Latvia visas, from Pakistan.

Short-stay visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period — tourism, visiting family or friends, conferences, medical treatment, business meetings, trade fairs or short training with a Latvian company. Because Latvia has no mission in Pakistan, the file is lodged at the German Embassy in Islamabad (Punjab and KP residents) or the German Consulate General in Karachi (Sindh and Balochistan residents), which issue Schengen visas for Latvia under a representation agreement.

• Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid 3+ months beyond planned departure, with two blank pages
• PMLP-approved invitation (uzaicinājums) from a Latvian host or company, or hotel bookings plus a day-by-day itinerary and return flight reservation
• Travel medical insurance valid in all Schengen states with at least €30,000 cover
• Six months of personal bank statements plus salary slips, or company registration, NTN and tax returns for business travel
• Employer NOC and leave letter, property documents or FRC showing ties to Pakistan
• Completed Schengen application form and biometrics given at the German visa application centre

Pakistani passport holders are on the EU's mandatory airport transit list (Annex IV of the Visa Code), so a Type A visa is required even to change planes airside at Riga without entering Latvia. Holders of a valid Schengen visa or residence permit, an EU/EEA member state residence permit, or a valid visa or residence permit for the USA, Canada or Japan are generally exempt — a UK visa alone is not an exemption since Brexit.

• Confirmed through-tickets showing the onward flight out of the Schengen area
• Valid visa or residence permit for the final destination country where one is required
• Passport valid at least 3 months beyond the transit date
• Evidence that you will remain in the international transit area and not enter Latvia

The main route for Pakistani students on a bachelor's, master's or vocational programme at an accredited Latvian institution, and the usual route for shorter accredited courses too. PMLP approves the permit first, then a long-stay D visa is issued so you can travel and collect the residence card in Riga.

• Unconditional admission letter from an accredited Latvian higher education institution
• Receipt for tuition paid for at least the first semester, as required by the institution
• Bank statements showing subsistence funds for each month of stay — budget at least €500–€800 per month and confirm the figure PMLP is currently applying
• Degrees and transcripts verified by HEC and apostilled by MOFA
• Apostilled police character certificate and health insurance valid in Latvia
• Confirmed accommodation address in Latvia for the declaration of residence

For PhD candidates and researchers hosted by an accredited Latvian university or scientific institution under a hosting or scientific cooperation agreement. Family members can apply alongside you, and time on this permit counts towards EU long-term residence.

• Hosting or scientific cooperation agreement with an accredited Latvian research institution
• Doctoral admission letter, or grant, scholarship or employment contract covering the research period
• Master's degree and academic transcripts, HEC-verified and MOFA-apostilled
• Health insurance valid in Latvia and a confirmed address for residence declaration

Graduates of Latvian institutions, and researchers finishing a hosting agreement, can stay on to look for work or set up a business instead of leaving straight after graduation. EU rules guarantee graduates at least nine months for this; PMLP confirms the exact period on approval.

• Diploma or official graduation confirmation from an accredited Latvian higher education institution
• Application filed before your existing student or researcher permit expires
• Bank statements showing subsistence funds for the whole search period
• Health insurance valid in Latvia and a declared address in Latvia

The standard work route. Your Latvian employer publishes the vacancy on the State Employment Agency (NVA) portal and must leave it open to local candidates for at least 10 working days, then files the invitation or sponsorship with PMLP. The permit is tied to that employer, job and salary.

• Signed employment contract with a Latvian registered employer stating position and gross salary
• Vacancy registered on the NVA portal for at least 10 working days, and invitation approved by PMLP
• Gross salary at or above the average wage for your sector — currently not below roughly €1,815 a month, and higher in several sectors
• Degrees and experience certificates, HEC-verified and MOFA-apostilled, plus AIC recognition where the profession is regulated
• Apostilled police character certificate and health insurance valid in Latvia

Latvia's route for highly qualified employees — degree holders, or ICT specialists with equivalent documented experience. A higher salary threshold, but a faster statutory decision, easier family reunification and mobility to other EU states after the first year.

• Employment contract of at least six months with a Latvian employer
• Recognised higher education degree with an AIC recognition statement, or documented equivalent professional experience for ICT roles
• Gross salary at or above the Blue Card threshold — a set multiple of the previous year's national average wage, indicatively €2,500–2,900 a month; confirm the current figure before signing
• Vacancy handled through the NVA where the labour-market test applies
• Apostilled police character certificate and health insurance valid in Latvia

For managers, specialists and trainee employees transferred to a Latvian branch or group company from an employer outside the EU. Issued for up to three years for managers and specialists and one year for trainees.

• Proof of at least 3–6 months' prior employment with the same corporate group, depending on the role
• Documents showing the corporate link between the Pakistani and Latvian entities — SECP registration, group structure, ownership chart
• Assignment letter stating position, duration, gross salary and return arrangements
• Qualification and professional experience certificates, HEC-verified and MOFA-apostilled
• Health insurance valid in Latvia and accommodation arranged at the work location

Short-term seasonal employment on a long-stay visa for up to six months in any 12-month period. Latvia's seasonal list is narrow — crop and livestock production, forestry and logging, and fisheries — and sector minimum salaries apply, so this is not a low-wage backdoor into the EU.

• Written seasonal employment contract with a Latvian employer in a listed seasonal sector
• Gross salary at the sectoral minimum — roughly €1,516 in agriculture, €1,933 in forestry and €1,990 in fisheries at current rates
• Vacancy registered on the NVA portal and invitation confirmed by PMLP
• Accommodation documented by the employer, plus health insurance and evidence of return travel
• Employer verified in the Latvian commercial register — never proceed on an agent-supplied job offer you cannot independently verify

Latvia's start-up route for founders building a scalable, innovative product. The business idea is assessed by an expert commission before PMLP issues the permit, and a founding team of up to five people can apply against one start-up.

• Business plan for a new or substantially improved product, approved by the expert commission
• Latvian company (SIA) registered, or to be registered on approval, with you as a founder
• No more than five founders applying against one start-up
• Bank statements showing subsistence funds for each founder and any dependants
• Health insurance valid in Latvia and a declared address in Latvia

Residence through an equity investment in a Latvian company, or as a self-employed person or board member of an active Latvian business (self-employment permits are issued for up to a year at a time). Latvia's investment rules have been tightened repeatedly and further amendments are in progress — the property-purchase route is not something to plan around. Get the ground and the amounts confirmed by PMLP in writing before moving any money.

• Equity investment of €50,000 in a small or medium Latvian company, or €100,000 in a larger one, per the thresholds in force on the day you apply
• One-off €10,000 payment to the state budget
• Evidence the company is genuinely trading and meeting the annual tax-payment threshold set for this ground
• Documented lawful source of funds — audited accounts, tax returns, sale deeds and a complete bank trail
• Apostilled police character certificate, health insurance and a declared Latvian address

A long-stay D visa for up to one year, extendable for a second, for people working remotely for an employer or their own business registered in an OECD member state. A Pakistan-registered employer does not qualify, and the visa carries no right to take employment with a Latvian employer.

• Employment contract or business registration in an OECD member state, with written permission to work remotely from Latvia
• Employer certificate confirming at least six months' prior employment with that same employer
• Income of at least 2.5 times the Latvian average gross wage — €4,213 a month at the current rate, recalculated annually
• Tax or social-insurance confirmation from the OECD country
• Health insurance valid in Latvia and the Schengen states with cover of at least €42,600
• Proof of accommodation in Latvia and a passport valid for the whole period

For the spouse and minor children of a foreign national who already holds a Latvian residence permit — worker, Blue Card holder, researcher or investor, and students in limited cases. The permit is aligned with the sponsor's and renewed with it; time counts towards EU long-term residence after five years.

• Nikah nama with the NADRA computerised marriage registration certificate, MOFA-apostilled
• Children's NADRA birth certificates and, where relevant, an apostilled guardianship order or NOC from the other parent
• Sponsor's valid Latvian residence permit plus current employment contract, payslips or business income proof
• Sponsor's income above the threshold PMLP applies for each additional family member
• Declared accommodation in Latvia adequate for the family size
• Health insurance for each applicant and apostilled police character certificates for adults

For the spouse, children and dependent parents of a Latvian citizen, a Latvian non-citizen, or an EU/EEA national exercising free-movement rights in Latvia. Conditions are more generous than ordinary reunification and the route to permanent residence is shorter.

• Marriage, birth or dependency documents proving the relationship, MOFA-apostilled
• Sponsor's Latvian or EU passport or ID card and proof they live in Latvia (declaration of residence)
• Evidence the relationship is genuine and subsisting — photographs, travel records, communication logs, joint finances
• Proof of financial dependency for parents or adult children
• Apostilled police character certificate and health insurance