Business relocation to Latvia: documents needed for foreign employee applications

Are you planning to relocate your team to Latvia or hire an international specialist for an existing Latvian company? Start preparing early. The employer will need documents describing the future role, while the employee will need personal documents and the evidence required for their application.

The main questions usually arise before filing: does the vacancy need to be registered, is the EU Blue Card suitable, will a degree certificate or criminal record certificate be required, and when can the person start work?

The answers depend on the employee’s nationality, current status and intended employment. Below, we explain the main documents and stages so you can assess the preparation involved and plan the move.

What determines the employee’s application procedure

For a company, the task seems straightforward: there is a role and the right person to fill it. Yet the application procedure can vary considerably.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have free access to the Latvian labour market. For a longer stay, residence registration requirements must also be considered.

For third-country nationals, you need to establish a suitable basis for residence and the right to work. An employee already living legally in Latvia may hold a status that allows them to work without repeating the entire employer invitation procedure. This depends on the conditions attached to their documents.

Highly qualified employment under the EU Blue Card and intra-corporate transfers require separate consideration. A single document checklist will therefore not always suit the whole team.

If the business owner or manager is relocating alongside employees, their application must also be assessed in light of the activities they intend to carry out. Registering a Latvian company does not, by itself, automatically give its owner and team the right to live and work in the country.

Documents the employer prepares

The company prepares the documents confirming the employee’s proposed role and employment conditions.

Depending on the procedure, these include:

• Details of the company and prospective employee.
• An employment contract or draft contract specifying the position, duties, pay and other employment conditions.
• An application for the relevant immigration procedure, including employer sponsorship for a residence permit (izsaukums), where required.
• Evidence of the authority of the representative acting on the company’s behalf.
• Documents relating to the employee’s qualifications, where required for the chosen route.
• Additional evidence relevant to the individual case, for example for an intra-corporate transfer.

The document checklist is only part of the preparation. The position, duties, qualifications and pay must be consistent with one another and meet the requirements of the chosen procedure. For example, the job title “manager” does not, by itself, establish eligibility for the EU Blue Card.

It is therefore better to start by reviewing the proposed employment conditions. This allows you to prepare an appropriate contract and evidence checklist before the employee orders translations and certificates.

Documents the employee needs

For a temporary residence permit based on employment, the basic application documents usually include:

• a valid passport;
• an application form;
• a photograph;
• evidence of the required means of subsistence;
• proof of payment of the state fee, where required for the chosen filing method.

For employment applications, documents showing the proposed salary are relevant to proving income. A separate bank certificate is not a universal requirement in every case.

The employee will also need

• evidence of education or professional experience, depending on the role and application route;
• proof of recognition of professional qualifications, for professions where this is required;
• a criminal record certificate, in the cases specified by the applicable rules;
• documents confirming current residence status, if the employee is already staying in Latvia or another country on that basis;
• marriage and children’s birth certificates, if the family is relocating with the employee.

This list helps you understand the preparation involved. The final set of documents is determined for each person and the relevant application route.

Should a criminal record certificate be ordered in advance?

Not every applicant needs this certificate. Whether it must be submitted depends on the applicable rules and exemptions. You should therefore avoid ordering it solely on the basis of someone else’s checklist.

The same approach applies to translations and document authentication. First establish which document is needed and the form in which it will be accepted. Then arrange a translation, apostille or legalisation, if required.

When a vacancy must be registered

Under the general procedure for hiring a third-country national on an employment contract, the employer usually needs to register a vacancy with the State Employment Agency, NVA.

At this stage, the company works with the NVA, considers the candidates referred to it and reports the results. Publishing a vacancy does not, by itself, mean that recruiting the foreign employee has been approved.

Under the general procedure, the NVA issues its opinion on the tenth working day after the vacancy is published. Exceptions apply to certain grounds and categories of employees, so the need for this stage should be established in advance.

For employers, this matters particularly when planning the timeline: if the NVA stage is required, it must be allowed for before the subsequent immigration formalities.

When the EU Blue Card is suitable

The EU Blue Card is intended for highly qualified employment. The application takes account of the nature of the proposed work, the specialist’s qualifications and the required pay level.

In the cases provided for by the rules, professional experience can be used to demonstrate qualifications. However, a CV and supporting evidence serve different purposes: a CV introduces the candidate to the employer, while the documents must establish that the application requirements are met.

For example, when relying on professional experience, the total length of service may not be the only consideration. The work performed, employment dates and relevance to the future occupation may also matter. Recognition of qualifications is considered separately for regulated professions.

The detailed conditions are covered in our article on the EU Blue Card in Latvia.

If this route is unsuitable, it does not necessarily mean that the employee cannot be hired. Other applicable employment routes should be considered.

How long the process takes

The relocation timeline consists of several stages.

Preparing the documents

The time needed depends on the documents already available and whether certificates, translations or additional evidence of qualifications are required.

Steps taken by the employer

These may include the NVA procedure and arranging sponsorship. They take additional time and are not automatically included in the processing period for the employee’s application.

Processing the residence permit application

Under the general rule in the current Immigration Law, the period is 30 days after all required documents have been accepted. For the EU Blue Card, it is 10 working days. Processing may be extended in the circumstances specified by law.

Receiving documents and relocating

After the decision, biometric enrolment, production of the card and the necessary entry arrangements may still remain.

A promise to complete the entire relocation “in 10 days” without assessing the case therefore does not give an employer a reliable schedule. A practical timeline can be established after reviewing the documents and selecting the procedure.

The start date must also be aligned with the employee’s right to begin work: submitting an application does not, by itself, create that right.

When a whole team is relocating

When several employees are moving, the company can organise a shared process: appoint a coordinator, agree employment conditions and collect the employer’s documents.

Individual employees may nevertheless be ready at different times. One may already have the necessary evidence, another may need to obtain documents from a different country, and a third may be moving with their family.

It is therefore useful to establish in advance which stages can run in parallel and whether a phased relocation is needed. This helps coordinate the applications with business operations without tying the whole team’s start date to an unconfirmed schedule.

If spouses and children are also moving, include the family’s applications in the preparation from the outset. They will need separate documents, and the conditions will depend on the principal applicant’s residence route. Further details are covered in our article on relocating a spouse and children to Latvia.

What professional support provides

The main work begins before filing: identifying the right procedure, coordinating the employer’s and employee’s documents, and establishing the sequence of steps.

A ready-made checklist from the internet may not account for the person’s current status, the requirements of their profession or documents issued in different countries. These differences often create a need for additional preparation.

For a company, professional support provides a clear allocation of tasks: what information to supply, what the employee needs to prepare and which stages must be completed before work begins.

NBC.LV support with relocation and employee applications

NBC.LV helps companies relocating their business or team to Latvia, as well as existing Latvian employers inviting foreign employees.

We assess the circumstances of the company and the specialist, help select a suitable route, draw up document checklists for both parties, prepare the necessary materials and provide support throughout the procedure. For highly qualified employees, we consider the EU Blue Card route.

Where needed, relocation preparation can be coordinated with company registration and accounting support in Latvia.

Tell NBC.LV who you plan to hire or relocate. We will explain which application route fits your circumstances, which documents are needed and how to plan the next steps.

Official sources

The following sources were used in preparing this article:

• Latvia’s Immigration Law - application grounds and processing periods, including Section 33.
• Regulations Regarding Residence Permits - applicant documents, exemptions and the procedure for approving employer sponsorship.
• OCMA: Employment of foreigners - differences between the procedures for EU and third-country nationals.
• OCMA: An employer invites a foreigner - company documents and evidence of qualifications.
• OCMA: Employment contract - basic residence permit documents for the employee and accompanying family members.
• NVA: Employment of third-country nationals in Latvia - vacancies and the employer’s cooperation with the State Employment Agency.

Information checked on 20 September 2026.