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Latvia is located on the Baltic coast of Europe, within the Schengen Zone. Its capital, Riga, was founded in 1201 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Forests occupy over half of Latvia's land area, providing several nature paths and parks. Latvia has excellent transport and cultural ties to Western Europe.
Since the 1st of October 2013, the laws of the Republic of Latvia have allowed dual (multiple) citizenship. Such citizenship can be obtained through ancestry under specific requirements outlined in the Latvian Citizenship Law. You may apply for a Latvian passport, an EU passport, provided you satisfy certain conditions, regardless of your current permanent residency. You can prove Latvian heritage by providing documentation indicating that one of your parents or grandparents is/was Latvian.
All Latvians are automatically European Union (EU) citizens
There are three main categories of applicants for Latvian citizenship:
You may be eligible for Latvian citizenship if your ancestor:
Dual (multiple) citizenship is permitted in any nation under this category.
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You can be eligible for Latvian citizenship if your ancestor:
Dual citizenship is permitted in the following countries: NATO, EU, EFTA member states, Brazil, New Zealand, and the Commonwealth of Australia.
You may be eligible for Latvian citizenship if:
Dual citizenship is permitted in any nation under this category.
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Your eligibility is passed to all your children and descendants
It is not as simple to apply for Latvian citizenship as it is for some of the other ancestry-based citizenship programs. Before applying for Latvian citizenship through ancestry, it is advised to carefully review the documents that will be presented to justify the application.
Frequently, archival records of an applicant's ancestry include contradictory information. Procedures for gaining dual Latvian citizenship may be complicated, and many details are often overlooked. Before applying for Latvian citizenship by descent, it is essential to confirm the legal strength of the original document or the correctness of the document's derivative.
When applying for Latvian citizenship by ancestry, you must provide several supporting documents to the Citizenship Office. The procedure of preparing your documentation will begin with the collecting of needed documents and the search for missing ones. Such a search is often conducted at Latvian archives. The search for records in Latvian archives might take 20 to 40 workdays.
After collecting the appropriate papers, they must be verified according to the protocol outlined by the in-laws. Their translation must be completed if the documents are not in Latvian. Unless otherwise provided by Latvian international treaties or legal rules of the European Union, documents issued in other nations must be validated by Apostille or legalized.
The following papers must be provided to gain dual Latvian citizenship:
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Having dual citizenship by Latvia ancestry, your children may attend a free European university
The procedure is divided into two stages:
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Neighbourhood in Liepaja, Latvia
Having dual citizenship by Latvia ancestry and a Latvian passport provides various benefits, especially if you are a non-EU citizen. These benefits apply not just to you but also to your whole family.
Kuldiga, Latvia
Obtaining Latvia citizenship by ancestry is a way of honouring your ancestors while taking advantage of various benefits of the Latvia passport. If you need assistance with the application procedure, you can contact us.
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Written by Mikkel Thorup
Mikkel Thorup is the world’s most sought-after expat consultant. He focuses on helping high-net-worth private clients to legally mitigate tax liabilities, obtain a second residency and citizenship, and assemble a portfolio of foreign investments including international real estate, timber plantations, agricultural land and other hard-money tangible assets. Mikkel is the Founder and CEO at Expat Money®, a private consulting firm started in 2017. He hosts the popular weekly podcast, the Expat Money Show, and wrote the definitive #1-Best Selling book Expat Secrets - How To Pay Zero Taxes, Live Overseas And Make Giant Piles Of Money, and his second book: Expats Guide On Moving To Mexico.
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