Remote workers who are from America can now apply for a new digital nomad visa in Latvia. As America, along with other countries around the globe, are adopting the Digital Nomad trend, Latvia is hoping to welcome more visitors to their country.
Bordering Lithuania and Estonia, Latvia is one of the most affordable places to visit in the continent and has been growing in popularity in recent years. The capital, Riga, is a picturesque city which has been attracting people from all over Europe recently as an entrepreneurship hub.
Along with the highly affordable cost of living, the low level of bureaucracy – the Latvian Government has been committed to a ‘Zero Bureaucracy‘ policy – for those starting a business hasn’t boosted economic growth.
The Zero Bureaucracy policy is aimed to make businesses prosper by reducing unnecessary red tape and paperwork needed to start a business. The country in fact is at the forefront of the digital revolution in Europe and ranks in the top third in the European countries and territories Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI).
This new visa allows business or companies in OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) to not require local sponsorship and live in Latvia for up to two years. Furthermore they will even provide a path to permanent residence for those who live in Latvia for over two years.
OECD countries include: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Turkey and many more.
The visa requirements are below:
- They cannot hold Latvian or another EU/EEA citizenship, or Swiss citizenship*
- Their own company, or company they work for must be registered in an OECD country, such as the United States, Canada or Mexico
- They must be highly qualified professionals
- They need to prove at least six months of employment with a foreign employer, or register as an entrepreneur abroad
- Their monthly salary must be 2.5 times higher than the national average in Latvia**