Temporary residence permit for a full-time student at an accredited higher education institution or college

Route status

Active as of 2026-05-20^[2]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Status details
Nationality restrictions	Nationalities: ru, by Restriction: excluded as of 2026-05-20^[2]^[7] Immigration Law Section 23.1(1): citizens of the Russian Federation and of the Republic of Belarus may request a temporary residence permit only in the cases named in Section 23 paragraphs three, six and seven and in Section 23.1 itself. No Section 23(1) ground in this record is among them. Section 23.1(2) and (3) list the narrow cases those two nationalities may still use – for Russian citizens, among others, employment determined by European Union law and participation in a scientific cooperation project or studies at an accredited institution, each for a period not exceeding one year – so a reader should not read this exclusion as closing every work or study path to them, only this route. The 2022 OCMA announcement cited alongside describes the original suspension and its then end date of 30 June 2023; the operative rule today is the standing Section 23.1.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	Terminuzturesanas atlauja akreditetas augstskolas vai koledzas pilna laika studentam (Imigracijas likuma 23. panta pirmas dalas 10.1 punkts) as of 2026-05-20^[2] Latvia does not brand these permits; the Immigration Law describes each ground and OCMA titles its pages after the ground. The string recorded is the descriptive statutory designation, not a programme name.
Official name (English)	Temporary residence permit for a full-time student at an accredited higher education institution or college as of 2026-05-20^[2] English string from the statutory description, or from OCMA's English page where one covers the ground; marked as a translation rather than an official programme name.
Legal basis	Immigration Law (Imigracijas likums) Section 23(1)(10.1) as of 2026-05-20^[2]
Instrument type	residence permit as of 2026-05-20^[2] Section 23 issues a terminuzturesanas atlauja – a temporary residence permit; OCMA issues it as a foreigner's eID card.

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2025-07-24^[5]
Minimum age	Not established from a qualifying source No minimum age is stated for this ground in the sources read.
Criminal-record condition	Not established from a qualifying source

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration	at least 4 months as of 2026-05-20^[2]^[9] Section 23(1)(10.1): the permit is issued for a period exceeding the full-time study period at an accredited Latvian higher education institution or college by four months. The term has no fixed length of its own – it is the study period plus four months – so the basis is matches_course and the scalar recorded is the four-month margin the statute adds, marked as a minimum because the permit is always longer than the studies by that amount. OCMA states the permit is issued "for the period of the studies".
How the initial term is set	matches the course
Renewable	Not established from a qualifying source Not stated for this ground in the sources read.
Work rights	hours capped as of 2025-01-01^[2]^[4] Immigration Law Section 9(3)(3): a student staying in Latvia under Section 5.3 whose employment does not exceed 20 hours a week needs no confirmation of the right to work for a named employer. Cabinet Regulation No. 55 paragraph 2.3 records the entry "Tiesibas stradat 20 h nedela" / "THE RIGHT TO WORK 20 H PER WEEK" on a permit issued under Section 23(1)(10.1) or for student exchange under Section 23(1)(19).

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residence	No as of 2026-05-20^[1]^[2] Immigration Law Section 24(3), in the wording given by the amending law of 23 April 2026 in force from 20 May 2026: the five-years-of-continuous-residence condition for a permanent residence permit under Section 24(1)(7) does not apply to a foreigner who received a temporary residence permit for the period of learning or studies under Section 23(1)(10) or (10.1). Time on a study permit therefore does not build the permanent-residence qualification.

Requirements

Requirements
Enrolment status required	enrolled as of 2023-02-21^[2]^[8] The statute conditions the permit on being a full-time student of an accredited institution; OCMA requires "an agreement on studies in the Republic of Latvia" among the documents, which is a concluded study contract rather than an offer of admission.
Means requirement	1 × minimum monthly wage within normal working time per month as of 2026-04-01^[3]^[6]
Work-hours cap	20 as of 2025-01-01^[2]^[4] Immigration Law Section 9(3)(3) and Cabinet Regulation No. 55 paragraph 2.3: 20 hours a week.
Post-study route exists	Yes as of 2026-05-20^[2] Immigration Law Section 23(1)(32) gives a nine-month permit after completing a full-time master's or doctoral programme with a state-recognised diploma, where it is requested not later than three months after the study permit expired. It is documented as its own route, lv-darba-mekletajs-pec-studijam.
Post-study permit duration	9 months as of 2026-05-20^[2] Section 23(1)(32). Available after master's or doctoral study, not after every programme.

Process

Process
Where to apply from	either as of 2026-05-20^[2] Immigration Law Section 32(1), in the wording in force from 20 May 2026: documents for requesting a residence permit may be filed at a Latvian representation outside the Schengen area; at a representation inside it where the foreigner holds a valid residence permit in that state; at OCMA where the foreigner is staying in Latvia lawfully, or is a child born in Latvia; at OCMA electronically from abroad with a secure electronic signature; or with an outsourcing provider under a delegation contract.
Statutory processing time	up to 30 days as of 2026-03-18^[10]
Fees	Kind: application Amount: EUR 160 as of 2026-03-18^[10] Review of documents submitted for requesting a temporary residence permit, within 30 days. Source: Cabinet Regulation No. 731, as published by OCMA. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: review within 30 days Kind: expedite Amount: EUR 280 as of 2026-03-18^[10] Review within 10 working days, in place of the EUR 160 standard fee. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: review within 10 working days Kind: expedite Amount: EUR 560 as of 2026-03-18^[10] Review within 5 working days, in place of the EUR 160 standard fee. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: review within 5 working days Kind: other Amount: EUR 75 as of 2026-03-18^[10] State fee for review of documents submitted for registration of the temporary residence permit, within 30 days (EUR 140 within 10 working days, EUR 290 within 5 working days). Registration of an issued permit is a separate act from applying for one. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: registration of the temporary residence permit, within 30 days Kind: other Amount: EUR 17 as of 2026-03-18^[10] State fee for review of a submitted request for approval of a sponsorship (izsaukums), EUR 10 where it is submitted electronically through the state administration services portal latvija.lv, plus EUR 10 for each further person included in the request. Paid by the inviter, not by the applicant. Charged per: application Paid by: sponsor Condition: approval of the sponsorship (izsaukums) Kind: other Amount: EUR 85 as of 2026-03-18^[10] State fee, in addition to the sponsorship fee, for each person invited with the right to employment. Paid by the inviting employer. Charged per: applicant Paid by: employer Condition: per invited person with the right to employment
Quota	Quota exists: Not established from a qualifying source

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Yes as of 2026-05-20^[2] Immigration Law Section 23(4): in the cases named in Section 23(1) the foreigner's spouse, the minor children (including children under guardianship) of the foreigner or of the spouse, and persons under trusteeship may likewise request a temporary residence permit for the term of the permit issued to the foreigner.
Eligible relations	spouse, minor child, other dependent as of 2026-05-20^[2]
Family may apply at the same time	Not established from a qualifying source Section 23(4) gives family members the right to a permit for the term of the principal's permit but does not state whether applications must be lodged together.
Family members' work rights	Not established from a qualifying source Not stated for the derived Section 23(4) permits in the sources read. Section 9(5) grants unrestricted work rights to the spouse and child of a Latvian citizen, non-citizen or permanent-resident foreigner, which is a different case from the spouse of a temporary permit holder.
Additional means per family member	Relation: minor child Amount: 0.30 × minimum monthly wage within normal working time per month as of 2026-04-01^[3]^[6] Relation: spouse Amount: 1 × minimum monthly wage within normal working time per month as of 2026-04-01^[3]^[6]

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited	10
of which official (tier 1)	10
Oldest as-of date	2023-02-21
Newest as-of date	2026-05-20
Reviewed on	2026-08-22
Schema version	1.1

Sources

[1] Grozījumi Imigrācijas likumā (amending law of 23 April 2026)
Saeima / Latvijas Vēstnesis · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-06 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[2] Imigrācijas likums (Immigration Law), consolidated text in force from 20 May 2026
Saeima / Latvijas Vēstnesis (likumi.lv consolidated-law service) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[3] Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 225 "Noteikumi par arzemniekam nepieciesamo finansu lidzeklu apmeru un finansu lidzeklu esibas konstatesanu"
Ministru kabinets / Latvijas Vestnesis (likumi.lv) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2024-02-08 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[4] Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 55 "Noteikumi par arzemnieku nodarbinasanu"
Ministru kabinets / Latvijas Vestnesis (likumi.lv) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2025-01-01 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[5] The long-term resident status of the European Community in Latvia
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-07-24 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[6] The necessary subsistence
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-16 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[7] Latvia temporarily suspends issuance of temporary residence permits to Russian and Belarusian citizens
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2022-06-13 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[8] Studies at an accredited higher educational establishment
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2023-02-21 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[9] How long may the residence permit be issued for?
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2022-06-13 · Accessed 2026-08-16
[10] State fee for issuing the residence permit
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-18 · Accessed 2026-08-16