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).
- 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: konsultacija@valoda.lv). If the applicant is under the age of 15, the parents need to fill out the form on behalf of a child;
- 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;
- Identification document - copy of passport (data page only);
- 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);
- 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);
- 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);
- 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: dzimts.dep@tm.gov.lv, 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: LNA@arhivi.gov.lv; 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)
