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Visa information in English
Here you find visa information
Who is allowed to enter without a visa?
Persons who were in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 can currently enter Germany without a visa and stay in Germany. You can find more information here.
Особи, які станом на 24.02.2022 року перебували в Україні, можуть зараз в’їжджати до Німеччини без візи і перебувати в Німеччині. Більше інформації можна знайти тут.
EU-citizens (including Latvian citizens), EEA-citizens as well as citizens of Switzerland enjoy freedom of movement within the European Union. Visas or residence permits for Germany are not necessary anymore. For long-term stays in Germany, Latvian citizens need to register with the relevant Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt) in Germany.
Citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zeeland, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America can apply for the necessary residence permit to the relevant immigration authorities after entry.
Holder of a Latvian non-citizens passport can travel within the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days within 6 months. If you wish to enter Germany for the purpose of employment, or if you for any other reason plan to stay for a longer period of time, you need to apply for a visa before leaving Latvia and if necessary require a work permit. You can find more information here.
Citizens of Non-EU-Countries living with a valid permanent residence permit or a category „D“ visa in Latvia can travel to Germany for visiting/business purposes up to 90 days within 6 months without applying for a German visa.
Foreign Citizens who hold one of the following Latvian residence permits:
- Residence permit for family members of EU Member States’ nationals – card according to Art. 10 sec. 1 Directive 2004/38/EC: „Savienības pilsoņa ģimenes locekļa uzturēšanās atļauja“ (Republic of Latvia residence permit for family members of EU Member States` nationals – card)
- „Long-term resident – EC“ according to Council Directive 2003/109/EC: „Pastāvīgais iedzīvotājs — ES“
and wish to stay in Germany for more than 90 days in 6 months and/or stay for the purpose of employment do not need to apply for a visa in advance. After entering Germany, foreigners must immediately apply for a residence permit at the competent Aliens Authority in Germany. You can find more information here.
After a minimum stay in Latvia of twelve months with the EU Blue Card, a long-term relocation to Germany is possible without a visa. After arrival, you must apply for a German Blue Card EU at the immigration authorities. This can usually be done informally (online). Taking up employment is already permitted once the immigration authorities have initiated the issuance of the German Blue Card, i. e. after placing the application. You can find more information here.
Mobilty for students and researchers from abroad the EU (third-country nationals):
Third-country nationals, who are residing in the EU for the purpose of studies or the research and who are already holding a residence permit from another EU-member state (as per EU Directive 2016/801), can study or research in Germany without a German residence permit under the following circumstances:
- Students are allowed to complete part of their studies in Germany for up to 360 days as part of a multilateral program or if an agreement between two or more universities applies.
- Researchers are allowed to conduct short-team (mobility up to 180 within 360 days) or long-term (mobility from 180 to 360 days) research on federal territory if there exists a hosting agreement or an according contract with a German research institute.
You do not need a residence permit if you have a certificate issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) certifying your entitlement to enter and stay for the purpose of studying or research as part of short-term mobility (Directive 2016/801/EU). This certificate is issued by the BAMF upon request of the German university or research institute. Please contact your university or research institute for further information.
Researchers who want to stay in Germany for more than 180 days as part of long-term mobility must submit an application for a residence permit for mobile researchers. This can be done directly at the immigration authority.
Further information on the procedure can be found on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF):
Who needs a visa
Latvian non-citizens must apply for a visa and, if necessary, a work permit before leaving Latvia for employment or long-term stays if they do not have a „Long-term resident – EC“ according to Council Directive 2003/109/EC: „Pastāvīgais iedzīvotājs — ES“ in addition to the Latvian non-citizen passport. You can find more information here.
Citizens from non-EU countries generally require a visa. The visa can be applied for at the German Embassy Riga if a valid residence permit or a visa for long-term stay (category „D“) for Latvia is presented and habitual residence in Latvia can be proven.
Citizens of the Russian Federation staying in Latvia can apply for a visa to enter Germany at the German Embassy in Riga if they have their habitual or legal residence in Latvia. More information is available here.
Four steps to your visa
You should start preparing your application as soon as you plan your long-term stay in Germany. In some cases, the procedure can take up to several months.
The required documents are listed according to the purpose of your stay in Consular Services Portal and in the information leaflets in the downloads area.
If you wish to apply for a visa for other purposes (e.g. family reunion with minors, au-pair, school attendance, voluntary social year - FSJ), please inquire about the list of required documents for these visa applications via e-mail to botschaft@riga.diplo.de
You can find more Information in Visa-Navigator
Applying online
You can apply online for some types of visas. Once you submit your documents, we will inform you whether these are complete. You can immediately adjust and correct your documents. This will make your in-person appointment at the German mission quick and efficient. You will present your original documents, provide your biometric date (fingerprints and photo) and pay the application fee.
Apply online now, through the Consular Services Portal
Applying in paper form
Alternatively, you can apply for your visa in paper form. Therefore, you need an appointment with the German Embassy which you can book here: www.riga.diplo.de/termin
Please note that the advantages of an online application won’t apply for the application in paper form.
Please understand that there are no earlier appointments available than shown in the ticket system. We regularly unlock new appointments and put cancelled appointments online, too.
In-person appointment
When handing in your application, please attend your appointment at the German Embassy personally and be on time. During your appointment, we kindly ask you to submit all of your application documents, pay the fee and answer questions about your planned trip. Your fingerprints and photograph will also be taken on this occasion.
For minors, both parents or both legal guardians have to appear in person together with the minor child at the Embassy to submit and sign the application form. The application form must be signed by all persons entitled to custody
The German Embassy will review your application and make a decision whether or not to grant you a visa. To this end, it will assess whether your application meets the legal requirements. Depending on the purpose of your trip, processing might take up to several months.
Please be aware that we can give you information on the status of your application only if you provide us with your application number. Enquiries can only be made by the applicant, his or her legal representative or another person authorized in writing by the applicant. Enquiries do not speed up the application process.
As soon as the Embassy has decided onyour visa application, we will contact you concerning the collection of your visa. Please bring your passport to this Appointment.
Please note that the visa must be collected in person. If you for major reasons are unable to come in person, your passport can also be presented by an individual authorized by you to collect the visa. This person must present a written authorization signed by you and naming the authorized representative (last name, first name, date of birth). In addition, the authorized representative must also present his/her identity document.
Downloads
With the following information and leaflets, you can easily put together your own application for a long-term visa.
Have a good trip! Information for visa holders
If all the information on your visa label is correct, you are free to travel. Please check the information on the visa sticker as soon as your passport is returned to you. You should let us know immediately if there are any mistakes so that we can issue you a new visa.
Your visa will state your full name and passport number and include your photo. It will also state the period of validity and the number of days in which you can travel to Germany and during which you need to replace your long-term stay visa with a residence permit.
With a national visa („D visa“) and a valid travel document, you can freely move in the Schengen area for up to three months within a period of six months.
If the estimated length of your stay will exceed the validity of the visa, you must apply for a domestic residence permit and make an appointment with the immigration authorities immediately after entering Germany.
Do not forget to register with the registration authority responsible for your place of residence in Germany within two weeks of moving into the place of residence. A violation of this is an administrative offense and can lead to a fine. You can find more information on the mandatory registration here
Rejection of a visa application
If your visa application is denied, this can happen for various reasons. We will inform you about the reasons in the relevant letter of rejection.
For data protection reasons, we can only give you the reasons for the rejection in person and not to anybody else, e.g. the person who invited you.
Should you wish to object to the rejection, you could do so within one month after being informed of the negative decision, at the respective diplomatic mission (the so-called remonstration). If another person is to remonstrate on your behalf, you must give him or her power of attorney. The remonstration must be made in writing, by fax or as a signed attachment to an e-mail. If the visa application is rejected again after a remonstration and after further reassessment by the diplomatic mission, we will inform you in writing of the reasons for the rejection in a detailed remonstration notification. You can file suit against the remonstration decision at the Berlin Administrative Court.
Which information must the letter of remonstration contain?
- Please always include the processing number (the last 6 digits of the reference number given in the rejection notice) in your letter.
- Please also provide all your contact details so that we can reach youfor any queries (telephone number including area code, mobile phone number, fax number, e-mail address and full postal address).
- In your remonstration you can (again) explain the purpose for which you are applying for a visa and submit additional documents.
- To avoid unnecessary extra work,
- please send your remonstration to the visa section only once
- please do not send any documents that you have already submitted when applying for a visa
- please wait for the call or letter from the diplomatic mission.
For the remonstration proceedings, you are free to use the help of lawyers or other persons, but it is not absolutely necessary.
You can submit a new application with complete, meaningful and verifiable documents at any time even after a rejection.
Self-disclosure - entry ban
To find out which personal data is stored in the Central Register of Foreigners (Ausländerzentralregister - AZR) or the Schengen Information System (SIS), or whether you have an entry ban for Germany, you can apply for self-disclosure. More information is available here
Frequently asked questions about visas
It is quite possible that your question has already been answered here. We therefore kindly ask you to study our FAQs closely before contacting the Embassy. Thank you!