Latvia · Residency by investment
Temporary Residence Permit for Real Estate Owners
This route is live today under the existing Immigration Law, but it is scheduled for abolition. On 11 June 2026 the Saeima passed a new Immigration Law (65-17) that scraps it. On 19 June 2026 President Rinkevics refused to promulgate the new law and sent it back for reconsideration, citing source-of-funds and money-laundering safeguards. The re-vote falls to the autumn 2026 session. The intended commencement date was 1 January 2027. Treat the window as now through end-2026, and do not assume it survives to December.
For a decade, this was Europe's cheapest EU residence-by-investment ticket. It is now in its final window. But the honest advice is usually to skip it. The no-presence design that makes it attractive is the same feature that makes the permanent residence and citizenship path unreachable. And Latvia's dual citizenship whitelist excludes most non-Western clients.
Qualifying routes
One functionally connected property. Cadastral value must be at least EUR 80,000, or a certified appraisal must confirm EUR 250,000.
Up to two properties totalling EUR 250,000, with a cadastral value of at least EUR 40,000 each.
The facts
- Minimum investment
- €250k
- Total landed cost
- Budget for the EUR 250k property, plus a 5% state budget payment (EUR 12,500 on a EUR 250k purchase), plus roughly EUR 10-20k in legal, notarial and agency costs. Latvian property is illiquid at the top end, so exit is not guaranteed to be quick.
- Route type
- Residency by investment
- Timeline
- 1–3 months (Historically among the fastest processes in the EU. PMLP decisions typically arrive in 30 days on the standard fee.)
- Physical presence
- None is required for the permit itself. That is exactly why it does not build toward permanent residence.
- Family
- SpouseMinor childrenDependent adult childrenDependent parents in some cases
- Permanent residency
- Nominally 5 years, but in practice out of reach for a non-resident investor. Permanent residence requires physical presence in Latvia for 4 of the 5 years. Any year with more than 183 days' absence does not count. A2-level Latvian is also required.
- Citizenship
- 5 further years holding permanent residence, so roughly 10 years total, plus exams in Latvian language, history, the Constitution and the national anthem.
- Language test
- A Latvian language exam plus tests on history and the Constitution. A2-level Latvian is already required at the permanent residence stage.
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted. You would have to renounce.
- Requirements
- No property tax arrears, and settlement must be non-cash.The seller must be a Latvian, EU, EEA or Swiss taxpayer entity, or a qualifying natural person.No agricultural or forest land.Proof of subsistence: EUR 1,500/month for the applicant, EUR 500 for each adult, and EUR 150 for each minor.A clean criminal record and a documented source of funds.
- The repeal has already passed. It is not speculative. The only thing standing between this route and abolition is a presidential veto, and the Saeima can override that veto in autumn 2026. Anyone counting on this route should file now. Expect grandfathering, do not rely on it.
- The no-presence permit and the PR track are mutually exclusive. PR requires 4 of 5 years of physical presence plus A2-level Latvian. Citizenship requires 5 more years of PR after that. Marketing that presents EUR 250k of Latvian property as a path to EU citizenship is misleading.
- The 5% state budget payment is a real sunk cost on top of the purchase. Latvian residential property outside central Riga is thin and slow to sell. You could lose more on the round trip than the permit is worth.
- Latvia limits dual citizenship to EU, EFTA and NATO states, plus Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. Most non-Western clients would have to give up their existing citizenship.
- Russian and Belarusian citizens are barred outright. First-time temporary residence permits, TRPs, for RU/BY nationals have been suspended since 11 April 2022. June 2026 amendments specifically exclude them from investment-based permits.
- A Cabinet-level draft has floated raising the threshold to EUR 350,000. PMLP still publishes EUR 250,000. Treat EUR 350k as a proposal, not law, though it is a sign of where things are heading.
- PMLP's published page for this route has not been updated since April 2022. At least one specialist outlet describes the share-capital route as Latvia's only operational investment pathway. Confirm the live status with PMLP directly before you commit any funds.