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Registration of Citizenship

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The following persons can register the status of a citizen of Latvia:

1. persons who were citizens of Latvia on June 17, 1940, and their descendants who have registered in the Residents' Register Office in accordance with the procedures as prescribed by law, except persons who have acquired the citizenship (nationality) of another state after May 4, 1990;

2. Latvians and Livonians whose permanent place of residence is in Latvia and who have registered in the Residents' Register Office in accordance with the procedures as prescribed by law and who do not have citizenship (nationality) of another state, or who have received an expatriation permit from the state of their former citizenship (nationality), if such a permit is provided for by the laws of that state;

3. persons whose permanent place of residence is in Latvia, who have registered in the Population register in accordance with the procedures as prescribed by law, and who have done a full educational course in general education schools with the Latvian language as a language of instruction, or have done a full educational course in general education schools with the Latvian language as a language of instruction and the Russian language as a language of instruction but in the Latvian language, thereby acquiring a basic primary or a general secondary education if these persons do not have the citizenship (nationality) of another state, or if they have received an expatriation permit from the state of their former citizenship (nationality), if such permit is provided for by the laws of that state. Their minor children up to the age of fifteen who permanently reside in Latvia shall also acquire citizenship at the same time as these persons;

4. women, whose permanent place of residence is in Latvia and who had lost their citizenship (nationality) of Latvia in accordance with the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Latvia (August 23, 1919) and their descendants, if these persons have registered in the Residents' Register Office in accordance with the procedures as prescribed by law, except for persons who have acquired the citizenship (nationality) of another state after May 4,1990.

In order to register the status of a citizen of Latvia applicants must submit the following notarized copies of documents or copies of documents witnessed by any regional branch of the OCMA.

The persons mentioned in paragraph 1:

• a passport of a citizen of Latvia (issued till June 17, 1940);
• a birth certificate (issued till June 17, 1940) in which belonging of a parent or parents to the citizenship of Latvia have been indicated;
• a certificate from the archives or a registry office;
• a court decision on stating the fact on a person' s belonging to the citizenship of Latvia;
  another document directly indicating a person' s belonging to the citizenship of Latvia on June 17, 1940.

The persons mentioned in paragraph 2:

• a passport with an entry as to nationality (ethnic origin) "A Latvian" or " A Livonian" or a permission to change an entry as to nationality (ethnic origin) to "A Latvian" or " A Livonian";
• a birth certificate or another document in which a parent has been indicated as a Latvian or a Livonian if a person hands in a passport, which has been issued till August 21, 1991 or a passport in which no information as to nationality ( ethnic origin) is given;

The persons mentioned in paragraph 3:

• a certificate issued by an educational establishment of the archives as to having done a full educational course in primary or general education schools with the Latvian language as a language of instruction.

The persons mentioned in paragraph 4:

• a passport of a citizen of Latvia (issued till June 17, 1940);
• a birth certificate (issued till June 17, 1940) in which belonging of a parent or parents to the citizenship of Latvia have been indicated;
• a certificate from the archives or a registry office;
• a court decision on stating the fact on a person' s belonging to the citizenship of Latvia;
  another document directly indicating a person' s belonging to the citizenship of Latvia on June 17, 1940;
• a document attesting a person' s marriage with an alien due to which a person lost the citizenship of Latvia.