How to apply for Latvian citizenship by descent?
OVERVIEW OF THE LATVIAN CITIZENSHIP LAW
Since 1st of October 2013 the laws of the Republic of Latvia allow dual (multiple) citizenship. Upon meeting certain qualifying requirements one may apply for Latvian citizenship by descent without the need to renounce their current citizenship(s).
All prospective applicants residing abroad or in Latvia are welcome to apply for Latvian citizenship through our firm. We offer full representation at the Citizenship Office in Latvia, as well as archive research, drafting of all forms and applications, applying on behalf of the client and supervising the application procedure. In irregular and complicated cases where a recourse to the Latvian courts may be required our firm offers court representation services.
For additional information on Latvian citizenship and how to apply please refer below or, if you haven’t find an answer to your question, please get in touch with us by email info@belyaev.lv or use the contact form.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR LATVIAN CITIZENSHIP BY DESCENT
There are three main categories of applicants eligible for Latvian citizenship:
1. Category “Latvian exiles”
You may qualify for Latvian citizenship, if you or your ancestor:
- was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940, and
- left Latvia in the period from 17 June 1940 to 4 May 1990 escaping from U.S.S.R. or German occupation regime, and
- due to the reasons above did not return to Latvia for permanent residence before 4 May 1990.
Dual (multiple) citizenship under this category is allowed with any country.
2. Category “Descendant of a Latvian citizen”
You may qualify for Latvian citizenship, if you or your ancestor:
- was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940 (regardless of when you or your ancestor left Latvia).
Dual (multiple) citizenship under this category is allowed with a specific list of countries: NATO, EU, EFTA member states, and Brazil, New Zealand, Commonwealth of Australia.
3. Category “Latvians & Livs”
You may qualify for Latvian citizenship, if:
- you or at least of one of your parents or grandparents belong to the Latvian nation (i.e. is of Latvian or Liv ethnic origin), and
- you are fluent in Latvian language, and
- in 1881 or later your ancestor had been permanently living in the territory of Latvia as it existed until 17 June 1940. Dual (multiple) citizenship under this category is allowed with any country.
Dual (multiple) citizenship under this category is allowed with any country.
Latvian dual citizenship may occur in certain other cases where, for example, one is admitted to Latvian citizenship through naturalization, at birth or other. In case of doubt please feel free to get in touch with us to schedule a consultation.
HOW TO APPLY FOR LATVIAN CITIZENSHIP
Prospective applicants are welcome to apply through our firm. Our experts will render full scope of services required to obtain Latvian citizenship for you and your children. The application process will be as follows:
- We will consider your situation, review and examine the documents and advise you on the eligibility status;
- We will locate and retrieve on your behalf all Latvian archive documents confirming your eligibility, if said documents were lost or missing for other reasons;
- We will prepare all necessary forms and applications and advise on other requirements for document legalization or Apostille;
- We will apply on your behalf to the Office of Citizenship directly in Latvia and supervise the application process from start to end, ensuring favorable consideration of your application.
PROCESSING TIMES OF LATVIAN CITIZENSHIP APPLICATIONS
The
process consists of two stages:
- Preparatory stage normally takes 1-2 months and will be used to retrieve any missing documents from Latvian archive institutions, to legalize the documents, prepare necessary forms and applications, etc.
- Application processing stage – statutory term of consideration by the authorities is 4-12 months (depending on the category under which one applies). However, the decision by the authorities is usually taken much faster.
Note: Previous experience shows that in less complicated cases whole procedure may take up to 2-2,5 months, but will mainly depend on the workload of the Citizenship Office of Latvia.
COSTS INVOLVED WITH APPLYING FOR LATVIAN CITIZENSHIP
We will charge a fixed fee in matters related to obtaining Latvian citizenship. The amount of the fee will depend on the scope and amount of the work to be performed, number of family members wishing to apply for Latvian citizenship and other peculiarities of each individual case. Therefore, in order to evaluate our fees we will normally perform the initial assessment of your situation.
Other costs related to registration of Latvian citizenship are fees charged by Latvian institutions for issue of archive statements or copies of documents, notary fees, document legalization/authentication, postal expenses, etc. Said expenses will vary depending on the individual circumstances of your case.
ADDITIONAL INFO, Q&A
Visit: Frequently Asked QuestionsFor frequently asked questions about Latvian Citizenship please visit Q&A section.
To submit your questions or inquire about our services and fees please contact us by email or use the form below.
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