Persons who cannot register Latvian citizenship as exiles and their descendants, but can document that the person was a Latvian citizen on 14 June 1940, or is a descendant of such a person, can acquire Latvian citizenship in accordance with case-law.
It follows from the doctrine of the continuity of the Latvian State and the principle of the continuity of citizenship contained therein that during the period of occupation of Latvia, Latvian citizenship continued to exist and to be transferred to subsequent generations provided that any of the ancestors was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940. Namely, if a person's ancestor was a citizen of Latvia on 17 June 1940, it shall be presumed that at the time of the person's birth one of the parents was a citizen of Latvia, and Latvian citizenship may be acquired in accordance with Section 2(1)(2) of the Citizenship Law.
Along with an adult, Latvian citizenship may be acquired by their children under age 15.
If an adult is a citizen of a country with which dual citizenship is not admissible (see the list of admissible countries), a document renouncing the existing citizenship will have to be submitted during the process of acquiring Latvian citizenship.
Documents required:
- Application.
The application must include your personal name in Latvian, your date of birth or personal identification number, your place of residence (preferably in block capitals) and contact details (e-mail, phone).
The application may be signed by a person aged 15 or over.
The application for a child under 15 years of age must be signed by one or both parents.
If an adult is a citizen of a country with which dual citizenship is admissible, the person must certify in the application that he or she does not hold the citizenship of the inadmissible country.
If an adult is a national of a country with which dual citizenship is not allowed, the person must certify in the application that he or she will renounce his or her current non-permissible citizenship and does not have another non-permissible citizenship.
Application form for a child aged 15 to 18
Application form for a child under 15
- Personal identification document (passport, ID card)
(when sending documents by post, ONLY A COPY of the identification document must be sent)
- Proof of birth (a birth certificate or an extract from the birth register).
- in case of marriage or divorce, a marriage certificate or divorce certificate should be provided;
- in case of a changed personal name (first name, surname), a document proving the change of a personal name should be provided (except if the change is the result of marriage or divorce);
- if there are children under 18 years of age, the child's birth certificate should be provided.
Birth, marriage and personal name change documents must be legalised in accordance with the procedure set out in the legislation and translated into Latvian (except if the document is in English, German, French or Russian and it is presented at an embassy or sent by post from abroad).
No legalisation required in Member States of the European Union, Member States of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (except its overseas territories) or the Swiss Confederation for public documents issued for use in Latvia.
- A document proving that the person or his/her ancestors belonged to the Latvian community of citizens on 17 June 1940, i.e., one of the following documents should be presented:
- a civil status registration document – a birth certificate or an extract from the birth register, a marriage certificate or an extract from the marriage register, issued by the Registry Office, address: A.Čaka iela 38, Riga, LV-1011, e-mail: dzimts.dep@tm.gov.lv, phone +371 67226222 or the relevant registry office where the civil status register is registered;
- document on 1935 Latvian census data, tax administration files, military conscription files, issued by the State Historical Archive, address: Slokas iela 16, Riga, LV-1048, phone +371 20017505, https://www.arhivi.gov.lv/en;
- A passport of a Latvian citizen issued in pre-war Latvia.
- Documents proving relationship to an ancestor who was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940.
- If the person has a legal link with a country, documentary proof that he or she is not a citizen of that country (the competent authority of the foreign country takes into account the country of birth, current residence and citizenship of relatives as a basis for determining which country he or she might be a citizen of).
The document certifying that the person is not a citizen of another country must be legalised in accordance with the procedure laid down by the laws and regulations and translated into Latvian (except if the document is in English, German, French or Russian and it is presented at an embassy or sent by post from abroad).
No legalisation required in Member States of the European Union, Member States of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (except its overseas territories) or the Swiss Confederation for public documents issued for use in Latvia. Documents issued by Russian, Moldovan, Turkish or Ukrainian consular authorities in Latvia or abroad.
Where to submit documents?
Documents must be sent by post to the Persons Status Control Division of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs at: Čiekurkalna 1. līnija 1, k-3, Riga, LV-1026, Latvia.
Copies of documents must be certified by a notary and legalised, except for a copy of an identification document. However, if the original documents are sent by post, they will be returned to the correspondence address indicated in the person's application, together with the decision.
For information on how to submit documents to a Latvian diplomatic or consular mission abroad, please contact your nearest mission or see on the website.
What is the deadline for examining the documents submitted?
The decision is taken within one month from the date of receipt of the documents at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
Where can I receive additional information?
In case of questions or uncertainties, please contact us by e-mail: pskn@pmlp.gov.lv or on weekdays by calling +371 67209400.
To check the Latvian rendering of your personal name, please contact the Latvian Language Agency: www.valoda.lv, phone +371 67225879, e-mail: konsultacija@valoda.lv
For information on legalising documents, see: