Working in Latvia from Togo: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

Latvia is not somewhere you hear much about from Togo, and the French-to-Latvian gap is real, but it does run a genuine system for recruiting non-EU workers into construction, transport and warehouse jobs, and it is a single national process rather than the regional patchwork you find in some bigger EU countries.

Which permit applies to you

The Latvian employer has to move first. They register your job with the State Employment Agency (Nodarbinātības valsts aģentūra, NVA), which tests whether a Latvian or EU citizen could fill it - this test is skipped if your trade sits on Latvia's current shortage occupation list, so ask the employer directly whether that applies to you right now. Once the NVA approves the vacancy, you apply for a long-stay (type D) national visa or a work-linked residence permit at the Latvian mission handling Togo. Your work authorisation and your right to live in Latvia are granted together through this combined process.

Where to apply and what to bring

Latvia very likely has no dedicated embassy in Lomé; check with the nearest Latvian embassy or visa centre serving Togo, since Latvia is sometimes represented in West Africa by another Schengen state for visa purposes - confirm the current arrangement before travelling to submit anything. Togo is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, so your police clearance certificate, educational and trade documents need full consular legalisation rather than a simple apostille, a slower process that usually involves an in-person or agent visit to the relevant consulate. You will also need your passport valid well beyond your intended stay, the signed employment contract, the NVA approval, proof of your qualifications or experience, and confirmation of accommodation arranged in Latvia.

Whichever mission or visa centre serving Togo handles your file, expect a biometrics appointment - fingerprints and a photo - and ask directly whether a separate interview about your job offer and planned Latvian address forms part of the process, since this varies.

What it actually costs

Latvia's long-stay visa and residence permit fees are set nationally and do change, so confirm the current amount directly with the embassy or visa centre rather than an old number from a forum - as a general reference, national visa fees across the Schengen area commonly land around 80 to 120 EUR, worth verifying before you plan around it. On the Togo side, budget roughly 10,000 to 25,000 XOF (very roughly 15 to 40 EUR, since the CFA franc is pegged closely to the euro) for the police clearance certificate, an additional and usually larger cost for consular legalisation, and translation costs into Latvian or English that can add another 50,000 to 150,000 XOF depending on how many documents you need converted. A flight from Lomé to Riga typically involves at least one connection through a European hub and can run from roughly 500 to 850 EUR depending on season and booking window. Under Latvian and EU rules, the employer covers recruitment costs - a real job offer never comes with a bill attached for the paperwork. Be careful of anyone in Lomé offering a guaranteed Latvian or European work visa for an upfront fee with no real, named employer behind it; this advance-fee scam pattern has targeted Togolese jobseekers chasing work abroad before.

Where the real jobs are

Latvian construction companies hire foreign tradespeople for concrete, formwork and finishing work on building sites. Road freight firms recruit non-EU drivers holding a recognised heavy-goods licence category and the EU's Driver CPC qualification. Warehouse and logistics roles around Riga's port and industrial zones also draw on non-EU labour where local supply is short. Check any wage figure you are quoted against Latvia's actual minimum wage directly rather than trusting a recruiter's word.

Build real time into your plan, particularly around legalisation and travel. Between the employer's NVA registration, the consular legalisation of your Togolese documents, and the visa appointment itself, five to eight months from a confirmed job offer to departure is a realistic range, and flight connections from Lomé to the Baltics add their own scheduling pressure.

Myths vs facts

Myth: No one from Togo has ever gone to Latvia, so it must be impossible. Fact: it is uncommon, but the legal route exists the same way it does for any non-EU national - what matters is a real registered job offer.

Myth: I can apply for the Latvian work permit before I find an employer. Fact: the employer registers the vacancy first with the State Employment Agency - there's no way to apply on your own ahead of that.

Myth: My trade certificate works once it's translated. Fact: it needs full consular legalisation first, since Togo is outside the Apostille Convention, before translation even matters.

Myth: A Latvian work permit lets me work anywhere in the EU. Fact: it only covers work in Latvia itself.

Myth: Because Togo has few diplomatic ties with Latvia, applications from there get refused automatically. Fact: officers assess your actual documents and job offer - a thin diplomatic relationship between the two countries does not translate into automatic refusal.

Before you sign

• Ask whether your trade is on Latvia's current shortage occupation list
• Confirm the employer has registered the vacancy with the State Employment Agency, not just sent an offer letter
• Start consular legalisation of your documents early, since it takes longer than apostille
• Get the contract translated and read it fully before you sign
• Confirm in writing who pays for your flight and your first accommodation
• Verify the correct Latvian mission or visa centre serving Togo before submitting anything
• Confirm the exact mission or visa centre handling Togolese applications for Latvia before travelling to submit anything

If your application stalls, ask the employer or the NVA for the specific reason rather than assuming the limited diplomatic relationship between Togo and Latvia is the cause. Stalled files are more often about an incomplete labour market test, a missing legalisation stamp, or a role description that does not clearly match the shortage list, all fixable with a corrected resubmission.

Keep copies of every document you submit, in both French and the translated version, and keep a simple written record of dates and reference numbers for each step. If something goes missing between offices, your own copies are often the fastest way to get the file back on track.

Put this on your Workuro profile

Put your trade, any driving licence categories and your document legalisation status on your profile so a Latvian employer searching the register can see how close you are to job-ready. Mention your French and English level clearly, both useful on Latvian worksites. Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.