If you had a plan to buy an apartment in Riga and get a Latvian residence permit out of it, that plan is dead. On 15 September 2026 Latvia reshaped its golden visa programme and, in one move, removed two of its main routes: real estate and the bank deposit option.
It was not announced with much noise. Golden visa changes rarely are. But if you were banking on Latvia as the cheaper way into the EU, you should know before you send anyone a deposit.
What actually changed
Until mid-September, a foreign investor could get a temporary residence permit in Latvia by buying property above a set value, or by parking a large sum in a Latvian bank. Both of those are now closed to new applicants.
Existing permit holders are not thrown out. If you already have a Latvian residence permit through one of those routes, you keep it and you renew it as normal. The doors shut for people applying from now on, not for people already inside.
Why Latvia did it
Follow the housing. Latvia has had the same problem as Portugal, Spain and Greece: property prices in the capital climbing faster than local wages, and a growing share of flats bought by people who never live in them. The EU has been nudging member states to tidy up these programmes for years, and Latvia finally did.
This is a pattern, not a one-off. Portugal dropped its property route in 2023. Greece put short-term rentals on golden visa properties under a ban, with fines that run up to fifty thousand euros. The cheap-and-simple era of buying a flat for a passport is closing across the continent.
Who is affected
- New applicants who wanted the property or deposit route: no longer possible.
- Existing permit holders: unaffected for now, but watch the renewal rules.
- People with a real job or family tie in Latvia: this never applied to you. Work permits, family reunification and student routes are untouched.
Where you can still go
A handful of European countries still run golden visa programmes, but the terms have tightened. Portugal still has the fund and business routes, though its path to citizenship now runs ten years instead of five for applications filed from 19 May 2026. Greece still has real estate, but with zone-based prices and the short-term rental ban. Hungary and Italy still offer routes of their own, each with their own strings attached.
The honest summary: you can still do this in Europe, but you need proper advice and a bigger budget than three years ago. Anyone promising the old Latvian deal is selling you something that no longer exists.
Meanwhile, life goes on
Sorting out residency is a slow business. Applications, translations, appointments, waiting for a decision letter that takes months. During all of that, most expats miss the small stuff more than they expect: the evening news from home, the morning show, the match on a Saturday.
That part is easy to fix. A good IPTV setup brings the channels from your home country to whatever screen you have, wherever the paperwork has landed you. It is a small comfort while the bigger move gets sorted.
Have a look at the full worldwide line-up on our Channels & Coverage page, then start a free 24-hour test and check your own channels in minutes.
Related reading
- European golden visas in 2026: where you can still get residency by investment
- Portugal just tightened its immigration rules: what expats should know
- Moving abroad? How to keep your favourite TV and sport
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