By the Expat Gate editorial team · Checked 24 September 2026. This guide is for people who need a residence permit to live in Latvia; EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are covered by a separate regime.
The short answer. Since 15 September 2026, buying property or making a subordinated investment in a Latvian bank is no longer a ground for a new temporary residence permit. Temporary permit applications filed before that date stay under the old law, while permits already issued remain valid until registration or expiry. At the same time, Latvia widened its startup route, restricted family entry for some international students and made at least five years of temporary residence the basic route to permanent status.
What the reform means for you
The reform does not make Latvia uniformly better or worse. Start with your residence ground and filing date, not the headline.
| Your situation | Rule after 15 September 2026 | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| You want to buy property for a first residence permit | The ground no longer exists | Do not include a permit in the value of the deal; choose another lawful residence ground first |
| You filed a temporary permit application before 15 September | The application is considered under the previous law | Keep proof of the filing date and check whether the file is complete |
| You already hold an investment permit | It was not automatically cancelled; transitional rules apply | Check the registration or expiry date and the repeat-application conditions for your exact ground |
| You are building a startup | Access is wider; a permit may run for up to three years, except for nationals of countries on the higher-risk list | Check startup eligibility, the company, registration deadlines and proof of progress |
| You plan to study with your family | The family route remains for NATO-country nationals and doctoral students | Confirm the spouse's and children's permit rights in writing before paying tuition |
| You are planning permanent residence | At least five years on temporary permits is the basic condition; permanent status is the EU long-term resident status | Check which periods count and prepare for integration requirements |
The table has a limit: it shows the direction of the reform, not a decision on an individual case. Your permit ground, filing date, nationality and any existing decision can change the answer.
Property no longer opens a new residence route
Latvia's Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, PMLP, says this directly: the new law no longer provides temporary residence permits to property buyers or investors in subordinated liabilities of credit institutions. Foreigners have not been banned from buying property. What disappeared is the link between a purchase and a residence permit.
The practical conclusion is simple. If a seller, developer or intermediary still promises a new Latvian permit with a property purchase, ask them to identify the legal ground in force after 15 September 2026. The old route cannot be counted as part of the deal's value or return.
Filed applications and existing permits
The crucial date is the filing date, not the purchase or payment date. The new law's transitional provisions create three distinct situations:
- visa and temporary residence permit documents filed before 15 September 2026 are considered under the 2002 law;
- temporary permits issued before the new law remain valid until their registration date or expiry;
- repeat permits under former investment grounds have their own transitional conditions, including the continuing investment, filing deadlines and possible payments.
So “all golden visas were cancelled” is inaccurate. New filings based on property and bank investments were closed, but old applications and existing permits did not disappear overnight. If you signed a purchase agreement but had not filed the permit application by 15 September, the old-law filing rule does not protect you by itself.
The new €150,000 investment route is not operational
The law creates another ground: an investment of at least €150,000 through a state-established alternative investment fund manager. PMLP also warns that this fund has not yet been created. As of the date this guide was checked, the provision cannot be used on its own to file an application.
Do not transfer money to an intermediary selling this as a live route. First, PMLP should publish an operating mechanism, the investment recipient, required documents and a filing procedure. A number in the law is not yet an available product.
The startup route became wider
The reform moves in the opposite direction for founders. PMLP says restrictions now remain only for nationals of countries on the higher-risk list. The law allows a temporary permit for up to three years for someone planning startup activity in Latvia with high growth potential, a scalable business model and an innovative product.
This is not a permit granted for a pitch deck alone. The law sets checkpoints:
- within three months of the permit decision, the applicant must become a management board member of a Latvian company registered no more than one year earlier;
- within 12 months, the applicant must show the prescribed early-stage investment or file a progress report on the innovative product;
- no more than five foreign nationals may receive permits for one startup activity;
- the applicant's nationality must not fall under the restriction for countries subject to additional checks.
Before filing, ask an adviser or PMLP to confirm four points in writing: whether the product meets the startup definition, which company must be formed, what evidence will be due after 12 months, and whether your nationality triggers additional checks.
Students moving with family now need to check nationality and programme level
The student permit itself remains. Full-time study at an accredited university or college can support a permit for up to two years. The family route is narrower. Under PMLP's explanation and the law, it remains available where the student:
- is a national of a NATO country; or
- is enrolled in a doctoral programme.
For a bachelor's or master's student from outside NATO, this may change the budget and the point of the move entirely. Before paying non-refundable tuition, ask the university and PMLP separately about the spouse and each child. Admission to a university does not prove that the family has a right to reside.
Permanent status: first, at least five years of temporary residence
The new law retains one permanent format: EU long-term resident status. PMLP stresses that no category will receive permanent residence on a first application. At least five years of residence in Latvia with temporary permits becomes the basic condition.
That does not mean any five calendar years will automatically count in full. Before choosing a route, check permitted absences, the treatment of study periods and the other conditions for EU long-term resident status.
From 31 December 2027, an integration duty is due to apply: the state language and a course on Latvian history and culture. The official announcement does not give the full language level, course format or exemptions. Those details need a fresh check closer to filing.
Document language and processing time also changed
Documents for a first visa or first temporary permit may be filed in Latvian or English. Repeat temporary-permit applications, permanent-permit applications and documents submitted by inviters must be in Latvian. Build translation time and cost into the process before the appointment.
PMLP describes the maximum residence-permit processing time as reduced to four months. The law adds that, where objectively necessary, consideration may be extended but not beyond four months from receipt of all documents. After a positive decision, the permit card is normally prepared within ten working days. This is an administrative-stage limit, not a promise that the whole move takes four months. Preparation, translation, appointments and fixing missing documents sit outside it.
What to check before a purchase, application or tuition payment
- Name the exact ground. Not “an investment permit”, but a filed old property case, an existing investment permit, a startup, employment, study or family.
- Fix the date. Transitional protection may depend on the day documents were filed, not the day money changed hands.
- Check every family member's nationality. It affects both additional checks and the student's family route.
- Get a written answer. If you hold an old investment permit, ask PMLP for the next registration or repeat-application conditions before the current document expires.
- Do not treat €150,000 as a live product. Return to that option only after the fund is officially launched.
- Prepare documents in the required language. English is not accepted at every stage.
If the route change affects a partner or children, use our family relocation checklist before paying for housing, tuition or an intermediary.
In the Expat Gate Latvia profile, the country ranks 76th of 97 in the August 2026 residence-policy release. The reform is mixed: it makes Latvia a worse fit for a new property investor but a better fit for an eligible startup founder. We therefore do not reduce it to one “better” or “worse” arrow.
Sources and limits of this review
How we prepared this guide. The starting point was the 21 September 2026 Country Attractiveness Monitor signal. The Expat Gate editorial team checked it against PMLP's official announcement, the law in force and the EU Agency for Asylum development note. We did not assess anyone's individual chance of approval, and we do not treat the new fund route as operational before its official launch.
- PMLP, 15 September 2026 - the official summary and warning that the investment fund has not yet been created.
- Latvia's new Immigration Law - startup conditions, family permits, processing rules and transitional provisions.
- EUAA Development Information Portal - an independent record of the law taking effect, linked to PMLP.