A temporary residence permit in Latvia makes it possible to reside in Latvia for an unlimited number of days during the year, freely enter and leave the country, work, study and issue invitations to third parties for visa applications. Free movement and residence within the Schengen countries is limited to 90 days within six months; however, since the movement of a person within the Schengen zone is not tracked in any way, you may actually spend an unlimited amount of time there during the year. That said, from April 2, 2012 onward, everyone who holds a residence permit in Latvia is issued an ID card as per the uniform European standard which is an adequate replacement for a passport when moving within the Eurozone.

The validity term of a temporary residence permit is five years, after which you can apply for a new five-year residence permit. Also once the five-year period is over, you can apply for a permanent residence permit subject to certain conditions. After holding your residence permit for 10 years, you can apply for citizenship and, once the naturalization procedure is completed, it is possible to become a full-fledged EU citizen; this, however, requires passing a Latvian proficiency test to prove the knowledge of Latvia’s official language.

There are several grounds for obtaining a residence permit:

1. Bank deposit
2. Purchase of real estate in Latvia
3. Business investments
4. Opening a representative office of a foreign merchant

Bank deposit
To be eligible for applying for a residence permit in Latvia, it is necessary to make a deposit of LVL 200,000 (EUR 285,000) or equivalent in any other currency for a maturity of at least 5 years with no right to early terminate the bank deposit agreement. Once the 5-year period is over, this amount may be withdrawn together with accrued interest (average interest rate applicable to deposits is 2−5% per annum).
A residence permit obtained in this way must be renewed annually by providing a bank statement stating that the agreement has not been early terminated.

Purchase of real estate in Latvia
Real estate in Latvia, especially located in Jūrmala or Riga, is popular and in-demand among Russian buyers.

• To obtain a residence permit, it is necessary to purchase real estate worth more than LVL 100,000 (EUR 143,000) in Riga, Jūrmala or other large cities, provided that its cadastral value is not less than LVL 30,000 (EUR 43,000).
• If real estate is purchased in regions, the threshold value is LVL 50,000 (EUR 72,000), provided that its cadastral value is not less than LVL 10,000 (EUR 14,300).
• An important condition is that there must be no property tax and other tax arrears.
• Real estate must be purchased only from a citizen of the Republic of Latvia or a foreigner holding a residence permit in Latvia.
• Payment under the real estate purchase and sale agreement must be made by bank transfer only (even if the amount payable under the transaction, e.g., a deposit, is partly paid in cash, it is highly likely that your application for a residence permit will be rejected).

Business investments:
The first option for investing in a Latvian company to apply for a residence permit is to invest LVL 25,000 (EUR 36,000) in its authorized capital.

• The company must not have more than 50 employees
• The company’s annual turnover must not exceed LVL 7 million.
• The company must have paid at least EUR 28,000 of taxes for the previous financial year.

The second option is to invest at least LVL 100,000 (EUR 143,000) in the authorized capital of a Latvian company. In such case, no additional restrictions will arise.

A residence permit obtained through investment in real estate must be renewed annually:

• It will be necessary to provide documents confirming that taxes paid for the last financial year totaled at least LVL 20,000 (EUR 28,000). Companies whose turnover exceeds LVL 1,400,000 (EUR 2,000,000) and that have more than 10 employees are exempted from the requirement to submit such documents.
• The company must have no arrears of personal income tax and mandatory state social insurance contributions.

 Opening a representative office of a foreign merchant:
Registering a representative office of a Russian company is the easiest and most affordable way to obtain a residence permit in Latvia.
A representative office of a foreign merchant is a legal entity that represents a foreign company but has no right to carry out business activities in Latvia. It has no authorized capital and does not pay taxes in Latvia. The only requirement to which it is subject is the availability of a legal address in Latvia and registration with the Latvian Registrar of Companies.

The executive body of a representative office (an individual) is eligible to apply for a temporary residence permit in Latvia. This is subject to the following conditions:

• The operation of the representative office must be substantiated (availability of a reference letter issued by a Latvian company, a contract entered into with a Latvian company)
• A sufficient amount must stand to the credit of the applicant’s bank account, being EUR 3,420 for an adult and EUR 2,040 for a child (the amount must stand to the credit of the bank account at the time the residence permit is issued following which it can be withdrawn).
• A declared place of residence (registered residential address) must be available in Latvia.

A residence permit obtained in this way is issued for 4 years and requires an annual renewal. The renewal consists in the need to annually report on the work that has been completed (submission of information confirming intense activity).
The procedure for obtaining a temporary residence permit is as follows:

1. There must be one of the grounds referred to above and all applicable requirements must be met.
2. Submission of documents to the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
3. Obtaining a visa for a one-time visit to the Republic of Latvia to apply for a temporary residence permit
4. Passing a health check in Latvia
5. Getting a temporary residence permit and an ID card meeting the uniform European standard.

Obtaining a residence permit takes 5 to 60 days.

Lawson&Wang Group offers its clients a comprehensive range of services for obtaining a residence permit in Latvia: we will help you implement any of the above options from advising on available options to obtaining ID card. 

Temporary residence permit in Slovakia is issued for a period of 6 months to 1 year with the right of annual renewal. The first residence permit in Slovakia can be issued for a maximum period of 2 years. After 5 years of continuous residence in the country as a temporary residence permit, you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

Temporary residence permit gives the right to unlimited stay in the territory of Slovakia as well as in the territory of any other Schengen Member State, and free movement throughout the territory of the European Union.

There are several grounds for obtaining residence permit in Slovakia (education, private entrepreneur status, establishment of legal entity, employment contract, family reunion), but the best way is to register a company in Slovakia. The main requirements for a company are registration in accordance with the law and having a legal address in the territory of Slovakia.

In order to obtain a residence permit, the following conditions must be met:

1. The person applying for a residence permit must be the owner of a Slovak company, not just a member or CEO.
2. The necessary amount of money in the bank account:

— about 19,500EUR for one year (If the residence permit is issued for two years, the amount must be double) in the company’s corporate account.
— about 2,350 EUR per year (if residence permit is issued for two years, the sum must be twice as much) in the personal account of the applicant.

3. The presence of a business plan.
These sums of money must be present in the accounts at the time of registration of the residence permit. After obtaining a residence permit, they can be withdrawn from the account.

Term of registration of residence permit is from 2 to 4 months.

Thus, obtaining a temporary residence permit in Slovakia is quite fast and relatively inexpensive procedure. The total cost is about 3000 EUR.

Lawson&Wang Group offers clients a complex range of services for obtaining a temporary residence permit in Slovakia: we will help you to implement any of the above options, from advice on possible options to obtain an ID-card.

Temporary residence permit in Slovenia gives its holder the opportunity to stay in the territory of Slovenia and the European Union an unlimited number of days during the year, the right to visa-free travel to more than 100 countries, the opportunity to study for free and receive free medical services in the Eurozone.

One of the main features of Slovenia is that there are virtually no foreigners. For a long time, this state has not been an investment-attractive, so the influx of foreigners here is much lower than in other countries of the Eurozone.

The fastest and most affordable way to get a residence permit is to register a company in Slovenia.
The main advantage of business immigration to Slovenia is that there is no need to invest in the Slovenian economy. It is only necessary to pay the share capital of 7,500 EUR, and after obtaining a residence permit, the owner has the right to freely dispose of this amount.

It is also necessary to pay a monthly social package, which amounts to about 300 euros per month (5,500 euros per year). It includes, among other things, health insurance and the opportunity to educate a child free of charge in European schools.
After the registration of the company must obtain a work permit in Slovenia, as only with it you can apply for a residence permit. This procedure takes from 2 to 5 months.

When applying for a residence permit for minor children under the age of 15 it is necessary to provide documents, confirming the intention of children to study in Slovenia.
Initially the residence permit is issued for one year, with the possibility of renewal. After five years of residence in Slovenia you have the right to obtain a permanent residence permit, which differs from citizenship only in the absence of a set of passive political rights.

The period for obtaining a residence permit is from 2 to 4 months.

A person who receives a residence permit, get an ID card of the European standard, which is a document certifying your identity, and allows you to move within the Schengen Agreement without a passport.

Lawson&Wang Group offers clients a comprehensive range of services for obtaining a residence permit in Slovenia: we will help you implement any of the above options, from advice on possible options to obtain an ID-card.