Explaining requirements and procedure how to acquire Latvia citizenship by descent. Latvia can have dual-citizenship with multiple countries in the world. Find out the requirements to apply for citizenship in Latvia.
Citizenship by descent in Latvia
There are various possibilities to acquire a citizenship in Latvia which is a member state of the European Union. Besides the opportunity to live in a beautiful and affordable country, obtaining Latvian citizenship also allows you to travel visa-free to other EU countries and have access to social security services.
In this article, EU LAW FIRM citizenship lawyers in Latvia will explain the requirements and procedure to apply for citizenship by descent in Latvia.
You can get Latvian Citizenship by Descent if:
1. You are born abroad and one or both of your parents are Latvian citizens at the time of your birth
A child can be a citizen of Latvia regardless of his or her country of birth. The main condition is that one of the parents must be a Latvian citizen. If at the time of the child's birth one of the parents is a Latvian citizen, but the other parent is a German citizen and the child is born in Germany, parents can decide to register him or her as a Latvian citizen. According to Latvian law, if parents can’t decide on children citizenship, a child may also be granted dual citizenship as a Latvian and German citizen.
To get Latvian citizenship you must submit application and personal identification documents to an OCMA division. 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.
2. You are a Latvian exiles or their descendants
Latvian exiles are persons who:
· were citizens of Latvia on 17 June 1940 (or are descendent of a citizen of Latvia)
· fled from Latvia the USSR or German occupation regime or were deported during the period from 17 June 1940 to 4 May 1990
· due to the reasons have not been able to return to Latvia as permanent residents until 4 May 1990
Latvian exile descendants born before 1 October 2014 may concurrently acquire citizenship of Latvia. In case of registration of Latvian citizenship, they can retain their current citizenship.
To get Latvian citizenship you must submit application and personal identification documents to an OCMA division. You will also have to provide documents confirming that you or your ancestor left Latvia during the period from 17 June 1940 to 4 May 1990 fleeing from the USSR or German occupation regime or was deported and therefore has not been able to return to Latvia as a permanent resident until 4 May 1990.
If you can provide all of the documents mentioned above, you are eligible for Latvian citizenship. 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.
3. You are an ethnic Latvia or Liv
You are eligible for Latvian citizenship as an ethnic Latvian and Liv if you:
· have an ancestor which in 1881 or later until 17 June 1940 lived in the territory of Latvia
· belong to the constituent nation (Latvians) or autochthon population (Livs)
· have fluency in the Latvian language
To get Latvian citizenship you must provide personal identification documents and a document regarding place of residence of his or her ancestors in the territory of Latvia from 1881 to 17 June 1940. You will also have to take a test in the fluency in the Latvian language.
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.
4. You are a descendant of a Latvian Citizen
Descendants of Latvian citizens are persons whose one of the parents is a citizen of Latvia at the moment of their birth or persons who were citizens of Latvia on 17 June 1940 or their descendants and who are not citizens of another country and who had the right to register as citizens of Latvia until 1 October 2013.
To get Latvian citizenship you must submit application and personal identification documents to an OCMA division. If you are a citizen of another country and dual citizenship can’t be issued then you will also have to submit documents that state that you have lost the relevant citizenship. If you are a person who was a citizen of Latvia on 17 June 1940 or a descendant of such citizen you will also have to provide civil status registration documents and documents relating to the 1935 census and the pre-war Latvian citizen's passport.
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.
Latvia Dual Citizenship
For the most part, individuals have the right to enter only one citizenship in their passport, which means that they will have to get rid of the previous one before acquiring new citizenship. In some cases, however, a person has the possibility to retain his or her previous citizenship, as well as to additionally acquire Latvian citizenship and this is called dual citizenship.
It is possible to enter dual citizenship in the passport for children whose, at the time of birth, one parent was a citizen of Latvia, and the other a citizen of another country. Such a possibility exists even if the child was not born in Latvia. A person can retain dual citizenship until the age of 25, however, there is a possibility that a person retains both citizenships even after this age threshold.
Dual citizenship of Latvia may be retained for persons who have acquired:
· Citizenship of another EU Member State or another EFTA Member State such as Austria, Iceland, Portugal, Switzerland
· Citizenship of another NATO Member State such as United Kingdom, Albania, Turkey
· Citizenship of Australia, Brazil or New Zealand
· Citizenship of such a country with which Latvia has concluded an agreement on the recognition of dual citizenship. No such agreement is currently concluded but work on the conclusion of a dual citizenship agreement with Israel has been ongoing since 2021 and is still relevant
· Citizenship of a country not referred to previously if due to important national interests permission from the Cabinet is received to retain dual citizenship
· Citizenship of a country not referred to previously if it has been acquired automatically (ex lege) through marriage or as a result of adoption
There is an exception when a person can retain dual citizenship with any country after turning 25. Persons registering citizenship of Latvia as Latvians or Livs, or exiles can register for Latvian citizenship after the age of 25.
Latvia has multiple dual-agreements in discussion with countries such as Israel, to allow citizens to have dual-citizenship regardless of the person's age.
Furthermore, because of the current situation in the world, it would be a good opportunity for Israeli citizens with Latvian heritage to apply for a citizenship and possibly to request an exception and retain their citizenship, and in addition to get Latvian citizenship.
In case you would like to apply for citizenship by descent in Latvia, don't hesitate to contact EU LAW FIRM citizenship lawyers in Latvia, and we would be glad to evaluate your chances to apply for citizenship in Latvia and to acquire your citizenship in Latvia by descent.
Our law firm can also help to acquire documents from local archives to search for Latvia citizenship by descent documents, acquire document translations, apostilles and all other required documentation to apply for Latvia citizenship.
Don't hesitate to contact us via info@eulawfirm.eu, call +37126742086. Our office is located in Eksporta iela 12, Riga, Latvia.
