Temporary Residence Permit for Pensioners from Visa-Free Countries (Immigration Law Section 23(1)(26))

Year establishedPublished

2007

Governing lawPublished

Immigration Law (Imigracijas likums), Section 23(1)(26), added by amendment of 20 Dec 2007; Cabinet Regulation No. 225 on subsistence

Responsible authorityPublished

Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP)

What the program providesPublished

Retire to Riga on your pension with a renewable Latvian residence permit of up to five years and a path to EU permanent residence

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Minimum agePublished

65 years

Clean criminal record requiredPublished

Yes

Local health insurance requiredPublished

Yes

Nationality restrictionsPublished

Yes

Basic eligibilityPublished

Citizen of a country whose nationals enter Latvia visa-free, has reached Latvia's statutory pension age, and has sufficient means (EUR 1,231/month, about $1,440, for the main applicant from 1 Apr 2026)

Generational limitPublished

Not applicable

Family sponsorshipPublished

Yes

Spouse includedPublished

Yes

Children includedPublished

Yes

Child age limitPublished

18 years

ChildrenPublished

Accompanying spouse and minor or dependent children file their own documents with relationship proof (and the other parent's consent for a minor); subsistence must also cover them

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Processing timePublished

2–4.3 weeks

Can apply without travelingPublished

No

How you applyPublished

In person at a PMLP office in Latvia (visa-free entry, file within 30 days) or via a Latvian embassy

Required in-person stepPublished

Document filing with fingerprints and photo; registration of the permit and card collection in Latvia

What the processing time measuresPublished

PMLP decision deadline chosen by fee paid: 30 days standard, 10 or 5 working days expedited; the clock starts when PMLP in Latvia receives the file (PMLP fee page, MFA page)

Official application routePublished

https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/residence-permit

Minimum investmentPublished

None required

Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Processing feePublished

$187

Application feePublished

$53

Total cost to applyPublished

$240

Monthly income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly pension income requiredPublished

$1,440/month

Monthly rental income requiredPublished

None required

Savings requiredUnknown

Unknown

Proof of sufficient fundsPublished

Yes

Local bank deposit requiredPublished

No

Minimum local bank depositPublished

None required

Fees paidPublished

Before approval

Cost notesPublished

State fee for examining a temporary residence permit application EUR 160 (30 days), EUR 280 (10 working days) or EUR 560 (5 working days); residence permit card EUR 45 (10 working days) or EUR 80 (2 working days). Converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.17

Stay required to keep statusUnknown

Unknown

Physical presence requiredPublished

Yes

In-country visit requiredPublished

Yes

Move-in windowPublished

3 months

Length of residencyPublished

60 months

Residency is lifetimePublished

No

RenewablePublished

Yes

Maximum durationUnknown

Unknown

Maximum duration is lifetimePublished

Yes

Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published

No minimum number of days is set, but the permit is for residing in Latvia: it can be annulled if the holder moves permanently to another country, loses the required means, or does not register the permit within 3 months

Tax residency rulePublished

Residents staying more than 183 days per year will be considered tax residents

Personal income taxPublished

range between 25.5%-33%

Time to permanent residencyPublished

5 years

Time to citizenshipPublished

10 years

Work for a local employerPublished

No

Start a businessUnknown

Unknown

Remote or freelance workUnknown

Unknown

Local healthcare accessUnknown

Unknown

University accessPublished

Yes

Can buy landUnknown

Unknown

Local bankingPublished

Yes

Permanent residence timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Citizenship timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published

Only for nationals of visa-free countries (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Australia) who have reached Latvia's pension age (65). Means test is double the average Latvian old-age pension, EUR 1,231/month from 1 Apr 2026 (an older PMLP page still shows EUR 784). Permit issued for up to 5 years; after 5 years' continuous residence you can apply for permanent residence (A2 Latvian needed); naturalization needs 5 more years with permanent residence. The competitor's '183 days' stay figure is not in the law; 183 days is the tax-residence test.

Official program websitePublished

https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/if-you-are-pensioner-visa-free-country

Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published

https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/if-you-are-pensioner-visa-free-country | https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/necessary-subsistence-0 | https://visas.lv/immigration-law/ | https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/state-fee-issuing-residence-permit | https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/what-cases-can-residence-permit-issued-you-be-annulled-0 | https://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/services/acceptance-documents-and-submission-office-citizenship-and-migration-affairs-republic-latvia-representation-abroad-residence-permits

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.