A Latvian job interview is formal. Business dress in banks, administration and offices, a firm handshake that the employer initiates, punctuality that counts, and a style of negotiation that favours compromise over theatre. Then, if you are lucky, you get the answer within two weeks. That is how EURES describes it, and it matches what most newcomers report.
Working in Latvia is open to every EU citizen without a permit. The details that matter are contract, language and the rights you carry once employed.
How do you find a job when working in Latvia?
The State Employment Agency (Nodarbinātības valsts aģentūra, NVA) publishes vacancies and accepts CVs on its portal, which is in Latvian, and its EURES advisers give free advice. EURES also lists private job sites such as cv.lv, prakse.lv, visidarbi.lv, workingday.lv and cvmarket.lv. A private recruitment agency must be licensed by the NVA.
Language. EURES is plain: Latvian is essential for most posts, and English, German, the Scandinavian languages or Russian are an extra asset. International and IT employers can work in English, but expect the paperwork in Latvian. If you register as unemployed with the NVA, it can fund a Latvian course.
For qualifications, remember that a regulated profession needs recognition first. See the unemployment and recognition section below.
What must your employment contract say in Latvia?
Your contract (darba līgums) must be written, in two copies, before you start (Labour Law, article 40). It states, among other things, the workplace, the position, the pay, the hours, leave, notice and the probation period.
- Duration: in principle open-ended. A fixed-term contract is allowed only in cases set by law, five years at most including renewals, and ten months a year for seasonal work. If it continues after its end without objection, it becomes open-ended.
- Probation (articles 46 and 47): up to three months, six if a collective agreement allows; one month at most for a fixed contract of six months or less, two months for one up to a year. Either side may end it in writing with three days' notice, without a reason.
- Pay: at least twice a month unless a monthly payment is agreed (article 69).
Do not start without a signed contract. Without it you have no proof of your salary and little protection.
Got a draft contract in Latvian and not sure what the clauses mean? Moovy can translate the key points into plain English, flag what is unusual against the legal minimums and draft questions for the employer. For a dispute or a legal decision, the State Labour Inspectorate or a lawyer is the right door.
What is the minimum wage and what is deducted?
The statutory minimum wage is 780 euros gross per month for a 40-hour week from 1 January 2026. The 2027 amount is not yet decided: the government sets it after the tripartite council reviews it, and its criteria aim at 820 euros.
From your gross pay, the employee pays 10.5% in social contributions, and the employer pays 23.59% on top. Income tax is 25.5% (33% above 105,300 euros a year) after a 550 euro monthly allowance if your employer applies it via your electronic tax book. Ask the VID or your employer how the allowance is applied to your pay.
How many hours and how much leave do you get?
- Working time (article 131): eight hours a day and 40 a week at most, shorter for hazardous work. EURES adds a weekly rest of at least 42 hours in a row, a 30-minute break after six hours, and a premium of at least 50% for night work between 22:00 and 06:00.
- Overtime (article 136): with your written consent except in emergencies, an average of eight hours a week at most over four months, with a premium of at least 100% according to EURES.
- Paid leave (article 149): at least four calendar weeks a year, excluding public holidays, with a block of at least two consecutive weeks.
- Family leave (EURES): maternity 56 days (70 in some cases), paternity 10 days within six months of birth, and parental leave of 18 months up to the child's eighth birthday.
How do notice and dismissal work?
An employee resigns with one month's written notice, unless the contract or a collective agreement says shorter, and without notice for serious cause (article 100). An employer may dismiss only for grounds set by law (articles 101 and 103), with notice of 10 days to one month depending on the ground. Severance is due for the grounds in points 6 to 11 of article 101, such as post elimination or liquidation: one month of average pay under five years of service, two months from five to ten years, three from ten to twenty, four beyond. Check the exact list with a lawyer.
What if you lose your job while working in Latvia?
Register with the NVA for unemployed status, then apply for the benefit (bezdarbnieka pabalsts) at the VSAA. You need at least 12 months of unemployment contributions in the last 16 months. The benefit lasts at most eight months and falls every two months: 100% of the calculated amount in months one and two, 75% in months three and four, 50% in months five and six, 45% in months seven and eight. The 2026 minimum is 224.40 euros a month.
If you arrive with a benefit from another EU country, ask the paying body for a U2 form before leaving, and register with the NVA within seven days of arrival: it lets you keep the benefit for three months, up to six, while you search. A U1 form helps count periods worked elsewhere. Do not expect to claim Latvian benefit just by arriving: usually the country where you last worked pays.
How do regulated professions work?
Doctors, nurses, teachers and many others need recognition from the Academic Information Centre (AIC) before starting, and the AIC says Latvian at C1 is required for several of them. The procedure costs 240 euros, with decisions in three months for automatic-recognition professions and four months for other EU qualifications. For a non-regulated profession, the employer judges your diploma. Academic recognition of a diploma is covered in schools in Latvia for expat children.
What are the traps?
- Starting without a contract, or accepting part of the salary in cash.
- Underestimating the language, even in an international company.
- Confusing probation and notice: three days during probation, one month afterwards.
- Relying on a rolling fixed-term contract: after five years or silent continuation it becomes open-ended.
If you want to work for yourself instead, ask the VID about registration before you start. British readers should start with moving to Latvia from the UK.
Where can foreigners find jobs in Latvia?
Jobs in Latvia for foreigners cluster in Riga, in services, logistics, IT, finance and tourism, and in employers who work in English or Nordic languages. EURES lists the NVA portal and private job sites, and recommends the free advice of its EURES advisers. Latvian remains the gatekeeper for most positions. If you are not fluent, aim at international employers first and learn the language in parallel.
What should you check in a job offer in Latvia?
- the contract is written, in Latvian, signed before day one;
- the salary is declared in full, not partly in cash;
- the probation period is three months at most, and shorter for a fixed-term contract;
- the leave is at least four weeks plus public holidays;
- the employer applies your 550 euro monthly allowance only if you give him your electronic tax book, and no other employer applies it at the same time.
A salary quoted as "net" in a job advert needs a written conversion to gross, since the minimum wage of 780 euros is a gross figure.
Who protects employees in Latvia?
The State Labour Inspectorate (Valsts darba inspekcija) checks compliance with labour law, according to EURES, and can be your first stop if you suspect an unpaid wage or a missing contract. For a dismissal you consider unlawful, a lawyer is the right person, since Moovy and this guide cannot represent you.