Filming of Foreign Films in Latvia

Information about the aid

Beneficiaries

Implementer of a foreign film project that meets the following conditions:

1 is a micro, small, medium or large trader who:

• has been registered in the Latvian Film Producers Register for at least 24 months prior to the submission of the project;
• has concluded a contract or letter of intent with a foreign film producer registered as a film producer in a foreign country on the intention to film a film in Latvia;

2 is a value-added taxpayer;

3 does not meet the characteristics of a trader in difficulty;

4 is not under sanctions;

5 does not cooperate with the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus;

6 the project implementer (including at the level of a group of linked enterprises) is not subject to an outstanding recovery order under a previous decision of the European Commission;

7 more than 25% of the share capital or voting rights of the foreign film project applicant are not owned by the state, a municipality or state or local government capital companies;

8 tax debt does not exceed EUR 1000;

Amount of aid 

The amount of aid is up to 30% of the total eligible costs of implementing the foreign film project in Latvia.

Project eligibility criteria +/-

A foreign film project must meet the following criteria:

1. the film is entirely or partly shot in Latvia;
2. a new foreign film, including a new series, part or season of the film is planned to be filmed;
3. the services of natural or legal persons registered in Latvia are used in the filming of the film;
4. the total cost of the foreign film project is at least EUR 711 436 for feature films and animation and at least EUR 142 287 for documentaries;
5. on the date of submission of the foreign film project application, the funding available to the foreign producer under the financing plan is at least 50% of the total cost of filming of the film;
6. according to the budget plan for the film, the value-added tax contribution to the national budget is at least 50% of the co-financing.

A foreign film project is not eligible for aid if it meets the following criteria:

1. the filming of the film in question has started in Latvia before the date of submission of the application;
2. the foreign funding is less than the eligible costs of the foreign film project in Latvia;
3. the film is of a pornographic nature;
4. the content of the film directly or indirectly promotes, justifies or glorifies the current politics of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, or portrays the communist or current political elite of the respective countries in a manner that clearly excludes critical evaluation and could be interpreted as glorifying these regimes or serving as an instrument of their soft power, thus generally promoting the propaganda of these regimes;
5. the film advocates religious, racial, national or ethnic hatred, unduly depicts violence or contains propaganda that degrades human dignity.

Application submission

Foreign film project applications must be submitted via business.gov.lv as an e-service (Latvian)

Within the framework of the tender, the number of project applications by a single applicant is not limited.

The application must be accompanied by the following documents:

1. the original or a certified copy of the co-production contract or letter of intent;
2. certificate certifying that the foreign film producer is registered as a film producer in the country concerned;
3. certification by the foreign film producer that the film in Latvia will be financed to the extent of the eligible costs;
4. a plot outline (up to five pages) in Latvian and a screenplay in Latvian or English;
5. a film distribution plan approved by at least one foreign broadcaster or distributor (if applicable);
6. a document signed by the foreign producer and the foreign film project applicant on the planned activities for the filming of the film in Latvia and their schedule;
7. A detailed description of the Latvian film professionals and service providers registered in Latvia involved in the filming or implementation of the film. The description is accompanied by written statements from service providers and specialists on their planned involvement in the project;
8. a certificate from the foreign producer confirming the participation of the film’s creative staff and actors in the project;
9. details of the foreign producer (general description, films produced in the last five years and their distribution figures and other information at the discretion of the foreign film project applicant); Annex 5.docx  (Latvian)
10. details of the foreign film project applicant (general description, films produced in the last five years and their distribution figures and other information at the discretion of the foreign film project applicant); Annex 6.docx  (Latvian)
11. extract from registers or a publicly available link to information on who the owners, board members, beneficial owners, persons entitled to represent, linked enterprises, etc., of the foreign producer are and whether they are sanctioned; 
12. a signed total budget (estimate) for the filming of the foreign film project, separating the total filming costs planned for the territory of Latvia and the financing plan for the film; 
13. documents proving that the funding available to the foreign producer is at least 50% of the total cost of making the film, as well as the origin of the funding;
14. if different types of aid are granted for the same eligible costs of the project, the applicant provides detailed information on these; Annex 8.docx  (Latvian)
15. declaration of the eligibility of the commercial company as a small (micro), medium-sized or large commercial company; Annex 10.docx  (Latvian)
16. a statement of the planned payment of value-added tax on the total amount of co-financing planned in the project application. Annex 11.docx  (Latvian)
17. estimate of eligible costs (in euros, excluding value-added tax) of the foreign film project according to the eligible cost headings; Annex 7.docx  (Latvian)
18. documents identifying the foreign film applicant for the purpose of assessing the characteristics of an enterprise in difficulty (the foreign film applicant should also be assessed at the level of its group of linked enterprises); Annex 9.docx  (Latvian)

Eligible costs

Eligible costs must meet the following criteria. They are:

• made from the date of submission of the foreign film project application to LIAA;
• spent in Latvia;
• directly linked to the implementation process of the foreign film project;
• made in the form of cash transactions.

The service provider providing the services related to the eligible costs:

• is registered in Latvia;
• the commercial activities of the foreign film project are carried out in the Republic of Latvia.

Eligible costs

The following types of costs related to the implementation of foreign film projects are eligible:

• administrative and professional staff costs;
• rental of equipment and services;
• transport services and fuel costs;
• construction services related to the implementation of a film project;
• catering services;
• security services;
• hotel and other accommodation services;
• telecommunications services;
• utilities and public services;
• purchase of goods and materials necessary for the filming process;
• sound, visual, musical, and other artistic and technological services directly related to the filming process;
• the cost of the rental or lease of the movable and immovable property necessary for the implementation of a foreign film project;
• administrative services – legal, accounting, translation, personnel recruitment;
• royalties for actors and extras who have participated in the production of the film, in accordance with the Film Law;  (Latvian)
• fee paid by the applicant for a foreign film project, up to a max. of 7% of the total eligible costs in Latvia.

Evaluation

Upon the receipt of a foreign film project application at business.gov.lv, LIAA:

1. assesses the compliance of the project applicant and the project application with the Cabinet Regulation of 11 February 2025 rules at likumi.lv  (Latvian)
2. ranks the project proposals according to the number of points obtained in the quality criteria. If the project applications have the same number of points, they are ranked, with priority being given to the project application with the highest VAT revenue to co-financing ratio;
3. takes a decision within 20 working days from the date of closure of the selection;
4. if a decision to grant aid has been taken, on the condition that it receives information from the Ministry of Economics on the allocation of state budget funds, adopts a decision on the granting of aid within 5 working days.

Procedures for evaluation and support (ZIP)  (Latvian)

Awarding the contract

The contract granting the aid must be concluded within one month from the date of the adoption of the decision granting the aid.

Contract template (to be published soon)

Advance payment request 

If the project will last for more than one year and funding is available in the current calendar year, the implementer of the foreign film project may apply for an advance payment of 30% of the co-financing planned for the following year.

The advance payment request must be submitted at business.gov.lv together with the payment request, which includes:

1. justification of the need for the advance;
2. the amount of the advance payment;
3. supporting documents regarding the need for the advance.

Payment request

If the project will last for less than one year, the payment request must be submitted at business.gov.lv within three months of the project’s completion, but by no later than 15 November of the current year. 

If the project will last for more than one year, but no longer than 15 November 2027, the aid may be paid in several instalments. In this case, the payment request must be submitted at business.gov.lv for each calendar year within three months of project completion, but by no later than 15 November of the current year.

Seminars

28.02.2025 Online seminar materials on support for major events and the filming of foreign films in Latvia. More: Materials  (Latvian)

Programme conditions

The rules of the tender are determined by Cabinet Regulation No. 99 of 11 February 2025 Procedure for Granting State Budget Co-financing for Large Significant Public Events and Foreign Films in Latvia at likumi.lv  (Latvian)

Regulation PDF  (Latvian)

Publicity requirements

The beneficiary undertakes to ensure that the Mission Latvia logo appears in the credits of the film and in all advertising and publicity material for the film. 

Mission Latvia logo:

• download available at: brandbook.liaa.gov.lv
• user guide: latvia.eu

More Information

Laws and regulations

• Cabinet Regulation No. 99 (programme regulations) – likumi.lv
• Commission Regulation No. 651/2014 (regional aid) – eur-lex.europa.eu

Useful websites 

• How to register at Business.gov.lv? business.gov.lv
• Determining the status of a small, medium-sized enterprise – liaa.gov.lv
• Lists of sanctions (database) – lursoft.lv
• Verify a tax debt or lack thereof – vid.gov.lv
• Latvian Film Producers Register – nkc.gov.lv/lv/producentu-registrs