According to the Citizenship Law (Pilsonības likums), a person is considered a citizen of the Republic of Latvia if, at the time of their birth, at least one parent was a citizen of the Republic of Latvia (hereinafter – LR).

I What is Required to Apply?

If a person holds foreign citizenship but can provide evidence that their parent(s) were Latvian citizens, they may submit an application and supporting documents to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (hereinafter – the Office).

Acceptable evidence includes:

• Birth certificate of the applicant
• Birth certificates or registry extracts of the applicant’s parents, indicating their Latvian citizenship

If such documents are missing or do not meet requirements (e.g., issued only in Russian), a duplicate may be requested from the Civil Registry Office (ZAGS). In addition to birth certificates, the applicant must also submit a marriage certificate (if married). If the marriage was registered abroad, a certified copy of the certificate is required. If the marriage was registered outside the EU, the certificate must bear an apostille.

Documents in Russian, English, German, or French do not need to be translated into Latvian.

When submitting the citizenship application, the applicant must also provide confirmation that their existing citizenship does not prevent acquiring Latvian citizenship.

This applies if the applicant is a citizen of:

• A European Union (EU) member state
• A member of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland)
• A NATO member state
• Australia, Brazil, or New Zealand

In such cases, dual citizenship with Latvia is allowed.

The same right applies to individuals who obtained their current citizenship automatically (ex lege) through marriage or adoption.

Children under the age of 18 may hold dual citizenship with any other country.
If an adult applicant does not fall under the above exceptions, they must renounce their current citizenship upon acquiring Latvian citizenship.

II Where to Submit the Documents?

The application and required documents may be submitted:

• Directly to the Office in Latvia, or
• To the Latvian embassy in the applicant’s country of residence

When applying through an embassy, processing may take longer as the documents must be forwarded to the Office in Riga. Applications are generally reviewed within 1 month. If additional documents or clarifications are required, the processing time may be extended to up to 4 months. If the decision is positive, the applicant will receive a personal identification code, and must then make an appointment with the Office or embassy to receive their passport.

Taking into account the time needed to request and obtain documents from civil registries, submit and legalize them (including apostilles, if applicable), and the forwarding of documents abroad, the overall process may take up to 6 months.

Contact Information
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