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Latvia Golden Visa on Track for 51% Annual Growth as Real Estate Option Bounces Back · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Latvia processed 44 main applicants through its golden visa program in the first half of 2025, reaching 76% of 2024's annual total and positioning the country for its strongest performance in four years.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: The country issued 107 total visas, counting dependents, in the first half of 2025, compared to 149 for all of 2024.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Roberts Valpieters, managing partner at EU Law Firm, notes that the first half of 2025's tally already puts the program close to full year 2024 pace.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Current trajectories suggest Latvia could reach 88 main applicants by year-end.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: He projects that 2025 is likely to be the strongest year since 2021 to 2022.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Val Pitters explains that Latvia's growth partly reflects processing delays in competing programs.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: He says Greece continues working through a backlog with over 52,000 pending cases as of spring 2025, while new applications slow after recent price increases.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Portugal's modernization under AMA has improved some processing timelines, though Valpeters observes that delays are better, not gone.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: He notes this combination creates opportunities for Latvia, where switching to Latvia for speed has become a genuine market dynamic.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Applicant demographics shifted substantially from 2024 patterns.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Turkish nationals claimed the largest share at 20% of the first half of 2025 approved applications, edging ahead of their 24% showing in 2024, when Chinese investors led with 26%.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Valpeters explains that Turkish investors' goals are to, quote, secure freedom of movement, access to EU healthcare and education, and long-term protection for their families, end quote, rather than purely financial returns.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: He says Latvia's appeal stems from its position as the lowest EU RBI option via the 50,000 euro company investment route, plus a 10,000 euro state contribution.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Vietnamese investors climbed from 2% of 2024 approved applications to 11% in the first half of 2025.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Valpiders notes that Latvia was always popular for Vietnamese citizens, specifically regarding work permits, as the country offers Schengen access for less than the 250,000 euros to 500,000 euros investments required elsewhere.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: He characterizes Latvia's good enough and affordable positioning as a major draw for Plan B seekers in the current market environment.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Chinese applicants dropped to just 7% of the first half of 2025 submissions, down from their dominant 26% share in 2024.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: This represents one of the steepest nationality declines in the program's recent history, excluding Russians, whom Latvia suspended in 2022.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: UK nationals broke into the top five applicant nationalities for the first time, matching Indian applicants at 9% each.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Several smaller nationality groups emerged in the first half of 2025 data, with US, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan applicants, each accounting for 4.5% of submissions.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Notably, two Dominica passport holders applied for Latvia's golden visa in the first half of 2025, representing 4.5% of total approvals and potentially highlighting secondary migration patterns within investment migration markets.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Real estate investments surged from 29% of approvals in 2024 to 45% in the first half of 2025.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Business investments maintained their dominant position at 50%, down from 69% the previous year.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Latvia processed 20 real estate-based approved applications in the first half of 2025, already exceeding 2024's full-year total of 17 real estate approvals.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Business investments totaled 22 investors, maintaining absolute leadership while losing market share.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Business investment trajectories indicate potential for 10% growth over 2024 levels if current momentum continues.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Deposit and securities investments remained minimal at two approvals, consistent with historical patterns, but still doubled 2024's total.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: This episode first appeared as an article by Christian Henrik Neschim on IMIDAily.com.
• 4:46
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