Relocating to Latvia Now Harder as Property and Deposit Residency Paths Close

Latvia's new Immigration Law took effect on 15 September 2026, reshaping the country's residence-by-investment framework. The €250,000 real estate route and the €280,000 bank deposit route are no longer available for new residence permit applications.

Investment in the share capital of Latvian companies remains an option, and the law adds a new route based on a minimum €150,000 investment through a state-established alternative investment fund manager. That fund route, however, cannot yet be used in practice.

Key facts

• New Immigration Law in force since 15 September 2026
• Property route (€250,000) and bank deposit route (€280,000) closed to new applicants
• Company share capital investment remains, from €50,000
• New fund route requires at least €150,000, but is not yet operational
• Temporary residence permits range from up to two years to up to five years, depending on the route

What investment routes remain?

Investors can still qualify by investing in the share capital of a Latvian company. A minimum of €50,000 applies where the company employs no more than 50 people and its annual turnover or balance sheet total does not exceed €10 million. A further €10,000 payment to the state budget is required when applying for the first temporary residence permit.

That company must also make at least €40,000 in annual tax payments to state and municipal budgets for the residence permit to remain valid. For companies employing more than 50 people and exceeding €10 million in annual turnover or balance sheet total, the minimum investment rises to €100,000, and the required annual tax contribution is at least €100,000. Qualifying tax payments by Latvian-registered subsidiaries also count towards that calculation. Permits under the company route can be issued for up to two years.

How does the new fund route work?

Under the new framework, an investor must invest at least €150,000, maintain the investment for at least five years, and make an additional €10,000 payment to the state budget. Provided the requirements continue to be met, the investment can support a temporary residence permit for up to five years.

Latvia's Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) has confirmed that the state-established alternative investment fund required by the legislation has not yet been created. The provision therefore cannot currently be used, and further implementation details and practical procedures remain to be established.

How did the law change during the legislative process?

The Saeima, Latvia's parliament, first adopted the new Immigration Law on 11 June 2026. President Edgars Rinkēvičs returned it to parliament for reconsideration on 19 June.

Among the issues he raised was the proposed €150,000 alternative investment fund route, and he called for further consideration of questions including verification of the source of investment funds and the purposes for which invested capital could be used. He also asked lawmakers to reconsider whether a tightly regulated real estate route could remain available to citizens of NATO, OECD and European Economic Area countries, and potentially other countries considered friendly to Latvia. Parliament adopted the law again on 20 August without retaining the real estate route.

What this means for travellers and investors

Anyone planning to apply for Latvian residence through property purchase or a bank deposit can no longer do so under the new law. The company route has a lower headline entry point than the old property route, but the underlying company's ongoing tax performance is directly relevant to whether the residence permit stays valid.

The €150,000 fund route is written into the law but should not yet be treated as an accessible option, since the required fund has not been created. Comparing programmes on minimum investment amounts alone is becoming less meaningful; the structure of the investment, how long capital must remain invested and the permit duration all matter alongside the threshold.

Are other countries changing property routes?

Latvia is not alone in moving away from real estate. Portugal removed property from its Golden Visa qualifying investment options in 2023, and Spain ended its Golden Visa programme altogether in 2025. Panama moved in a different direction on 16 September 2026, one day after Latvia's law took effect: it kept a US$300,000 threshold for qualifying first-sale, new and unoccupied properties while raising the minimum investment for resale property to US$500,000.

No date has been announced for the creation of the Latvian state-established fund. Further implementation details for the €150,000 route are still to be established.