Latvia opens a route to permanent residence for Ukrainians with temporary protection

In brief

• On 22 October 2026 the Saeima backed at first reading amendments to the law on support for Ukrainian civilians setting a special procedure for permanent residence.
• Citizens of Ukraine only who have, or previously had, temporary protection in Latvia will be able to apply.
• Time on a long-stay visa or residence permit will also count towards the five-year residence period. The first protection holders begin to reach five years in March 2027.
• Means of at least the monthly minimum wage per adult and 30% of that amount per child are required; exceptions are possible for single parents, people with disabilities and pensioners.
• Men will have to provide a certificate from a Ukrainian authority confirming exemption from call-up in case of mobilisation. Second and third readings are still to come.

What the amendments propose

The amendments add a separate permanent residence procedure to the law on support for Ukrainian civilians. It is needed because a new Immigration Law entered into force in Latvia on 15 September 2026. It retains only one type of permanent residence permit, with EU long-term resident status. And the current rules allow permanent residence to be refused to those who received temporary protection. As a result, people who had lived in Latvia for five years could be left without a route to permanent status.

The bill solves this for citizens of Ukraine only. Dual nationals, for example those with another country's passport, judging by the wording, are not covered by the special procedure and will follow the general rules. Time spent in Latvia on a long-stay visa or residence permit will count towards the five years. This matters for those who entered on a visa and then received protection, or the other way round.

The authors explain the aim as giving Ukrainian citizens legal certainty about their future status in Latvia and supporting their long-term integration into the labour market and society. The explanatory note says the law will not require additional spending from the state or municipal budgets. It will be implemented by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

What this means for you. If you are a Ukrainian citizen living in Latvia with temporary protection since 2022, a real route to permanent residence is opening. But the law has not been adopted yet: two readings remain, and the conditions may change.

Timeline and deadlines

The bill's path has not been straightforward. On 10 October the Saeima's defence, internal affairs and anti-corruption committee postponed it pending a Finance Ministry opinion on its budget impact. The bill then returned to the committee and on 22 October passed first reading in the Saeima. Final adoption requires two more readings and the President's signature.

Timing matters here. The first Ukrainians received temporary protection in Latvia in spring 2022, so their five-year period of continuous residence begins to expire in March 2027. If the law is adopted before then, they will be able to apply for permanent residence as soon as they reach five years. EU temporary protection has been extended to 4 March 2028; see our news story on temporary protection until 2028. After that date another status will be needed, and permanent residence is the most secure of them.

What this means for you. If your five years run out in 2027, start preparing documents now. A criminal record certificate, proof of income and, for men, a certificate from Ukraine cannot be obtained quickly.

The income requirement: how much is needed

The bill requires proof of means of subsistence. For an adult the amount must be at least the monthly minimum wage in Latvia; for a child, 30% of that amount. For a family of two adults and two children the requirement comes to 2.6 times the monthly minimum wage. Income from employment, self-employment or other lawful sources can be used; the exact list of documents will be set by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

Exceptions are provided for some groups: single-parent families, people with disabilities and pensioners. This matters because many Ukrainians with temporary protection are women with children and older people who cannot work full time. How the exceptions will apply will become clear after the second reading, when amendments are added to the bill.

What this means for you. If you are formally employed, keep your employment contract and salary statements. If you are a single parent or a pensioner, keep documents proving it: you will need them for the exception.

A separate condition for men

The most contentious condition concerns men. Applicants for permanent residence will have to provide a certificate from a competent Ukrainian authority confirming exemption from active military service call-up in case of mobilisation. Without such a certificate, according to the first-reading text, permanent residence will not be granted. Age limits and the list of acceptable documents have not been specified in reports on the bill; they may appear by the second reading.

In practice this means that a man of conscription age without grounds for exemption will not be able to obtain permanent residence under the special procedure. Other options will remain: extended temporary protection, a work-based residence permit or other grounds under the general rules. If there are grounds for exemption, for example on health or family grounds, it is worth obtaining the documents in advance: Ukrainian authorities do not issue them immediately, and Latvia will require a translation and possibly an apostille.

What this means for you. Men should find out in advance whether they have grounds for exemption from call-up and request supporting documents. This is the longest part of the preparation.

If the conditions do not fit

The special procedure will not suit everyone. What should people do if they will not reach five years in time, cannot prove income or will not obtain a certificate of exemption from call-up? First, EU temporary protection has been extended to 4 March 2028, and status is kept until that date. Second, it is possible to switch to an ordinary residence permit on general grounds: work, study or family reunification if a spouse has their own status. Time on such a permit then counts towards the general five-year period for permanent residence.

Third, temporary protection in one EU country does not tie a person to it forever. If another country offers an easier transition to ordinary residence, such as Austria, where applications can be made from within the country, a move can be considered. But moving interrupts the residence period in Latvia, so the decision should be made early and carefully: how many years have been accumulated, which documents are in place, where the family works and goes to school.

How other EU countries handle this

Latvia is not the first country looking for a transition from temporary protection to ordinary statuses. Since 16 October 2026 Austria has allowed people with temporary protection to apply for an ordinary residence permit from within the country; see our news story on Austria and Ukrainians. The EU Committee of the Regions has urged all countries to prepare such a transition, as we reported in the story on protection until 2028. Czechia has adopted a new foreigners law that restructures its residence system; details are in our Czech news story.

For those considering other countries, there is residence through business, for the financially independent, for specialists and for remote workers. All options are collected in the residence guide. Separately, Ukrainian citizens have routes to another country's passport; for example, Argentine citizenship for Ukrainians.

What this means for you. If you are not sure you will meet the conditions for Latvian permanent residence, compare options in other countries. The earlier you choose a route, the lower the risk of being left without status in 2028.

Documents to prepare in advance

The exact list will appear once the law is adopted, but the basis can be collected now. Almost any permanent residence in the EU requires: a valid passport, documents on temporary protection and all previous visas and residence permits in Latvia, proof of continuous residence, income documents, a criminal record certificate, and birth and marriage certificates for family members. If documents are lost, they can be recovered remotely.

Permanent residence with EU long-term resident status usually also requires knowledge of the state language. Reports on the Ukrainian bill do not mention any language concessions, so it is best to assume the general requirements and prepare in advance; an overview is in our guide to language requirements. What to do after obtaining status is explained in the guide to life after residence and citizenship.

What to do

Related: our news stories on the new Immigration Law and the closure of residence through property and on the check of investor residence permits in Latvia. Presence requirements across countries are compared in the guide to presence requirements, and the family procedure in the guide to family residence. The terms permanent residence, residence permit and naturalisation are explained in the glossary. If you need to renew your current permit, we can help with renewals; an online consultation will assess your situation. All BRIDGES services are on the home page.

How this article was prepared

Sources: LETA news agency and Latvian press reports of 22 October 2026 on the first reading of amendments to the law on support for Ukrainian civilians; reports of 10 October 2026 on the Saeima committee's consideration; Latvia's Immigration Law in force since 15 September 2026; the EU Council decision extending temporary protection to 4 March 2028. The text of the bill may change at second and third readings. This article does not replace a consultation.