The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs accepts and examines documents issued abroad, if they are translated into Latvian.
The translation of documents may be carried out by any individual who is fluent in Latvian. The translated document shall bear the following information: written confirmation that the translation is correct, name, surname, personal identity number and signature of the person who carried out the translation, place and date.
You can also use the services of a certified interpreter to translate documents.
In order to request Latvian citizenship you need to select one of the categories, which justifies your eligibility for citizenship:
- I. Latvian exiles and their descendants
- II. Child born abroad if one or both parents are Latvian citizens at the time the birth of the of child
- III. You are an ethnic Latvian or Liv
- IV. Other cases
I. Exiles (those who were forced to leave Latvia between June 17, 1940 and May 4, 1990 due to foreign occupation) and their descendants who were born by October 1, 2014
Latvian citizenship can be requested by those who were citizens of Latvia on June 17, 1940 and who fled occupation and left Latvia between June 17, 1940 and May 4, 1990, and for this reason did not return to Latvia, as well as their descendants, who are born by October 1, 2014.
List of documents which must be submitted to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia by mail (address: Ciekurkalna 1. linija 1, k-3, Riga, LV-1026, Latvia).
1. Application letter with a request to grant you Latvian citizenship. Fill out in the Latvian language as required by Official Language Law! In case of uncertainty as to the spelling of a person's name in the Latvian language, please contact the Latvian Language Agency (www.valoda.lv by telephone +371 67225879 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). If the applicant is under the age of 15, the parents need to fill out the form on behalf of a child;
→Application
→Application on behalf of a child under the age if 15
2. Written statement that the person fled Latvia to escape the occupation. Fill out in Latvian language as required by Official Language Law! If the applicant is under the age of 15, the parents need to fill out a written statement on behalf of a child;
3. Identification document - copy of passport (data page only);
4. Birth certificate - original (for those born in the U.S. the birth certificate must be certified with an Apostille authentication from the Office of the Secretary of State in which the document was issued);
5. Marriage certificate or divorce decree - original (U.S. issued documents must have an Apostille authentication from the Office of the Secretary of State in which the document was issued);
6. Birth certificates of children - original (for those born in the U.S. the birth certificate must have an Apostille authentication from the Office of the Secretary of State in which the document was issued);
7. Documents that support your eligibility for citizenship:
• The exile’s passport from Latvia’s first period of independence;
• Birth certificate (issued in Latvia) or an excerpt from the birth register; the marriage certificate (issued in Latvia) or an excerpt from the marriage registers. The aforementioned documents are issued by the Civil Registry of the Republic of Latvia (address: A.Čaka iela 38, Rīga, LV-1011, Latvia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., phone number: +371 67226222). You can also request the abovementioned documents (for the last 100 years) through the Embassy of Latvia by filling out “Application form for Requesting documents”. Descendants of exiles must provide documents confirming their relationship to the exile. If you are interested in older family documents, you should contact the National State Archives (telephone: +371 67226532; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; webpage: https://www.arhivi.gov.lv/).
If the original documents are sent to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia by mail, they will be returned to the address indicated together with the decision taken.
If the copies of documents (except for a copy of an identity document) are sent by mail, they must be notarized by Public Notary and notarization must be certified with an Apostille authentication from the Office of the Secretary of State in which the document was issued.
A decision on granting citizenship, updating data in the Population Register and assigning an identity number or refusal to grant citizenship is taken within four months from the day the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs receives all the necessary documents. In case all necessary documents have not been submitted in their entirety, the process of granting citizenship can be extended.
More information: Latvian exiles and their descendants | Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvalde (pmlp.gov.lv)
II. Child born abroad if one or both parents are Latvian citizens at the time the birth of the of child.
Documents must be submitted to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia by mail (address: Ciekurkalna 1. linija 1, k-3, Riga, LV-1026, Latvia)
More detailed information on submitting documents can be found here.
A decision on granting citizenship, updating data in the Population Register and assigning an identity number or refusal to grant citizenship is taken within one month from the day the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs receives all the necessary documents. In the case of all necessary documents not being submitted in their entirety, the process of granting citizenship can be extended.
III. You are an ethnic Latvian or Liv
Documents must be submitted to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia by mail (address: Ciekurkalna 1. linija 1, k-3, Riga, LV-1026, Latvia)
More detailed information on submitting documents can be found here.
A decision on granting citizenship, updating data in the Population Register and assigning an identity number or refusal to grant citizenship is taken within one year from the day the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs receives all the necessary documents. In the case of all necessary documents not being submitted in their entirety, the process of granting citizenship can be extended.
IV. Other cases
Information on other cases: Acquiring Latvian citizenship
Dual citizenship is allowed for those who are citizens of the member states of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or if you are a citizen of Australia, Brazil or New Zealand (children are eligible for dual citizenship with any country, but at the age 25 will have to make a choice). Please contact and submit documents by post to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
In case of questions please contact the Consular Division of the Embassy by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone for consultations: +1 (202) 328-2884 (from Monday until Friday from 10:00am until 12:00 noon and from 2:00 pm until 4:00pm Eastern time).
* 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”.