Acquisition of a residence permit based on the purchase of real estate (immovable property) is one of the most popular investment-based methods for obtaining a Latvian residence permit. According to statistics provided by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, during the year 2012 alone 2,435 foreigners requested a residence permit based on purchase of the real estate in Latvia and 3085 foreigners in 2013.

Of the types of investment which qualify for a residence permit, Real estate investment provides possibly the best liquidity and security while also (statistically) being the most effective way to get approval from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs - having the highest approval rate.

In order to receive a residence permit in Latvia for 5 years, with an opportunity to extend this term later, there are several requirements that have to be met according to the law:

The property must be purchased after 01.09.2014 and at the moment of filing the request for a residence permit you must possess the certificate from the Land Register which confirms your title;
The total price of the purchase must not be less than EUR 250 000;
The purchase contract and the Land Register certificate must be completed in the name of the person requesting the residence permit;
The cadastral value (Like a property tax valuation in the US) of the property must be higher than EUR 80 000.
Immigration law states that real estate should have been purchased from a legal person or natural person registered in the republic of Latvia, who is citizen of Latvia, a non-citizen of Latvia, a citizen of the European Union or other foreigner, who is staying in the Republic of Latvia with a valid residence permit, if a foreigner has purchased the real estate from a person who is not in above mentioned list - Most probably the application for a residence permit will denied.
The purchaser has to pay from his/her personal funds - that is not to say that a loan or financial assistance cannot be obtained from another person or institution, but such funds would need to be in the purchaser's personal account prior to the purchase, such that payment for the property comes directly from with individual from funds available to him/her.
All applicable real estate taxes must be settled.
Payment must be made in non-cash form. (i.e. bank transfer of funds)