Latvia's Remote-Work Visa Is Gated to OECD Employers

Most digital-nomad visas ask where your income comes from in only loose terms. Latvia’s long-stay visa for remote work (launched 1 February 2022) is more specific: it ties your eligibility to where your employer or client is registered, not just to how much you earn. If you work remotely but your company sits outside the OECD, this is the rule that decides the application before any income figure does.

The OECD-employer requirement

The visa is restricted to remote workers employed by — or contracting for — a company registered in an OECD member state, and you need at least 6 months of prior employment with that company. So the qualifying question is not only “do you work remotely?” but “is the entity paying you registered in an OECD country?”

On top of that, holders have no right to employment in Latvia, and taking on local clients is not allowed. Holders may not earn from Latvian sources. The visa is for income that originates outside Latvia and is routed through an OECD-registered employer or client — it does not open a door to the local labour market.

Income then has to clear a threshold of EUR 4,213 per month, set as 2.5 times the previous-year average monthly gross wage (the figure published by the immigration authority, PMLP, as of February 2026). Proof of funds is required, but no specific amount is published in the official source.

The tax angle that follows from it

The OECD link reappears in the tax treatment. Citizens or residents of OECD states holding the visa may opt for a flat 15% personal income tax for 365 days from the point they become a Latvian tax resident, under personal-income-tax amendments dated 28 June 2023. Tax residency is generally triggered at 183 days.

Two cautions are worth flagging. First, this tax detail traces back to KPMG rather than to the immigration authority (PMLP) — so it is second-hand relative to the official visa source. Second, we rate this entry medium-confidence overall, which is worth keeping in mind for the tax specifics in particular. Treat the 15% option as something to confirm with a Latvian tax adviser rather than a settled entitlement.

What the visa does and does not lead to

The practical envelope is narrow. Initial validity is 12 months, it is renewable, and the maximum total stay is 24 months. There is no published path to permanent residence and no path to citizenship, so this is a time-limited stay rather than a settlement route. Family inclusion is permitted.

Other fixed requirements: health insurance valid in Latvia and the Schengen states is explicitly required for the full visa period, with the insurer’s minimum liability limit at least EUR 42,600 (per PMLP). The state fee for the category-D long-stay visa is EUR 90, and embassies may add a consular fee on top. Applications are made at an embassy.

If your employer or main client is registered outside the OECD, this is the constraint to resolve first — the income figure and the optional tax rate only matter once that test is met.