May 14, 2019 | News
If you have Latvian ancestry, it might be possible for you to obtain Latvian dual citizenship and passport. Besides connecting to one’s heritage, Latvian passport holders can also benefit in multiple practical ways from their new citizenship.
Why Should I Get a Latvian Dual Passport?
For sure, having a Latvian passport allows you to live in Latvia, but most people do not know that apart from this, one can also get the following benefits:
Possibility to live and work in Europe without need for residence and work permits,
Right to own property anywhere in the EU,
Visa-free travel to over 150 countries,
Ease of opening a business and bank accounts in the EU,
Possibility to study in the EU for free or for highly reduced rates,
Right to pass on Latvian citizenship to children, grand-children and so on.
To understand better the process of applying for Latvian dual citizenship, we broke it down into separate steps for you:
Also Read: Benefits of Latvian Dual Citizenship
Determining Your Eligibility
Before you apply for Latvian dual citizenship by descent, you have to satisfy the eligibility criteria set by the Citizenship Law of Latvia. In simple terms you should meet the following criteria to obtain dual citizenship Latvia:
One of your ancestors was a Latvian citizen before 1940,
They fled or were exiled from Latvia during the 1940-1990 period.
In short, if you have at least one Latvian ancestor that was Latvian citizen before WW2 and fled Latvia during or after the WW2, you might be able to restore your dual citizenship Latvia and get Latvian passport.
The Citizenship Law of Latvia sounds deceptively simple, but the actual application process is also regulated by rules of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and precedent forming decisions of the courts. So in order to accurately assess the chances of getting the citizenship, it is always better to get an opinion of a lawyer specialized in this area of law.
Finding documents that prove Latvian citizenship of your ancestor
The next step of the citizenship restoration process is finding documents that prove Latvian citizenship of your ancestor. The best document for proof of citizenship is Latvian passport, however, many other documents might be used for the purpose, such as land ownership documents, certain documents about studies, military service documents, etc. One has to keep in mind that not all documents issued in Latvia or abroad would be considered to be a proof of Latvian citizenship, therefore you have to know what to look for.
Collecting additional documents and preparing the applications
After proof of Latvian citizenship of your ancestor is found you can proceed to the next step of the application process; collecting other supporting documents and preparing the application itself. The following documents are some of the documents that you might need to acquire:
Your birth certificate,
Your and your parents’ marriage certificate if surnames were changed,
Immigration and naturalization documents,
Copy of your current passport.
You will also have to fill out the application forms and, possibly, additional explanation documents to speed up the application process. You will also need to certify all the documents, by a notary public and/or apostille.
The exact package of documents needed and how they have to be certified differs depending on the specific situation of the applicant, the country, and types of the documents. Devil is in the detail and any error will significantly delay the processing time of the application.
Translation and submitting
After all the documents are collected and certified, they have to be translated to Latvian and submitted for the application processing to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
The application processing time at the moment takes about 4-6 months (from the moment the application is submitted to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs). After the decision to grant Latvian dual citizenship is made, the applicant can get Latvian passport in the closest Latvian embassy or consulate. The day you will get Latvian passport might change your and your children’s life since you will be not only Latvian but also an EU citizen, with many more opportunities because of that.
We at De Civitate offer Latvian dual citizenship by descent assistance to people with Latvian ancestry. Our clients do not have to be in Latvia during the application process. We will handle the application process until Latvian passport is granted to you and will help with the document search, translation, application submission, and making follow-ups with the Latvian authorities until citizenship is granted.
Please contact us at info@latviancitizenship.eu for more information.
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Apr 25, 2019 | News
If you have Latvian heritage and are thinking to get a dual Latvian citizenship, probably you already considered visiting Latvia. It is not necessary to visit Latvia in order to apply for Latvian citizenship, but if you do – we are sure you will become even more determined to get passport of this beautiful country.
Visiting Latvia does not have to be expensive since it is one of the cheapest travel destinations in Eu-rope. An average budget of 40-70€ per day is enough for one person to live comfortably and enjoy travelling in this small Baltic country.
This tour guide lists some of the things you can do in Latvia, as well as some accommodation options that you can consider. Of course, if you are on a tight budget, you should consider using local transportation instead of hiring a visiting Latviaar.
Accommodation Rates
$: there are dormitory beds or small rooms in hostels for 10€-25€ per night. On Air bnb, you can find nice rooms for 8€-14€ per night and whole apartments from 14€ per night.
$$: A mid-range room or a more classy alternative on Air bnb comes back roughly at 30€ to 45€ per night (for 2 people in general).
$$$: At 45€ and above per night we are already starting to have options of staying in very nice hotels. The first 4* of the city starts at about 45€ (breakfast included for 2 people). To find cheap accommodation, we recommend using hotel booking sites like Booking.com, Agoda or even Airbnb if you are on a tight budget. Whether it’s a hotel, an apartment, or just a small room lo-cated in a house at the center of a quaint town, you will surely enjoy your stay.
Although there are a lot of things you can do in Latvia, here is a short outline of the top things that potential new Latvian citizens should do:
• Visit historic Centre of Riga – the UNESCO World Heritage Site with lots of cozy cafes, restaurants and packed with history. Besides its Gothic old town, Riga is well known for its highly decorative Art Nouveau architecture. The Art Nouveau buildings make up roughly one-third of all the buildings in the center of Riga, making Latvia’s capital the city with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture anywhere in the world. You can also visit a museum dedicated to this style of architecture.
• Taste Riga Black Balsam, an iconic alcohol drink made in Latvia for more than 250 years. It consists of 24 natural ingredients, including 17 herbs and spices and has won more than 100 awards at international fairs throughout its history.
• Visit the Moscow district of Riga. It is home to a lot of Riga’s wooden architecture and has a unique atmosphere and character that is totally different from the rest of the city. The official title of this suburb is the ‘Latgales priekšpilsēta’ but to locals it is known as the Moscow district or ‘Maskachka’, since it is situated along the road heading towards Moscow.
• Shop in Riga Central Market. It is the largest market in Latvia where you will find a range of authentic Latvian delicacies. The market is a hundred years old and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main structures of the market are five pavilions constructed by reusing old Zeppelin hangars and incorporating Neoclassicism and Art Deco styles.
• Enjoy the scenery at Gauja National Park. This park in Vidzeme region is the largest national park in Latvia and the most beautiful one. Besides its lush nature and scenery, it is also known for its many historical structures. Covering a large swath of the Gauja river valley, it surrounds the town of Cēsis and its 13th-century castle. Medieval Turaida Castle, with its tall tower, anchors the Turaida Museum-Reserve. While in Gauja National Park you can also visit Folk Song Park, with granite sculptures inspired by Latvian folklore. While visiting Sigulda – another town close by – you can view ruins of one more castle built by Livonian Order.
• Learn about Latvian history in Turaida Castle. The castle was build 800 years ago by Catholic military order called Livonian Brothers of the Sword as part of their attempt to conquer Latvian territory and baptize local population.
• Take a bath in the sea in Jūrmala, just west of Riga. This seaside resort is known for its wooden and Art Nouveau seaside villas, Soviet-era sanatoriums and long, sandy Jūrmala Beach.
If you have Latvian descent and would like to acquire dual Latvian citizenship, you may reach out to us via email at info@latviancitizenshup.eu. We offer assistance from document acquisition, application preparation, translation services, and guidance throughout the process until Latvian passport is granted to you. Email us today so we can assess your eligibility for a Latvian dual citizenship by descent.
Feb 19, 2019 | News
Citizens of Latvia, as well as dual passport holders, can benefit greatly from their citizenship. A Latvian passport is one of the most powerful passports not only in Europe but globally so it opens up a lot of travel opportunities.
Latvia is a full EU member state and also participates in Schengen Area so Latvian passport holders can travel to any EU country without applying for a visa. Apart from this, the Latvian passport has a visa-free or visa on arrival access to a total of 167 countries according to the Passport Index. It ranks as number 6 in the list of the most powerful passports in the world, tied with passports of Iceland and Australia.
One might be surprised, but Latvian passport is more convenient for travellers than a US passport with a score of 123 (which represents a number of countries that can be visited visa-free or visa on arrival) and Canadian one with a score of 122. This data is based on the situation before COVID closures, but hopefully soon, you will be able to travel everywhere with an LV passport as before. Having in mind that the strength of Latvian passport is gradually growing over the years and only a few visa-free countries separate Latvian passport from the strongest passports in the world, this decade Latvian passport may be among the strongest ones in the world.
The term “visa-free” means exactly what it suggests: individuals are given access to a foreign country without having to present or apply for a visa when they arrive at their destination. On the other hand, “visa-upon-arrival” means that the traveler must go to an immigration desk once he or she enters a foreign country, which often requires either applying for or purchasing a visa. Once that process is completed, the traveler will have a visa stamped or affixed to their passport. This is usually a quick and easy process compared to applying for a visa prior to traveling abroad, which can be not only time-consuming but a frustrating procedure overall.
You can stay for 90 days in a year or half a year for most countries, while some countries like the Bahamas, Barbados, New Zealand, and Brazil would allow you to stay for 3 months. For Canada, Latvian passport holders can stay for 6 months in 1 year.
Once that process is completed, the traveler will have a visa stamped or affixed into his or her passport. This is usually a quick and easy process compared to applying for a visa prior to traveling abroad, which can be not only time-consuming but a frustrating procedure overall.
Also, with Latvian passport, you will be able to travel without visas to almost all North and South American countries as well as Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and a number of Asian and African countries.
Another notable advantage of having a Latvian dual passport is on 2021, non-EU nationals will need to get prior authorization to visit Schengen countries. Although it has not been announced as to when this will take effect, having a Latvian dual passport allows you to skip this time-consuming process.
If you are a Latvian descendant and would like to acquire a Latvian dual passport, you may reach out to us via email at info@latviancitizenshup.eu. We offer assistance from document acquisition, application preparation, translation services, and guidance throughout the process until the citizenship is granted. Email us today so we can assess your eligibility for a Latvian dual citizenship by descent.
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Nov 8, 2018 | News
On October 18, the parliament of Lithuania decided to hold a referendum to change the constitution in order to allow more Lithuanians to have dual citizenship. The referendum will be administered on May 12 and 26, simultaneous with the presidential and European Parliament elections. Legislators were hopeful that holding the referendum during the elections would ensure a high participation rate needed to make the constitutional amendment.
According to the decree on the mandatory referendum, Lithuanian citizens will be voting on the adoption of the following text for article 12 of the Constitution:
“Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania is acquired by birth or on other grounds specified by constitutional law. Citizen of the Republic of Lithuania by birth, who has acquired the nationality of a state that meets the criteria selected by Lithuania’s European and transatlantic integration, does not lose citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania. In other cases, the citizen of the Republic of Lithuania may not be simultaneously a citizen of another state, except as provided by constitutional law. The procedure for the acquisition and deprivation of citizenship establishes a constitutional law.”
Currently, the Constitution states that Lithuanian citizenship is acquired by birth except in certain cases established by law and that no person may be a citizen of Lithuania and another country or state at the same time, except in special cases. This provision of the Constitution can only be changed by a referendum.
A number of people were able to successfully get dual Lithuanian citizenship by descent, which was considered to be an exception and allowed by the constitution. However, interpretation of the constitution has changed a number of times during the last decade and as a result, the eligibility criteria for single and dual citizenship are shifting as well. In some cases, applicants for dual citizenship could not obtain it anymore due to sudden changes in the interpretation of the constitution and citizenship laws.
This change in the constitution is necessitated by a large number of Lithuanians living abroad. Emigration was one of the main reasons why the population in Lithuania decreased from 3.7 million people in 1990 to 2.8 million in 2017. Many Lithuanians living abroad want to keep their Lithuanian citizenship even if they acquire citizenship of another country because of the benefits they can get from being a citizen of an EU member state. But this is currently not allowed by the constitution.
Amending the constitution would allow finalizing the Law on Citizenship of Lithuania so that it would not contradict the constitution anymore as more people restore their dual Lithuanian citizenship by descent.
For legal advice on acquiring Lithuanian citizenship by descent, please visit our Contacts page or send an email to info@lithuaniancitizenship.com.
Dec 15, 2017 | News
If you are a resident of the USA, Australia, Canada or any other country of the world and you are of Latvian descent, you have a chance to live, work or study in Europe by acquiring Latvian dual citizenship by descent. This gives you and your family several benefits apart from restoring your ancestral citizenship.
Here are just some of them:
1. Right to live in the EU and EFTA countries
Latvia has been part of the EU for over a decade. Having Latvian dual citizenship gets you access to live in all countries in the following countries of the European Union and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
2. Right to work in the EU and EFTA countries
With a dual Latvian passport, you can work freely in all EU member states, not only in Latvia. Maybe this will open a window of opportunity for you to get the job that you have been dreaming of.
3. Possibility to get high-quality education in Europe
When deciding to move to Europe — one of the benefits that many people take into account is that their children can take advantage of the European education system. Latvian citizenship allows your family to benefit from a world-class educational system of EU and EFTA countries.
Medical studies, for example, are free in most EU countries. Each country of the European Union has its approach to setting fees for its students. Your children should look around Europe to see which option suits them best, since all students of EU countries are treated equally and pay the same fees (or, rather, often, do not have to pay them).
4. Avoiding Strict Visa Requirements
With dual citizenship, you are protected by two governments. You can appeal to one or both governments’ embassies if any problem occurs when you travel. With Latvian passport, you will be able to travel without a visa to almost all European countries, USA, Canada, most of South America as well as Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and several Asian and African countries.
In case Latvia does not have an embassy in a country where you travel, you would be able to get help from an embassy of any other EU country, since EU countries have a legal agreement to help each other’s citizens, in case an embassy of their own country is absent (consular protection).
5. EU healthcare system
If you are a citizen of Latvia, you have access to world-class healthcare systems of a number of the EU countries free of charge or at highly subsidized rates.
With Latvian citizenship, therefore EU citizenship, when visiting any EU country for short periods you can receive basic and emergency care with a European Health Insurance Card. It means that with a Latvian dual passport if you unexpectedly have health problems during your stay in another state of the EU or Switzerland — whether on holiday, a business trip or while studying — you will be entitled to any medical care that can not wait until you get home. You have the same right to health care as citizens of the EU country you are in.
6. Latvian and EU citizenship for your children
If you have Latvian citizenship, your children can get Latvian citizenship automatically or get the rights of EU citizens and would also be able to keep other citizenship, if they acquire them by birth. By obtaining Latvian citizenship you are getting citizenship not only for yourself but also for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is a great opportunity for your family and future generations.
7. Residence permit in EU for your spouse
When restoring your Latvian citizenship your family gets several benefits and one of the main benefits is the right to live and work for your spouse in most of the EU countries. After living in the EU for some time, your spouse will be able to get a permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship.
8. Run a business in the EU
With Latvian citizenship, it will be much easier to start a business in any EU country on the same basis as EU citizens. EU citizenship will also help if you plan to establish a branch of your current business in Europe.
9. Boost your career by having EU citizenship
It is not a secret that Latvian citizenship gives you lots of opportunities to boost your career.
Try to consider the possibility to boost your career, to grow professionally, overcome challenges and gain new experience with EU citizenship. Building your career in EU countries might be a great option for you. Latvian citizenship allows you to live and work in the countries of the European Union without a need for residence and work permits, as European citizens can live anywhere in the EU and EEA countries (i.e. Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland).
10. Beautiful Country with traditions and customs
Latvia has many wonderful places to live, travel and raise your family. Most of Latvia is an undiscovered wonderland of medieval castles, pristine forests, and centuries-old buildings in all sorts of styles. Latvia is truly a wonderful place to live and enjoy life.
Also Read: 10 best places to visit in Latvia
We at De Civitate offer a wide array of services that help applicants with Latvian heritage obtain citizenship of Latvia. We assist our clients with application, follow-up, search in Latvian archives, translations and any other tasks needed to restore Latvian citizenship.
You can contact us at info@latviancitizenship.eu for more information.
Dec 8, 2017 | News
However, people don’t go to Latvia just for travel. Some people with Latvian descent re-establish their citizenship and get a Latvian dual passport for more serious reasons.
- Latvia’s GDP is fast-growing. It has seen a major improvement over the past decade; From 24 billion to 35 billion US dollars in 10 years. In 2019 alone, Latvia’s GDP grew by 6%. By purchasing power parity Latvia already overtook Greece and in a few years’ time might overtake Portugal.
- Latvia is a great place to start a business. Latvia ranks at the top 10% on the Ease of doing business index; a report generated by leading economists from the World Bank Group. Businesses also benefit from Latvia’s corporate income tax by postponing tax payments, enabling them to reinvest money and expand their operations.
- Latvia is one of the safest places to live in the EU. It has a low rate of violent crime, scoring 61.73 on Numbeo’s safety index; ranking at the top 40% among all EU countries. For businesses, the safety and wellbeing of their employees are essential, so this is one of the most important reasons why entrepreneurs consider Latvia as the location of their startup or business expansion.
- Employment in the country is increasing. Latvia’s employment rate has tremendously grown since the last few decades. From 19.48% 10 years ago, Latvia’s unemployment rate has been reduced to 8.42% in 2019, helping improve EU’s average to 7.9%. With this, the poverty rate in the country decreased by 5% in the same period.
- Latvia has a high rate of school enrollment because of its compulsory education system. The literacy rate of Latvian citizens aged 15 and above exceeds 99 percent, which is on-par with other EU countries. In terms of technology, schools are well-adapted too, having connectivity in most of the country’s educational institutions and adapting EU educational standards.
- Latvia is a great base for exploring Europe and beyond. Riga is a regional aviation hub with flights to many destinations in Europe and beyond. You can directly fly to about 100 destinations from Riga. Major flag carriers and European low-cost carriers competing with local carrier AirBaltic offer a variety of options for traveling.
- Latvia prides itself as a country with gender equality and an overall good quality of life. It ranks 41 on the GII (Gender Inequality Index). Women get the same privileges as men on employment and education. Life expectancy and standards of living have also increased over the past decade.
Overall, these facts about living conditions in Latvia demonstrate that the country has improved significantly in various areas since the 1990s. Although Latvia still has some way to go to reach the economic prosperity of the richest Western European countries, it is fast catching up and taken into consideration safety, lack of congestion, and good state of its environment many people find it a comfortable and stress-free place to live in.
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