Visa for Latvia

Q: I am a 24 year-old from Durban planning to visit a friend in Riga, Latvia in June and I am not sure about obtaining a Latvian visa. I have an SA passport. I have searched all over the net and have been emailing someone who is supposed to be at the Latvian embassy in Johannesburg, but have had no reply. I hope you can help me. - Thula G

A: I recommend that you hand your problem over to one of the professional visa services, who will know how to get a visa for Latvia and organise it for you. One such service is The Visa Shop, which is in Fourways, Sandton. Contact them on telelphone (011) 341-0837 or email visashop@worldspan.co.za. Another service, based in Bruma, Johannesburg, is Visas International (www.visasinternational.co.za) on tel: (011) 615 1841 or email: visas@netactive.co.za. The company has a Durban office in Overport on Tel: (031) 209 4297 or email: visasdbn.co.za.