of the process of obtaining an opinion on the recruitment of third-country nationals is available on the SEA website in the section “Employment of Third-Country Nationals in Latvia”.

What should an employer take into account when registering a vacancy with the SEA to recruit third-country nationals?

If the employer requires a statement on the need to recruit a foreigner, the vacancy must be self-published on the SEA’s CV and vacancies portal, and the reasons for the creation and number of vacancies must be stated.

More on registering a vacancy.

How will employers be able to demonstrate their cooperation with the SEA and their active involvement in the recruitment process?

The SEA will offer the company to assess the candidates matching the vacancy requirements from the database, and employers will be able to search for candidates matching the vacancy requirements on the CV and vacancies portal.

The employer will organise the assessment of applicants independently or in cooperation with the SEA by the 8th working day following the publication of the vacancy announcement, and the results of the assessment will be published on the SEA’s CV and vacancies portal. The SEA employment organiser assesses the cooperation and the results of the assessment of the applicants and draws up an appropriate opinion.

How and how long will it take for the employer to receive the opinion of the SEA on the recruitment of a foreigner?

Generally, the SEA will issue an opinion to allow or refuse to allow the recruitment of a foreigner within the 10th working day from the publication of the vacancy advertisement and this opinion will be sent to the company via e-address and will be available on the SEA’s CV and vacancies portal profile account as soon as it will be provided.

When does the positive opinion take effect?  

The opinion takes effect from the date of its adoption.

How long is the opinion valid for?

Within one month from the date of the opinion, the employer has the right to submit an invitation to apply for a visa or a summons to apply for a residence permit to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

How to submit the opinion to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs?

The employees of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs will have access to the information on the opinion given in the information system as soon as it is given, so the employer does not need to submit the opinion to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

What remuneration must be provided when employing a third-country national?

When employing a third-country national, the employer must provide a gross wage corresponding to the average wage in the relevant sector in the previous calendar year according to the latest published information of the Central Statistical Bureau, currently published for the year 2023: Average monthly wages and salaries of employees by kind of activity – https://stat.gov.lv/lv/statistikas-temas/darbs/alga/tabulas/dsv030c-stradajoso-menesa-videja-darba-samaksa-pa-darbibas.

What deadline should be specified when registering a vacancy requiring an opinion on the recruitment of a foreigner?

To ensure the selection, assessment, preparation of the opinion and examination of the documents by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, the vacancy must be open on the CV and vacancies portal for at least two months from the date of publication of the vacancy.

What to do if I have not had the opportunity to assess the applicants offered by the SEA within the deadline?

If the employer establishes that it will not be possible to assess the applicants offered by the SEA by the 8th working day after the vacancy was advertised, an application must be made requesting an extension of the deadline for assessing the applicants. The application must be sent to the e-address.

  1. The employer submits the vacancy advertisement through self-registration on the CV and vacancies portal, with a mandatory justification for the creation and number of vacancies if the employment is to be based on an employment contract**. The Agency evaluates the submitted vacancy information and, if the job advertisement is suitable, publishes it within one working day (within 24 hours of submission). Within 10 working days from the publication of the job advertisement on the CV and vacancies portal, the employer actively cooperates with the Agency in the process of selecting suitable applicants for the vacancy, evaluating the applicants proposed by the Agency and informing the Agency of the results of the evaluation.
  2. Within 10 working days of the publication of the job advertisement on the CV and vacancies portal, the Agency issues an appropriate opinion after assessing the results of the cooperation:
    • The opinion to allow the recruitment of a foreigner if the employer has cooperated with the Agency in the process of selecting suitable applicants for the vacancy, has evaluated the applicants offered by the Agency and has provided the Agency with information on the results of the evaluation, but has been unable to find a suitable applicant to fill the vacancy;
    • A statement refusing to allow the recruitment of a foreigner if the employer has not cooperated with the Agency or a suitable applicant has been found to fill the vacancy.
  3. The employer can access the opinion on the CV and vacancies portal as soon as the Agency has taken a decision, and the opinion will be sent to the e-address.
  4. The employer may appeal against the opinion refusing to recruit a foreigner by submitting an application to the Director of the Agency. The decision of the Director of the Agency may be appealed against before a court in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Administrative Procedure Law.
  5. Within one month from the date of the positive opinion, the employer submits to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs the request for an invitation, together with the employment contract or a draft thereof and the foreigner’s education documents, the employer does not need to submit the opinion of the Agency as it is available to the employees of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in the information system.
  6. After the invitation has been accepted, the foreigner submits documents for applying for a visa at the diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Latvia abroad. Information on the right to employment is included in the visa;
  7. The foreigner registers with the State Revenue Service as a taxpayer. 
  1. The employer submits the vacancy advertisement through self-registration on the CV and vacancies portal, with a mandatory justification for the creation and number of vacancies if the employment is to be based on an employment contract**. The Agency evaluates the submitted vacancy information and, if the job advertisement is suitable, publishes it within one working day (within 24 hours of submission). Within 10 working days from the publication of the job advertisement on the CV and vacancies portal, the employer actively cooperates with the Agency in the process of selecting suitable applicants for the vacancy, evaluating the applicants proposed by the Agency and informing the Agency of the results of the evaluation.
  2. Within 10 working days of the publication of the job advertisement on the CV and vacancies portal, the Agency issues an appropriate opinion after assessing the results of the cooperation:
  3. The opinion to allow the recruitment of a foreigner if the employer has cooperated with the Agency in the process of selecting suitable applicants for the vacancy, has evaluated the applicants offered by the Agency and has provided the Agency with information on the results of the evaluation, but has been unable to find a suitable applicant to fill the vacancy;
  4. A statement refusing to allow the recruitment of a foreigner if the employer has not cooperated with the Agency or a suitable applicant has been found to fill the vacancy.
  5. The employer can access the opinion on the CV and vacancies portal as soon as the Agency has taken a decision, and the opinion will be sent to the e-address.
  6. The employer may appeal against the opinion refusing to recruit a foreigner by submitting an application to the Director of the Agency. The decision of the Director of the Agency may be appealed against before a court in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Administrative Procedure Law.
  7. Within one month from the date of the positive opinion, the employer submits to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs the request for summons, together with the employment contract or a draft thereof and the foreigner’s education documents, the employer does not need to submit the opinion of the Agency as it is available to the employees of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in the information system. 
  8. If the foreigner is abroad, he/she submits documents for obtaining a residence permit and the right to employment at the diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Latvia, and if legally residing in Latvia – at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
  9. The residence permit with the right to employment is issued by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
  10. The foreigner registers with the State Revenue Service as a taxpayer.
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It should be noted that the employer assumes full responsibility for the foreigner’s employment (including restrictions on wages, which must correspond to the average gross monthly wage of workers in the Republic of Latvia in the sector according to the Central Statistical Bureau or the minimum wage set by the sectoral general agreement), stay (including accommodation and health care) and, if necessary, the costs of returning to the home country.

Applications for summons can only be submitted electronically:

  1. Using the electronic service “Confirmation of Invitation or Summons to Apply for a Visa or Residence Permit in the Republic of Latvia” on the Latvija.lv portal.
  2. For a legal person or an employer – by sending the application and the attached documents electronically, certified by a secure electronic signature. Each attached document must be confirmed by an electronic signature.

More information on the procedure for approval of summons is available here.

Further information on the employment of a foreigner is available on the website of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in the section “Employment of Foreigners”. 

Laws and regulations:

Immigration Law

Regulations Regarding Employment of Foreigners

*Third-country nationals – foreign nationals who are not nationals of a Member State of the European Union, but are nationals of a European Economic Area country (EU27 + Liechtenstein + Iceland + Norway), and nationals of the Swiss Confederation.

**Exceptional cases are listed in the Immigration Law.