Latvia

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Latvia based on HIV status.

Both UNAIDS and the US Department of State report to be unaware of any HIV-related restrictions on entry to Latvia.

The website of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a list of supporting documents that should be included with the visa application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or general health of the applicant. 

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on short-term stay in Latvia based on HIV status.

Both UNAIDS and the US Department of State report to be unaware of any HIV-related restrictions on short-term entry to Latvia.

The Embassy of Latvia in Pakistan provides a list of supporting documents that should be included with an employment visa application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant.

It is unclear whether Latvia imposes restrictions on long-term stay of people living with HIV.

Both UNAIDS and the US Department of State report to be unaware of any HIV-related restrictions on long-term entry to Latvia.

The application form for a Residence Permit includes a field to self-declare the absence of ‘health disorders or diseases, listed in the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers.’

The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia details that the residence permit will not be issued if ‘a health disorder or disease that endangers the safety of the public and the health of the members thereof, or there is reason to believe that the applicant may cause a threat to public health, except in the case where the applicant, with the consent of the Ministry of Health, enters for medical treatment of the relevant health disorder or disease. The Cabinet of Ministers determines a list of health disorders and diseases.’

It is not clear whether HIV could fall within this category of diseases.

The following summarises available information on access to healthcare for people living with HIV in Latvia. There is no evidence that non-nationals are restricted from accessing treatment in the same way as nationals.

Antiretroviral medication for personal use can be imported. It is recommended to carry a doctor’s prescription.

Official sources report that state-funded healthcare services in Latvia are available to non-nationals including:

• third-country nationals with a permanent residence permit in Latvia;
• refugees or people to whom the alternative status has been granted;
• asylum seekers;
• children under 18 years of age of the above persons;
• the spouses of people with a temporary residence permit who has their own temporary residence permit and is raising a child aged up to seven or at least three children aged up to 15;

To receive state-funded healthcare services in Latvia, you must be listed in the Services Register of the National Health Service. To be entered in the Register, you must submit an application to the National Health Service.

Persons who do not have a Latvian personal identity number (e.g., have been issued a long- or short-term visa) are not included in the register of recipients of services. They receive healthcare services based on documentary proof of their status or a decision by the National Health Service.

Non-nationals who are legally employed in the Republic of Latvia based on a temporary residence permit or who are citizens of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland may request registration with the National Health Service, which ensures that a person can use state-funded health care and state-funded family doctor just like local citizens.

Visitors from the EU can use their European Health Insurance Card giving them access to medically necessary, state-funded healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country.

With regards to HIV treatment, Latvijas Infektologija centrs is the only specialised medical institution in Latvia, where patients can receive professional and high-quality treatment for many infectious diseases (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases). The centre provides ambulatory and inpatient healthcare services.

• UNAIDS
• US Department of State
• Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of Latvia
• LiveLatvia

Migrant populations

Refugees and asylum seekers