The Baltic Sea coast of Northern Europe is where Latvia is located. Visitors come from all over the world to Latvia because of its wonderful local cuisine, rich history, and breathtaking fusion of art nouveau and medieval buildings. Although Russian is also widely spoken by most of the population, Latvian is the official language.
The largest and most cosmopolitan city in Latvia is Riga. Furthermore, it serves as the nation’s political, economic, and cultural hub. Today, Riga is home to about one-third of the nation’s residents who also work there.
A Latvian passport serves as a person’s identity card and grants them the same rights as other EU citizens to establish a life on European soil. When traveling to more than 175 countries without a visa, state residents use a foreign passport. They also use an ID card for other purposes within the EU, such as applying for a bank loan or receiving medical care in European hospitals.
Obtaining a Latvian passport
The opportunity for foreign applicants to register their citizenship status is allowed by Latvian immigration law. The time required to review papers and reach a judgment varies depending on the grounds; it might be as little as 4 months or 10 years. The Latvian Citizenship Law outlines the prerequisites for acquiring a passport. Repatriation and naturalization are the two methods that are used most frequently to register a person as a citizen of Latvia.
Naturalization procedure
The usual naturalization process, which necessitates lengthy legal residency in the nation for five years with a resident permit and five years with permanent residence, likewise governs the issuance of Latvian passports. The applicant has the right to apply for citizenship if they have stayed in the country for the required amount of time. To receive the status of Latvian citizen and receive a passport, the applicant must complete the national language proficiency test and renounce their prior citizenship.
Repatriation procedure
The fastest route to obtaining Latvian citizenship is available to residents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other CIS nations. Under Latvian law, a person can preserve their current citizenship and become a citizen in just 4–12 months. The present repatriation program, which allows for the return of Latvian citizens who have been residing abroad, provides for accelerated passport issuance conditions.
The presence of a close family is the prerequisite for going through the citizenship restoration process for people who:
- had Latvian citizenship until June 17, 1940
- fled the USSR or Germany’s occupation regime between June 17, 1940, and May 4, 1990
- is a citizen of Latvia
- resided in the nation between 1881 and 1940
Reasons for relocating to Latvia as a permanent resident include
- married with a country’s citizen
- getting an education
- employment
- starting a business or investment
Citizenship certificate
A certificate of citizenship, which allows the right to issue a passport and other internal documents of an EU citizen, is awarded upon passing any of the steps. A Latvian ID card is adequate for personal identification inside the EU; however, outside the EU, a passport is needed. The process of granting citizenship to Latvians is handled by the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Affairs. Those who have applied and are older than 15 years old have the option to submit papers. Young children can also apply for passports if they need to go on a trip.
Advantages of Latvian passport
- Residence rights within the European Union
- University education in Europe
- Traveling without a visa throughout the world
- High-quality healthcare
- Employment that is legal in EU nations
- Use of all European banks’ services
