Latvia passes new immigration law, tighter rules from 2027

Latvia is rewriting its immigration rulebook. On June 11, 2026, the Saeima (Parliament) passed a new immigration law in its final reading. The main provisions are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

The law targets people who are not EU citizens: entry, visas, residence permits, work, study, integration, and removal. Riga frames it as clearer procedures, stronger security checks, and less room for fake jobs, sham studies, or residence misuse. It also lines up with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which started applying across the bloc in June 2026.

If you already live in Latvia, plan to apply for a permit, or use the remote-work route, treat 2027 as a real planning date, not background noise.

Border checks and pre-arrival data

• Border screening and a border return procedure are written into the new law, in step with the EU migration framework.
• Latvia can use more biometric data and share information with EU databases to tighten identity and security checks at external borders.
• Since September 1, 2025, some travelers without a Latvian visa or residence permit must submit trip details at least 48 hours before arrival through eta.gov.lv. That is not the same as EU ETIAS: after you file, you get an automatic confirmation and do not wait for a separate approval letter.
• The portal can ask for purpose of travel, stay length and address, itinerary, contact details, and certain public or security-related roles held by you or close family.

Visas and residence permits

• Procedures and deadlines should become more explicit under the new law.
• Grounds to refuse or cancel visas and residence permits will expand when authorities see a public order or security risk.
• That gives Latvian officials a clearer legal basis to pull documents in sensitive cases, not only at first application.

Parliament also settled a fight over investment-based temporary residence (often called TUA in local press).

Rejected: a lighter option reported at about €10,000 to the state budget plus €50,000 in a small or medium business.

Approved: a tighter route. A temporary residence permit for up to five years when you invest at least €150,000 for a minimum of five years in a state-created alternative investment fund manager, plus an extra €10,000 payment to the Latvian budget. The permit stays tied to keeping the investment for the full period.

Latvia is not shutting investment migration entirely. It wants the money channeled through a controlled fund structure with ongoing compliance checks.

Work, study, and integration

• Employers and schools face more responsibility to prove that third-country nationals are really working or studying as declared.
• The law pushes back on fictitious employment and visa shopping where the real activity does not match the permit type.
• Integration rules get stronger, including an early integration program and Latvian language requirements for longer stays.

That pattern matches the wider EU shift: more data before arrival, closer monitoring during the stay, and harder consequences when the story does not match the paperwork.

For the current remote-work permit model we track, see our Latvia digital nomad residence page. For quality-of-life context, open Latvia on Country To Live.

News summary only, not legal advice. The June 2026 parliamentary vote sets the framework; final implementing rules may still be published before January 1, 2027. Check VisasNews reporting and official Latvian government sources before you change travel or investment plans.