Foreigners may be employed only if they have been granted the right to work.
It is prohibited to employ a person who is not authorized to stay in the Republic of Latvia.
The employment contract must be made in writing in two copies; after signing, one copy is to be given to the employee, and the other remains with the employer. The employment contract must be in the state language. If the employee is a foreigner who does not have sufficient proficiency in the state language, the employer is obligated to provide the employee with written information about the terms of the employment contract in a language understandable to the employee.
An employment contract for a fixed term must specify the end date of the contract or the circumstances indicating the completion of the respective work.
The employment contract may stipulate a probationary period of up to 3 months. If the employment contract is for a fixed term of up to 6 months, the probationary period is 1 month; if the contract is for a period of up to one year, the probationary period is up to 2 months. It should also be noted that collective agreements concluded with trade unions may specify a different duration for the probationary period, but for fixed-term contracts of up to one year, it cannot exceed 3 months.
If a foreigner wishes to obtain a visa and work permit, as well as a residence permit, the required financial means, i.e., the salary paid by the employer, must be at least the average gross monthly salary of employees in the Republic of Latvia for the previous year, according to the latest published information from the Central Statistical Bureau, available here: https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/nepieciesamais-iztikas-nodrosinajums-0.
Wages must be paid at least twice a month, unless the employee and employer have agreed on monthly wage payments. Wages may be paid in cash or electronically to a bank account if agreed upon by the employee and employer.
Normal working time is 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week. A five or six-day working week may be established. Even with a six-day working week, the normal working time must not exceed 40 hours per week. Part-time work can be agreed upon. If part-time work is agreed upon and the work schedule is not fully or mostly predictable, the employment contract must state that the work schedule is variable, and must include information about the guaranteed paid working hours within the month, as well as information about when the employee may or must work, and the minimum notice period before starting or canceling work.
The employer may establish a system of accumulated working hours or shift work. In both cases, work is organized according to a work/shift schedule, which must be communicated to the employee. In the case of accumulated working hours, the employer may employ the worker for more than 8 hours a day and more than 40 hours a week (up to 56 hours a week is permissible). The accumulation period is important. The accumulation period may be from one month to three months, or up to 12 months in a collective agreement. In the construction sector, the accumulation period is 6 or 12 months. Overtime is determined at the end of the accumulation period.
Every employee has the right to a break at work – the break must be granted no later than four hours after the start of work. The break duration must not be less than 30 minutes. If it is not possible to provide the entire break at once, it may be divided into parts, each of which must be at least 15 minutes long.
Annual paid leave must be at least four calendar weeks, excluding public holidays. The employee may request annual paid leave after the first year of employment if they have been continuously employed with the employer for at least six months.
Basic Occupational Safety Requirements
Before starting work, the employee must undergo instruction and training in occupational safety that is directly related to the employee's work environment and tasks. The occupational safety instructions and training must be understandable and appropriate to the employee's professional preparation.
All individuals must undergo an initial mandatory health check before starting employment, according to the identified workplace factors to which the person will be exposed. The costs related to mandatory health checks before starting employment are to be covered by the individual or the employer, as agreed.
If an employee is to be employed by the employer for a fixed term of less than 1 year, the person must be sent for a health check before starting employment if:
- The work is to be performed under special conditions (as outlined in Appendix 2 of Cabinet Regulation No. 219 “Procedure for Mandatory Health Checks” dated March 10, 2009);
- The working environment conditions meet the criteria stated in Appendix 14.3 of the Cabinet Regulation No. 219 “Procedure for Mandatory Health Checks” dated March 10, 2009 (cases where periodic mandatory health checks must be performed annually).
Periodic mandatory health checks for employees are conducted periodically. The frequency of periodic mandatory health checks may be annually, every two years, or every three years, as determined by the employer based on a risk assessment of the working environment. The costs related to mandatory health checks are covered by the employer.
Questions regarding employment regulations, as well as actions to be taken if employment regulations are violated, can be addressed:
- In writing to e-mail: vdi@vdi.gov.lv
- By calling the State Labour Inspectorate's advisory phone: 67186522.