Do Latvian passport holders need a work visa for Germany?

Chancenkarte — Germany Opportunity Card. Maximum stay is 365 days. Apply: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/types/chancenkarte

How much does a Germany work visa cost?

Mandatory fees total approximately 75.00 EUR. Service fees may apply.

How long does it take to get a Germany work visa?

Typical processing: 30–90 days. Allow extra time during peak seasons and for biometrics appointments.

Do I need a job offer for a Germany work visa?

Most Germany work visas require a confirmed job offer from a licensed sponsor. See the work visa details panel on this page for sponsor requirements and salary thresholds.

Aerial shot of snow-covered Old Town Riga with the Daugava River and iconic architecture in winter.

The historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, a symbol of Germany's unity and history.

Photos: Efrem Efre, Claudia Solano · Pexels

Can a Latvian traveller work in Germany?

Work visa requirements · See all destinations for Latvian travellers

Recent change · Oct 2025

Schengen EES (Entry/Exit System) is now operational

All non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area now have biometrics (fingerprints + facial photo) registered at the border on first entry. Adds 5–15 minutes to your border crossing on first arrival; subsequent crossings within 3 years use the stored data.

Most Latvian travellers go through the embassy or consulate before they travel when heading to Germany for work.

The route most travellers use is the Chancenkarte — Germany Opportunity Card. Stays of up to 365 days, expect to pay around €75 in mandatory fees, processing usually takes 30–90 days.

The paperwork is heavy — approval is likely if your documents are in order.

1 other route sit below if this one doesn't fit.

Straight from make-it-in-germany.com.

Work visas have major life consequences.

Long-stay visa decisions affect your right to live, work, study, or remain with family. Always verify with a qualified immigration adviser or the destination's embassy before making travel, employment, or relocation decisions.

2 options available — review and choose the one that matches your trip.

Embassy visaWork

Chancenkarte — Germany Opportunity Card

Max stay: 365days
Processing: 30–90days
Fee: €75.00≈ $88.21

Apply on official sitemake-it-in-germany.com

Difficulty3/10·Realism9/10

Why? ▾

Difficulty

Heavy paperwork

3/10

Lots of documentation, eligibility thresholds, or a sponsor required. Start months ahead and consider professional advice.

Why this score?

—Embassy/consulate visa application
+1Strong baseline access — visa-free tourism eases the application footprint
-2Long processing time (up to 90 days)
-0.5Proof of funds required
-0.5Biometrics appointment required
-0.5Moderate documentation list (5 items)

Approval realism

Approval is likely

9/10

Most applicants with the right paperwork get approved.

What drives this score?

—Embassy visa applications generally succeed when documentation is complete and ties to home are clear
+1.5Visa-free baseline access — approval rates are routinely high for this passport

Step-by-step checklist

Your application checklist

1
Check your passport validity
165+ days before
Most countries require 6+ months of validity beyond your travel dates and at least one blank page. If it's close, renew before applying.
2
Gather supporting documents
149+ days before
You'll need: Threshold: Points-based job-seeker visa: ≥ 6 points across qualification, work experience, language skills, age, prior connection to Germany.; Recognised university / vocational qualification; ≥ 6 points on the Opportunity Card scoring (qualification, experience, language, age, ties); Proof of funds (~€11,200 for the year, or part-time work contract); and others (see full list above).
3
Prepare proof of funds
149+ days before
Bank statements covering 3–6 months are standard. Include both savings and recent income flow — adjudicators look for stability, not just balance.
4
Book a biometrics appointment (embassy / consulate / VFS centre)
142+ days before
Biometrics centres often have 1–3 week waitlists. Book the slot the moment your application is submitted, not after.
5
Submit the application to the embassy or consulate
135+ days before
In person at the consulate with jurisdiction over your residence. Bring originals + photocopies of every document. Most consulates require a prior appointment.
6
Track the application; print the approval
7+ days before
Decisions typically take 30–90 days. Print or save a clear PDF of the approved visa — airlines check this at check-in.
7
On the day of travel
day of travel
Carry: passport (printed visa if applicable), onward ticket, proof of accommodation, proof of funds, travel insurance. Border officers retain discretion regardless of visa status.

Show full requirements, fees, and source

Passport valid 6+ monthsProof of fundsBiometrics (embassy / consulate / VFS centre)

What you need

Threshold: Points-based job-seeker visa: ≥ 6 points across qualification, work experience, language skills, age, prior connection to Germany.
Recognised university / vocational qualification
≥ 6 points on the Opportunity Card scoring (qualification, experience, language, age, ties)
Proof of funds (~€11,200 for the year, or part-time work contract)
Up to 20 hrs/week of permitted work + trial employment of up to 2 weeks per employer

Fee breakdown

Government / processing fee (typical)€75.00≈ $88.21

View primary source (make-it-in-germany.com) →

Embassy visaWork

§21 Self-Employed Residence Permit — Germany

Max stay: 1095days
Processing: 30–120days
Fee: €110.00≈ $129.37

Apply on official sitemake-it-in-germany.com

Difficulty2/10·Realism9/10

Why? ▾

Difficulty

Heavy paperwork

2/10

Lots of documentation, eligibility thresholds, or a sponsor required. Start months ahead and consider professional advice.

Why this score?

—Embassy/consulate visa application
+1Strong baseline access — visa-free tourism eases the application footprint
-2Long processing time (up to 120 days)
-0.5Proof of funds required
-0.5Biometrics appointment required
-1Long documentation list (8 items)

Approval realism

Approval is likely

9/10

Most applicants with the right paperwork get approved.

What drives this score?

—Embassy visa applications generally succeed when documentation is complete and ties to home are clear
+1.5Visa-free baseline access — approval rates are routinely high for this passport

Step-by-step checklist

Your application checklist

1
Check your passport validity
210+ days before
Most countries require 6+ months of validity beyond your travel dates and at least one blank page. If it's close, renew before applying.
2
Gather supporting documents
194+ days before
You'll need: Two routes: §21(1) Freiberufler (liberal-profession freelancer — doctors, lawyers, journalists, artists, designers, IT consultants) OR §21(5) Selbstständige Gewerbe (commercial / trade business); Detailed business plan demonstrating economic viability and regional benefit; Proof of personal capital / financing (no fixed minimum but typically €30,000+ recommended); Endorsement from the regional Chamber of Commerce (IHK) for Gewerbe applicants; and others (see full list above).
3
Prepare proof of funds
194+ days before
Bank statements covering 3–6 months are standard. Include both savings and recent income flow — adjudicators look for stability, not just balance.
4
Book a biometrics appointment (Destination consulate / Visa Application Centre)
187+ days before
Biometrics centres often have 1–3 week waitlists. Book the slot the moment your application is submitted, not after.
5
Submit the application to the embassy or consulate
180+ days before
In person at the consulate with jurisdiction over your residence. Bring originals + photocopies of every document. Most consulates require a prior appointment.
6
Track the application; print the approval
7+ days before
Decisions typically take 30–120 days. Print or save a clear PDF of the approved visa — airlines check this at check-in.
7
On the day of travel
day of travel
Carry: passport (printed visa if applicable), onward ticket, proof of accommodation, proof of funds, travel insurance. Border officers retain discretion regardless of visa status.

Show full requirements, fees, and source

Passport valid 6+ monthsProof of fundsBiometrics (Destination consulate / Visa Application Centre)

What you need

Two routes: §21(1) Freiberufler (liberal-profession freelancer — doctors, lawyers, journalists, artists, designers, IT consultants) OR §21(5) Selbstständige Gewerbe (commercial / trade business)
Detailed business plan demonstrating economic viability and regional benefit
Proof of personal capital / financing (no fixed minimum but typically €30,000+ recommended)
Endorsement from the regional Chamber of Commerce (IHK) for Gewerbe applicants
Professional qualifications evidence (degree, portfolio, client letters, prior earnings)
Adequate health insurance covering Germany
Apply at the German embassy or consulate in your country of residence first; convert to residence at local Ausländerbehörde
Path to permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after 3 years if business is profitable

Fee breakdown

Visa application fee€110.00≈ $129.37

View primary source (make-it-in-germany.com) →

What you'll need

Work visa for Germany

Specific to Latvian passport holders.

Start ~0–13 weeks before your intended travel date.

Order these first — they have the longest lead time

Employer sponsorship / CoS
Purpose evidence2–13 weeks
A Certificate of Sponsorship (UK), Labour Market Impact Assessment (Canada), Form I-129 (US H-1B), or equivalent. The sponsor obtains this; you receive a reference number.
How: Your employer applies to the destination's immigration authority. You can't start without their reference number.
Police certificate
Background2–12 weeks
A criminal-record clearance from every country you've lived in for 6+ months in the past 10 years. Universally required for work, study, family and PR routes.
How: FBI Channeler (US), ACRO (UK), AFP National Police Check (AU), state police of each country lived in.
Education credentials evaluation
Credentials4–12 weeks
WES (Canada/US), ECE, IQAS, UK ENIC, or the destination's local equivalent — converts your foreign degree to the local framework.
How: Order online; allow 4–10 weeks. Request your university to send transcripts directly to the assessor.
English- / language-proficiency test
Credentials3–9 weeks
IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, DELE, TestDaF, JLPT — depending on the destination. Most have minimum scores per visa class.
How: Book on the test provider's site. Test slots typically 2–4 weeks out; results 5–15 days after the test.
Valid passport
Identity2–8 weeks
Most countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your departure date, with two or more blank pages.
How: Renew via your own country's passport office if expiring within 12 months.
Medical examination
Medical1–4 weeks
Conducted by a panel physician approved by the destination's immigration authority. Includes chest X-ray, blood tests, and an interview.
How: Book directly with a panel physician — find them on the destination's immigration website.
Apostille / certified document copies
Credentials1–4 weeks
Hague Apostille on civil documents (birth, marriage, education certificates) for countries that recognise the convention. Other countries require consular legalisation instead.
How: US: state Secretary of State or US State Dept. UK: FCDO Legalisation Office. Other: ministry of foreign affairs of the issuing country.

Then gather these

Biometrics (fingerprints + photo)
Background1–4 weeks
Captured at a Visa Application Centre (VFS, BLS, TLScontact). Walk-in is rarely possible — appointment slots fill up.
How: Book on the VAC website after submitting your online application.
CV / résumé and work history
Purpose evidence1–3 weeks
Up-to-date résumé covering at least your last 10 years of employment. Some routes (Canada Express Entry, Australia points) require reference letters with hours per week.
How: Self-prepared. Get reference letters from past employers on letterhead, signed.
Signed job offer
Purpose evidence0–2 weeks
A signed contract or offer letter from a sponsoring employer. Required for every work-route visa worldwide.
How: Issued by the sponsoring employer once you've accepted.
Certified translation of documents
Credentials1–2 weeks
If your documents are not in the destination's official language, you may need a sworn or certified translator.
How: ATA-certified (US) / ITI-qualified (UK) translators, or a sworn translator registered with the destination's consulate.
Proof of funds (long-stay)
Financial1–2 weeks
Country-specific minimum savings — e.g. ~CAD 14,000 (Canada study/work permits, single applicant), ~£1,334/month + £8,000 reserve (UK family), proof of income for digital-nomad routes.
How: Bank statements going back 3–6 months, sometimes a sworn affidavit of support from a sponsor.
Passport-style photograph
Identity1–3 days
A recent biometric photo to the destination's specifications. Most consulates require their own dimensions, not your home country's.
How: Any high-street photo studio, or app-based services that meet ICAO 9303 spec.
Online visa application form
Application1–3 days
The destination's online form (DS-160 for US, gov.uk for UK, IRCC portal for Canada, ImmiAccount for Australia, e-Visa portal for most others).
How: Apply directly on the destination government website — never via a third-party paid service.
Application fee payment
Application1 day
Payable to the destination government directly. Fees range from ~$25 (e-Visas) to $2,500+ (US EB-1).
How: Card payment on the destination's portal. Receipt required for the application.

Make your case

Free guidance for your work application

The same things a £1,000 immigration consultation would tell you — what evidence caseworkers actually weight, a personal-statement skeleton you can adapt, common mistakes that get applications refused, and when it's worth hiring a lawyer.

What caseworkers actually weight

1
Genuine job offer + employer sponsor compliance
The sponsor's track record matters as much as your CV. Caseworkers cross-check: is the company actually trading? Does the salary match Companies House / equivalent filings? Has the sponsor had prior refusals for similar roles? A blue-chip sponsor letterhead is worth more than a perfect personal statement.
2
Salary at or above the role's threshold
Like family routes, this is the binary first filter. UK Skilled Worker £38,700 / £29,000 (Health & Care). US H-1B prevailing wage. Australia Subclass 482 TSMIT (now ~AUD$70k). Genuine offers below threshold get refused before merit review.
3
Qualifications matching the role
Caseworkers cross-reference the SOC / ANZSCO / NOC occupation code against your degree + work history. A computer science degree applying for an accountant role triggers genuineness questions. If you're switching fields, evidence the transferable skills carefully.
4
Maintenance funds + dependents
If the employer doesn't certify maintenance, you need the destination's required savings. £1,270 (UK) / CAD$13-22k (Canada) / AUD$5k+ (Australia) per person.
5
Police certificates + medicals (long-stay only)
Long-lead documents — always start these first. Some destinations (Australia, Canada) require medical from designated physicians, often booked 4-6 weeks out.

Personal-statement skeleton

Fill in each section with your own facts, dates, and details. The structure mirrors what caseworkers expect to find.

1. Your role in plain English
What is the job? What does the company do? What will YOUR specific responsibilities be? Use everyday language — a caseworker isn't going to know what 'iOS infrastructure engineer' means without context. 'I'll lead the team that maintains the company's iPhone app, used by 12 million customers' lands better.
2. Why YOU specifically
What does your CV say about your fit? Three years of relevant experience + a relevant degree + a recommendation from a prior senior beats five years of unrelated experience. Match your background to the occupation code.
3. Why this employer
How did you find them? Recruiter? Direct application? Were you headhunted? Are they in their industry's top 10? The 'genuine vacancy' test is the single most-failed item — a recruiter trail or competitive-application story signals legitimacy.
4. Your settlement plans
Are you bringing dependents? Where will you live (rented short-term, then own / company-provided)? Brief mention of your destination integration plans (kids' schools, healthcare, etc.) for Skilled Worker visas where settled status is the long-term goal.

Tip: paste this skeleton into Claude or ChatGPT with your specific facts — the AI will turn rough notes into a tightly-structured statement caseworkers expect.

Mistakes that cost real money

Don't pay for a priority visa unless you have a contract start date you genuinely can't move. The standard service is usually 2-6 weeks; priority is +£500-1000 and gets you 1-2 weeks. Negotiate a flexible start with the employer instead.
Health surcharge fees compound — UK Skilled Worker holders pay £1,035/year × 5 = £5,175. If you're a long-term planner, ILR + naturalisation in 5+1 years gets you out faster than visa-stacking.
For US H-1B: employer should pay all USCIS fees — accepting any reimbursement clawback is a refusal trigger and federal labor violation.
Sponsorship certificate / CoS fees are non-refundable. Get the offer in writing AND check the sponsor's licence is in good standing before paying.
If your destination uses a points-based system (UK Skilled Worker, Australia 189/190, Canada Express Entry), getting language test scores 1 band higher could be worth more than 10 points — IELTS 8.0 vs 7.0 changes invitation rounds materially. Re-take if it's tight.

DIY or hire a lawyer?

✓ DIY is fine if

• Standard skilled-worker route at a major sponsor (FAANG, Big 4, NHS, etc.) with clean immigration history
• Salary clearly above threshold, occupation clearly on the shortage / eligible list
• Single applicant, no dependents

⚠ Get a specialist if

• Multi-country tax residency or split-payroll arrangements
• Sponsor compliance issues — recent license action, recent refusals on related roles
• Switching visa categories from inside the country (e.g. UK Student → Skilled Worker)
• Treaty Trader / Investor (US E-2, UK Innovator Founder) — investment-based routes have multiplied technicality
• Recent refusal in your or your sponsor's history
• Director / shareholder of the sponsoring company (genuineness test is harder)

Other visa types for this route

We also have data on these visa categories between LV and DE.

Tourism

10/10

Visa-free

1 option · See details

Study

1/10

National Student Visa (Studienvisum) — Germany

1 option · See details

Partner / Family

2/10

German Citizenship Restoration (StAG §15 / Persecution Descendants)

1 option · See details

Sources & references

Every link below is a primary government source. We aggregate; the source is the authority. If anything on this page disagrees with a link below, the link wins.

Where this page's data came from

Independent travel advisories

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Where can Latvian passport holders go?

Other passports visiting Germany

Who needs a visa for Germany?

Informational only. A valid visa permits entry subject to officer discretion at the border. Always verify with the destination's embassy or official source before travel, employment, or relocation.

Can a Latvian traveller work in Germany?

Chancenkarte — Germany Opportunity Card

What you need

Fee breakdown

§21 Self-Employed Residence Permit — Germany

What you need

Fee breakdown

Order these first — they have the longest lead time

Then gather these

What caseworkers actually weight

Personal-statement skeleton

Mistakes that cost real money

DIY or hire a lawyer?

Other visa types for this route

Where this page's data came from

Official destination portal

Embassies & consulates

Non-English official portals

Your country's foreign-affairs ministry

Independent travel advisories