Background information

The requirement to submit documents proving education or experience for attracting foreign employees to work in Latvia has been eased The legislation of the Republic of Latvia distinguishes between two categories of foreigners:

• Union citizens – this means citizens of both the Member States of the European Union and the countries of the European Economic Area and citizens of the Swiss Confederation, who have an equal status in Latvia with citizens of the Republic of Latvia.
• Third-country citizens, whose entry and employment in Latvia are subject to additional conditions.

There are almost no restrictions for Union citizens to enter, stay and work in Latvia. The following changes apply to third-country citizens. Taking into account the shortage of labour in sectors essential to the national economy, the Cabinet of Ministers, at its meeting on 19 December 2023, approved amendments to Cabinet Regulations No. 552 'Procedure for approving invitations and drawing up invitations' (enters into force on 22 December 2023). The amendments will ease the requirements for economic operators who plan to employ foreign workers in Latvia in professions that are not regulated in Latvia.

Content of measure

Until the amendments, it was stipulated that the inviter (employer), when submitting a request for a foreigner intended to be employed in Latvia, must submit a copy of a document certifying qualifications or education. The requirement was not extended to foreigners performing low qualified occupations (Basic Group 9 of the Classification of Occupations). The annotation to the amendments indicates that inviters (employers) often dishonestly artificially lowered job groups and, for example, presented skilled workers and craftsmen as performing low qualified work in order to avoid the requirement to submit a copy of documents certifying education or three years of experience. The amendments stipulate that a copy of a document certifying education or experience no longer needs to be submitted if a foreigner is intended to be employed in a profession that is not regulated in Latvia. The employer is obliged to submit a self-certification that a job interview has been held with the foreigner regarding the necessary competence to perform the intended work or, if the competence is not there, a commitment to train the foreigner.

Use of measure

No information

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Applies to all businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Informed	Consulted
Form	Not applicable	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

Employers organisations participated in the meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Economics with representatives of non-governmental organizations on issues of attracting foreign labour.

Views and reactions

Employers believed that requiring such documentation was unnecessary. They believed that the most important thing was training so that employees could perform the work of a skilled worker and be able to handle the company's tools and equipment

Sources

• 06 February 2024: Atvieglos viesstrādnieku piesaisti, bet stingrāk sodīs par imigrācijas pārkāpumie (lvportals.lv)
• 08 March 2024: Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr.552 “Ielūgumu apstiprināšanas un uzaicinājumu noformēšanas kārtība”, in force since 08 March 202 (likumi.lv)
• 19 May 2025: Atvieglotas prasības ārzemju darbinieku piesaistīšanai darbam Latvijā nereglamentētajās profesijā (lvportals.lv)