Repatriation

Who is a repatriate?

Repatriate is a person, who is a citizen of the Republic of Latvia or whose one of the relatives in the direct ascending line is Latvian or Liv and who is voluntary moving for a permanent life to the Republic of Latvia.

The following family members shall be entitled to immigrate to Latvia together with a repatriate: a spouse of the repatriate, children of the repatriate or his or her spouse, persons being under the custody or guardianship and parents, who have attained the age of pension set by regulatory enactments of Latvia or being maintained by the repatriate and who has had a common household with the repatriate in the previous country of residence for at least a year prior to requesting for a status of a repatriate.

Prior to making a decision regarding moving for a permanent life to Latvia, we recommend to become acquainted with further information on the process of repatriation, as well as your rights and obligations.

What services does the Migration Division of the OCMA provide?

• reviews documents, makes a decision regarding granting a status of a repatriate and granting a permanent residence permit to repatriates and their family members (citizens of other countries);
• provides general information on the social rights and guarantees of repatriates;
• reviews submissions of repatriates regarding providing material and other support.

Migration Division shall not settle the issues of citizenship, your health care, social insurance, and issues being under the competency of municipal and other public authorities, but shall cooperate with such authorities, facilitating your adaptation and integration until you reach the territory of a certain municipality.

What documents are necessary? 

A foreigner, who is willing to obtain the status of the family member of the repatriate, shall submit documents, certifying marriage, kinship, custody or guardianship in addition accordingly, as well as document certifying existence of the common household.

If a child of minor age is travelling together with you, a permit of the parent, who is not travelling together with the child, to stay in the Republic of Latvia shall be submitted in addition, which shall be notarially certified or signed in the presence of the official of administration or representation office.

When receiving a residence permit, you shall submit a statement issued by the medical treatment institution of Latvia that you are not suffering from tuberculosis in active phase.

Documents issued abroad shall be legalized, unless the international agreements provide for other procedure. When submitting notarially certified copies of documents, the original documents shall be presented.

Procedure for certification of authenticity of documents (legalization)

What are your rights, when moving for a permanent life to Latvia?

If you have emigrated from Latvia until 4 May 1990, you shall be entitled for a material support.

The State shall guarantee:

• covering of travelling costs, if you submit documents within a year after the issue thereof (up to the amount of EUR 711.44 per person);
• monthly allowance in the amount of 90% from the minimum salary in the case of unemployment. In order to receive it, you shall submit an application to the Office within a time period of one year after moving for permanent life to Latvia and shall be registered in the Employment State Agency as an unemployed person. Allowance will be paid each month for a time period up to six month, as long as you are an unemployed person.

What are your duties, when moving for a permanent life to Latvia?

• to accurately, in accordance with legal acts, submit documents;
• if you have received a permanent residence permit and stay abroad for longer than 12 months during the calendar year without interruption, you shall inform the Office in writing and shall submit documents substantiating your absence.

Where to submit documents?

Documents can be submitted

• while in Latvia:

1. Submit electronically, confirming each document with a secure electronic signature, or
2. Send by post in an ordinary, unregistered item, indicating in the application documents his or her e-mail address and telephone number for communication.

• being outside Latvia, documents may be submitted to the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia abroad.

More detailed information is available in this section.