Remote’s guide to employing in

Latvia
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Make employment in Latvia easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Latvia, all in one easy-to-use platform.

  • Capital City

    Riga

  • Currency

    Euro (€, EUR)

  • Languages

    Latvian

  • Population size

    1,907,675

  • Remote-Owned Local Entity

Services available in this country:
Employer of RecordContractor Management

Facts & Stats

Latvia Map Illustration
  • Capital City

    Riga

  • Currency

    Euro (€, EUR)

  • Languages

    Latvian

  • Population size

    1,907,675

  • Ease of doing business

    Very easy

  • Cost of living index

    52.87 (2021)

  • Payroll frequency

    N/A

  • VAT - standard rate

    21%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    5.2% (2021)

Latvia is a little-known country that’s mostly a natural paradise, covered with 12,000 rivers and 3,000 small lakes — and it’s 54% forest, making it Europe’s sixth most forested country. It has some record-beating internet speeds and is the 14th easiest place to do business in the world, with equally high human development rankings (38th globally).

Grow your team in Latvia with Remote

Looking to hire employees in Latvia? Companies hiring in Latvia must either own a local legal entity or work with a global employment platform like Remote that can legally provide employment services in the country.

Remote can employ team members in Latvia and keep you compliant. Remote can hire, onboard, and pay your Latvian team so you don't have to set up local HR services in the region. Remote also makes it easy to pay contractors in Latvia. Sign up now to get started or talk to an expert for more details.

Risks of misclassification

Latvia, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Latvia may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.

Employing in Latvia

Workers' rights in Latvia are protected by:

  • The Latvian Constitution of 1922 and

  • The Labour Law of 2002

— all of which guarantee equal pay for equal work, the right to individual and collective labour disputes, safe working environments, and protections against discrimination based on age, religion, and race.

Common questions that could come up during the hiring process include the minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Latvia.

Latvia’s minimum wage is at €620 ($683.24 USD) per month.

We can help you get a new employee started in Latvia fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 19 working days.

Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.

For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.

Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.


13 Public holidays

Jan
Sunday, January 1, 20231New Year's Day (Jaungada diena)
Apr
Friday, April 7, 20232Good Friday (Lielā Piektdiena)
Monday, April 10, 20233Easter Monday (Otrās Lieldienas)
May
Monday, May 1, 20234Labour Day (Darba svētki)
Thursday, May 4, 20235Independence Restoration Day (Latvijas Republikas Neatkarības atjaunošanas diena)
Friday, May 5, 20236Independence Restoration Day Holiday (Latvijas Republikas Neatkarības atjaunošanas diena)
Jun
Friday, June 23, 20237Midsummer's Eve (Līgo diena)
Saturday, June 24, 20238St John's Day (Jāņu diena)
Nov
Saturday, November 18, 20239Independence Day (Latvijas Republikas Proklamēšanas diena)
Dec
Sunday, December 24, 202310Christmas Eve (Ziemassvētku Vakars)
Monday, December 25, 202311Christmas Day (Pirmie Ziemassvētki)
Tuesday, December 26, 2023122nd Day of Christmas (Otrie Ziemassvētki)
Sunday, December 31, 202313New Year's Eve (Vecgada Diena)

Competitive benefits package in Latvia

At Remote, we’re passionate about helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in developing globally competitive benefits programs. This means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive, and your company has the localized expertise to needed attract and keep the best global talent.

Our benefits packages in Latvia are tailored to fulfill the local needs of employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:

  • Health Insurance

  • Dental Insurance

  • Vision Insurance

  • Mental Health Support

  • Pension or 401(K)

  • Life and Disability Insurance

Taxes in Latvia

Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Latvia.

  • 23.59%

    National Social Insurance Contributions (payable on income up to €78,100)

  • 23.59%

    Solidarity Tax (payable only on income above EUR 78,100* However, the total Solidarity Tax Rate is 25% (Employer + Employee) and the remaining 9.09% collected is reimbursed by the Tax Authorities to the Employer in the following tax year.)

Types of leave

Latvian employees are entitled to four calendar weeks of fully paid annual vacation, not counting public holidays. Employees below age 18 are entitled to a full month’s paid vacation. Workers must have been employed for at least six months to qualify for paid vacation.