To apply for a visa, the following has to be submitted: passport, visa application form, a photograph, travel medical insurance policy valid for the whole Schengen Area, and other documents. They will have to ensure that their passport is at least valid for 6 months beyond stay for the authorities to give them a tourist visa.
If the person needs to stay in Latvia for longer than 90 days, he or she has to apply for a long-stay visa or a residence permit. All the documents submitted in Chinese (or any language other than English or Latvian) are required to be translated in English or Latvian. Documents confirming that the visa applicant has an invitation to visit Latvia which has been approved by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs at the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Latvia no later than six months prior to the application date. Depending on the purpose of your travel to Latvia, there are different types of visas that will apply to the occasion. The validity of a visa can also be extended if there are serious personal reasons calling for a visa extension.

Application for a Schengen visa can be filled out online. Foreign national whose short stay visa or long term visa has been refused, annulled or revoked by a diplomatic or consular mission of Latvia abroad, in accordance with Section 17 of the Immigration Law, have the right to contest this decision by applying to the Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Whether you are planning to go on a visit, study or work and reside in Latvia permanently, you will have to apply for a different Latvian Schengen Visa, accordingly. Persons arriving in the European Union, including in Latvia, have to observe stringent rules concerning food products that they may carry. If you wish to visit several Schengen countries, you do not have to apply for a visa in each of the given Schengen country’s diplomatic representation. Medical insurance policy can be obtained in applicant’s country of residence, or in any other country, or taken out by the inviting person. Visa-free travellers may stay in Latvia for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. There are border controls on Latvia’s borders with Russia and Belarus. The decision by the Director of the Consular Department can be appealed against at the District Administrative Court. Application for a visa has to be submitted only to the representation of that country that is your main destination. A driving licence or bankcard is not considered a valid travel or ID document. You can apply for the Latvian Schengen Visa since 2007 when Latvia as an EU Member country also became a member state of the Schengen Area. Step 2 – Collect all required documentation (see below). The visa consular fee is non-refundable. The ruling of the court on the visa case is final and irreversible. If the person has been issued a visa for a short-stay visit to a Schengen country, the maximum duration of the intended stay is 90 days within a 180-day period. If your travel to Latvia is related to work, study or residence as a self-employed person, you are required to obtain a temporary residence permit and apply for national (D type) visa to Latvia. For more information, please read How to Extend a Schengen Visa while being in Latvia.