On Tuesday, 12 October, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to the regulation on the State fee regarding issue of personal identity documents and regarding personal identity documents in order to facilitate inclusion of foreigners in the digital environment of Latvia and facilitate development of economics, science, education and culture in Latvia, offering the electronic identification means for foreigners - foreigner’s eID card.
Foreigner’s eID is a personal identity document that will confirm the identity of its holder and will facilitate economic activity of foreigners in Latvia.
When applying in advance for receipt of a service, it will be possible to receive the foreigner’s eID card at all customer service units of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia. Preparation, production and issue thereof in Latvia will cost 80 euro. Arrangement of the foreigner’s eID card is planned also in the diplomatic and consular representative offices of the Republic of Latvia abroad, but you have to allow for payments for receipt of consular services.
The electronic identification tools integrated into the foreigner’s eID card will provide a possibility for a foreigner to fully operate in the electronic environment: to use the state e-services, to use e-address, in order to ensure communication with state authorities, electronically identify and sign documents, thus using the wide range of services provided by the state in general. That will enable to conveniently and rapidly confirm your identity in the authorities and companies in Latvia. The advantage for both, foreigners as well as the institution servicing them, will be the facilitated examination of the identity of the person during provision of services.
It will be possible to receive a foreigner’s eID card by any foreigner who has legal relationship with Latvia on the basis of which mutual rights and obligations are forming or have been established in the field of immovable property, commercial activity, health, taxation, benefits, asylum, and education; Besides, it will be possible to receive it by a foreigner, who wishes to facilitate development of economics, science, education or culture relations, and the foreigner, who wishes to receive the state management services in Latvia electronically or a foreigner, who is an asylum seeker in Latvia.
It is provided that the persons, who stay in Latvia with a residence permit (for example, the legal basis of the stay - immovable property), upon expiry of the above-mentioned rights, will be able to express the wish to receive a foreigner’s personal identity card in order to thus continue to maintain the link with the Latvian state and other institutions in e-environment, without staying in Latvia.
It will be possible to acquire the foreigner’s personal identity card, when the foreigner registers in the Register of Natural Persons, receiving the Latvian personal identity number and applying for arrangement of the eID card, thus receiving the electronic identification tool.
Unlike other types of personal identity cards, the foreigners eID card will not be a mandatory personal identification documents, and its receipt is a free choice of the person. Besides, the foreigner’s eID card will not be a travel document and will not confirm the right of stay of a person in Latvia. It is planned that the foreigner’s personal identity card will be valid for five years.
For more detailed information: Personnel Management and Public Relations Department of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, e-mail: prese@pmlp.gov.lv, tel. 67219185.