News

The documents confirming the right to reside (eID cards or paper documents in A5 format), which are issued in Latvia till 29 March 2019 to citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereinafter – the United Kingdom) and their family members, will continue to be valid until 31 December 2020 (unless the document’s validity period is shorter).

Until 31 December 2020, citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members must apply for a new residence permit in the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA).

Citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members who have a document issued in Latvia confirming their right to reside (registration certificate, permanent residence card or residence permit) must submit an application in a free format and copy of the valid travel document. You can send your application by post, electronically (secure electronic signature is required), or submit it personally in any regional office of the OCMA.

Citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members who do not have a document issued in Latvia confirming their right to reside must personally submit the application, attaching documents that prove their employment, study or self-employment activities in Latvia for at least six months – starting from 1 October 2018.

After 29 March 2019, each citizen of the United Kingdom, who received a document  confirming the right to reside in Latvia, will be sent a letter explaining the procedure for obtaining a new document with the list of documents to be submitted to this end. This letter will be sent to the address of the declared place of residence.

Upon receipt of a new document confirming the right to reside in Latvia, citizens of the United Kingdom, who lived in Latvia until 29 March 2019, will continue to reside in Latvia in accordance with the procedure related to residing of citizens of the Member States of the European Union. The same conditions will also apply to their family members who are already residing in Latvia, or who will join citizens of the United Kingdom after 29 March 2019.

If citizens of the United Kingdom and their family members fail to submit an application for a new document confirming the right to reside in Latvia until 31 December 2020, their previously issued residence documents will be cancelled and their further stay in the Republic of Latvia will be possible in accordance with the Immigration Law.

Those citizens of the United Kingdom who will wish to enter Latvia after 31 March 2019 will be able to stay in Latvia in accordance with the Immigration Law as well.

The information is published in accordance with the provisions included in the draft bill “Law on Application of the Legal Framework after the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union”. The draft bill is supposed to be passed at the meeting of the Parliament (Saeima) on 21 March 2019.