Published: 06.10.2020.

The following persons may be admitted to citizenship of Latvia under a naturalisation procedure:

  • Who have reached the age of 15;
  • Whose permanent place of residence, as at the day of submitting an application for naturalisation, has been in Latvia for not less than the last five years, of which an interruption of one year in total is permitted, but which cannot be during the last year before the day of submitting the application for naturalisation (for a citizen of another country or a stateless person the five-year period is counted from the day of receipt of a permanent residence permit or a permanent residence certificate);
  • Who are fluent in the Latvian language, know the basic principles of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, the text of the National Anthem, and the basics of the history and culture of Latvia;
  • Who have a legal source of income;
  • Who have submitted a notice regarding the renunciation of their former citizenship and received an expatriation permit from the country of their former citizenship, if such permit is provided for by the laws of that country, or have received a document certifying the loss of citizenship, but a non-citizen or a stateless person – a certification that person does not have citizenship of another country. These requirements do not apply to persons who have received refugee status in Latvia.

! Children under the age of 15 permanently residing in Latvia may also become naturalised together with their parents.

The following persons may not beadmitted to citizenship of Latvia under a naturalisation procedure:

  • Who by their behaviour or activities cause threats to the security of the State of Latvia and society, the democratic constitutional order of the State, the independence and territorial immunity of the State;
  • Who have acted against the independence of the Republic of Latvia, the democratic parliamentary structure of the State or the existing State power in Latvia;
  • Who, after 4 May 1990, have propagated fascist, chauvinistic, national-socialist, communist or other totalitarian ideas or incited ethnic or racial hatred or discord;
  • Who are related to terrorism or involved in an anti-state or criminal organisation;
  • Who are related to money laundering;
  • Who are serving in the armed forces or military organisation of another country without a permit of the Cabinet;
  • Who, after 17 June 1940, have chosen the Republic of Latvia as their place of residence directly after demobilisation from the armed forces of the U.S.S.R. (Russia) or the internal military forces of the U.S.S.R. (Russia), and had not, on the day of conscription into service or enlistment, permanently resided in Latvia;
  • Who have been staff employees of the security service, intelligence service or counter-intelligence service of the U.S.S.R. or Latvian S.S.R., except persons who have only been employees of the Planning and Finance or Administrative-Maintenance Division of the State Security Committee of the former U.S.S.R. or the Latvian S.S.R;
  • Who have been convicted in Latvia or any other country of committing such a criminal offence that is also qualified as a criminal offence in Latvia during the examination of an application for naturalisation. This condition does not apply to persons who have been convicted of committing a criminal offence in a foreign country, if it has been recognised under a procedure established by the Cabinet that in respect of such persons, a judgment of conviction has been taken breaching the principle of fair trial or of proportionality of the punishment;
  • Who, after 13 January 1991, have worked against the Republic of Latvia in the C.P.S.U. [Communist Party of the Soviet Union] (L.C.P. [Latvian Communist Party]), the Working People’s International Front of the Latvian S.S.R., the United Council of Labour Collectives, the Organisation of War and Labour Veterans, the All-Latvia Salvation of Society Committee or its regional committees, or the Union of Communists of Latvia;
  • Who have not fulfilled tax obligations or obligations of other payments against the State of Latvia.

The naturalisation procedure is regulated by Cabinet Regulation No. 1001 of 24th September 2013 Procedure for Submission and Examination of Application for Naturalisation

Necessary documents:

1. application for naturalisation;

2. personal identification document (sending documents by post, it is necessary to send ONLY THE COPY of a personal identification document);

3. document regarding a legal source of income of the person or person’s supporter (statement from an employer or statement from the bank certifying positive account balance);

4. one photograph (3 x 4 cm);

5. certification of the person’s permanent place of residence in Latvia (last 5 years), including one or a number of the following documents:

- statement from an employer regarding employment;

- document about receipt of a benefit;

- statement from an educational establishment;

- certification from a municipal official confirming that the person is residing in the administrative area of the relevant municipality;

- documents confirming that the person has been conducting economic or financial activities in the area of Latvia during the specific period of time.

6. if the person is a citizen of another country, non-conviction certificate issued  and signed by competent authority of the citizenship state must be submitted (legalised and translated to Latvian language, issued not earlier than 6 months before the application for naturalisation been submitted), or statement certifying the impossibility to receive such certificate;

Information about document legalisation available:

http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/consular-information/document-legalisation

7. If the child under the age of 15 being naturalised together with one of the parents additional application for the naturalisation of a child and statement certifying child’s permanent residence in Latvia should be submitted.

8. Document regarding payment of the State fee for naturalisation – 28.46 euro

or 4,27 euro for:

  • members of poor families or poor persons living separately;
  • unemployed who have registered with the State Employment Agency;
  • members of families with three and more minors;
  • persons receiving old-age and service pensions;
  • people with a disability of group II and III;
  • students of general and vocational educational establishments certified by the State;
    • full-time students of higher educational establishments certified by the State.

The amount of the State fee is specified by Cabinet Regulation No. 849 of 17th September 2013 Regulations Regarding the State Fee for Submission of an Application for Naturalisation

! Victims of political repression, persons with a disability of group I, orphans, children without parental care, and persons admitted to public and municipal social care institutions are exempted from the State fee.

State fee can be paid at any regional division of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (using bank card) or at any bank or post office.

State fee should be transferred to:

Bank details:
Beneficiary: THE TREASURY, TRELLV22
Registration No. 90000050138
Account No.: LV19TREL1060140919600
Purpose of payment: State fee for submission of an application for naturalisation

After submission of the application for naturalisation and necessary documents person should:

1) pass the test on fluency in the Latvian language, and the test on knowledge of the basic principles of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, the text of the National Anthem, and the basics of the history and culture of Latvia (or submit a document confirming the right to be exempted from some of the tests);

2) submit a notice regarding the renunciation of former citizenship, if applicable, or receive an expatriation permit from the country of former citizenship, if such permit is provided for by the laws of that country, or a document certifying the loss of citizenship (legalised and translated to Latvian language). If a citizen of a Member State of the European Union, a Member State of the European Free Trade Association, a Member State of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Federative Republic of Brazil, New Zealand or a citizen of a country with which the Republic of Latvia has entered into an agreement regarding the recognition of dual citizenship is admitted to citizenship of Latvia, person is entitled to retain citizenship of the relevant country.

Information about document legalisation available:

http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/consular-information/document-legalisation

3) sign a pledge of loyalty to the Republic of Latvia.

A procedure for giving the pledge has been established by Cabinet Regulation No. 1315 of 12th November 2013 Procedure for the Solemn Ceremony of Giving and Signing the Pledge of Loyalty to the Republic of Latvia

NB!

After the issue of the order of the Cabinet person will receive a notification regarding the information on the admission to Latvian citizenship.

After acquiring citizenship of Latvia the former passport becomes invalid! It is not allowed to cross the border of Latvia presenting this document!

Where to submit documents?

Documents can currently be submitted to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs only remotely:

1) by post to the nearest territorial division of the Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs. When sending documents by post, copies of documents must be notarised and legalised, with the exception of a copy of the identity document;

2) by means of a secure electronic signature, by sending to e-mail pskn@pmlp.gov.lv, a certified copy of the original of documents signed with a secure electronic signature (a copy of personal identification documents shall not be required to be certified);

3) by using the e-service portal “Application to the Authority” in the https://www.latvija.lv/lv/Epakalpojumi/EP155/Apraksts, section, adding certified copies of documents signed with a secure electronic signature (a copy of personal identification documents does not need to be certified).

At the same time, if it is necessary to verify the legal strength of the original document or the accuracy of the derivative of the document, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs may at any time request that the original document be produced.

Where to receive additional information?

E-mail: pskn@pmlp.gov.lv or np@pmlp.gov.lv, phone: +371 67209400