Acquisition of Latvian citizenship
Depending on the reasons, there are several procedures for acquiring Latvian citizenship.
Please study the list of documents to be submitted by choosing your reason and clicking the relevant link below (primary source is the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, i.e. OCMA):
- child born abroad if one or both parents are Latvian citizens at the time the birth of the of child (decision term is 1 month);
- descendants of Latvian citizens (decision term is 1 month);
- Latvian exiles and their descendants (decision term is 4 months);
- other less common reasons.
The application and supporting documents should be submitted electronically or in paper form:
- directly to the Persons Status Control Division of the OCMA, by sending e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (signed with electronic signature. Latvian eID card is necessary), or in paper form by mail to the OCMA’s address Čiekurkalna 1. līnija 1, k-3, Riga, LV-1026, Latvia (free of charge)
or
- to the Embassy of Latvia in Canada, by sending to e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (signed with electronic signature) or in paper form by mail to the Embassy's address in Ottawa. The Embassy charges consular fee of 50 EUR for the processing and forwarding of documents to the OCMA. Upon request, additional postal fee of 20 EUR for returning of supporting documents originals to the sender's address will apply.
NB!
- Documents issued in Canada (birth or marriage certificates) should be certified with an Apostille.
- If a person does not want to send documents originals by mail, it is allowed to send notarized copies.
- In the application for Latvian citizenship personal name should be written in Latvian language. If necessary, you should consult with the Latvian Language Agency about the correct rendering of a person's name and surname in Latvian by writing to the e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or using the platform Rendering of personal names in Latvian created by the Latvian Language Agency.
- All supporting non-Latvian documents (except passport copies) should be translated into Latvian*.
*Translation may be notarially certified or it can be made by the submitter him/herself or any other person, who is capable to translate into Latvian. When certifying the correctness of the translation of the document, a translator (i.e. any person, who translates) shall prepare a notice of certification in Latvian language on the last page of each translation:
1. the words “TRANSLATION IS CORRECT” (in Latvian - "TULKOJUMS PAREIZS") written in capital letters;
2. name, surname and personal identity number (if applicable) of the translator;
3. signature of the translator;
4. name of the place of certification;
5. date of the certification.
The translator is responsible for the damage caused by the incorrect translation of the document in accordance with the procedure established by law.
Renunciation of Latvian citizenship or non-citizen status
Please study the list of documents to be submitted by choosing your reason and clicking the relevant link below (primary source is the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, i.e. OCMA):
- renunciation of Latvian citizenship when obtaining other country’s citizenship (decision term is 1 month);
- renunciation of the non-citizen status (decision term is 1 month).
* The legal basis for the processing of personal data (given name, surname, personal identity number and other personal data indicated in the application) is Article 6(1)(c) of the General Data Protection Regulation. The legal obligation of diplomatic and consular missions of Latvia abroad is to process personal data in accordance with Cabinet Regulation No. 974 of 24 September 2013 “Procedures by which a Person shall be Registered as a Citizen of Latvia”.