How much Latvian citizenship costs in 2026

9 min read · Published 6 October 2026

Registering Latvian citizenship through an ancestor costs almost nothing: the main state payment is a $60 passport. The money and time go on archives, translations and renouncing your previous citizenship.

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Key point	2026 figures
Route	registration of citizenship by descent
Who qualifies	descendants of Latvian citizens on 17 June 1940, exiles of 1940-1990, Latvians and Livs
Passport	$60, $30 for children and young people under 20
Language	no exam for descendants of citizens and exiles
Decision	1 month, up to 4 months or up to a year depending on the route
Relocation	not required
Dual citizenship	for descendants of citizens, only with EU, NATO and a few other countries

Amounts checked: 2026-10-06

A Latvian passport cannot be bought, as Latvia has no citizenship by investment programme. But descendants of citizens of pre-war Latvia have the right to register citizenship without living in the country and without a language exam, and there is no limit on the number of generations. The state charges a token amount for an EU passport.

The real price lies elsewhere: finding records of the ancestor in Latvian archives, the chain of birth and marriage certificates, translations into Latvian and, for many Russians, renouncing Russian citizenship. Below is every cost item, the family minimum, timelines and reasons for refusal.

We will work out online when you can apply and what fees and documents will cost for your family.

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What the cost is made of

Cost item	Amount	Who pays
Latvian passport	$60	main applicant
Child passport	$30	each child
Identity card	$35, $20 for children and young people under 20	optional
Passport in 2 working days instead of 10	$85	optional
Archive search for records of the ancestor	at the Latvian State Historical Archives tariff	per request
Duplicate certificates from registry offices in your country	at local tariffs	per document
Legalisation and translation into Latvian	per document	each applicant
Return of originals by post	$15	once per application

A passport issued in 10 working days costs $60, and $30 for children, young people under 20 and pensioners. The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs charges a fee of about $25 for restoring citizenship a person lost themselves and for renouncing citizenship. Registration through an ancestor is not on that list.

Dollars are at the European Central Bank rate, rounded up. Documents issued in the EU, the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland need no legalisation.

The passport costs $60, the time goes on archives

The state charges little for a Latvian passport; the money and months go on finding the ancestor and the paperwork. Murblz works out which of the three routes fits you, searches the Latvian State Historical Archives, rebuilds the chain of certificates, translates documents into Latvian and files the application. If your route requires giving up Russian citizenship, we order the steps so you are never left without a passport.

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How much it costs for a family of 2, 3 and 4

Family	Minimum
Two adults	from $60 (a spouse without own roots is not included)
Two adults and a child	from $90 (a spouse without own roots is not included)
Two adults and two children	from $120 (a spouse without own roots is not included)

Every adult with Latvian roots files their own application. Children under 15 are registered on the application of the citizen parent. A spouse without their own right gets a residence permit as a family member of a Latvian citizen and citizenship under the general naturalisation rules.

What the cost does not include

renouncing Russian citizenship through the consulate, if your route requires it;
a trip to Latvia for the language check for Latvians and Livs;
Latvian language courses;
fixing different spellings of a surname through a registry office or court;
flights and accommodation if you apply in Riga rather than at an embassy.

Timeline by step

Step	Time
Family line check: which of the three routes fits	1-2 weeks
Search for records of the ancestor in Latvian archives	1-6 months
Certificates for the whole line, legalisation and translations	in parallel with the archives
Renouncing previous citizenship, if the route requires it	months, through the consulate
Filing with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs or an embassy	1 day
Registration decision	1 month, up to 4 months or up to a year
Passport	10 working days

For descendants of citizens the whole path takes 6-12 months. For Russians the longest stage is renunciation: the Office does not register citizenship without the renunciation document, so it starts as soon as the archives confirm the right.

Is money refunded if you are refused

There is no investment, so a refusal costs time and the money spent on archives, translations and legalisation. New certificates for a repeat application have to be paid for again.

The most common reasons for refusal are an ancestor who was not a citizen exactly on 17 June 1940, a gap in the chain of certificates, different spellings of the surname without supporting records, and no renunciation document for a citizenship that cannot be kept. Since 2022 documents proving descent have been checked especially strictly.

Comparison with neighbouring programmes

Country	Route	Minimum for one	Time	Dual citizenship
Lithuania	Citizenship restored for descendants of Lithuanians	from $200	6-12 months	with conditions
Poland	Polish Card (Karta Polaka), permanent residence and recognition as a citizen	from $60	A year in Poland with permanent residence, then the governor's decision	allowed
Bulgaria	Citizenship by Bulgarian origin	fees at the tariff	1-2 years	allowed

Lithuania restores citizenship only up to great-grandchildren and almost always requires giving up the first passport. Poland first requires the Pole's Card and a year of living in the country with permanent residence. Bulgaria grants a passport by origin without an exam, but the decision takes 1-2 years. Latvia wins on decision time and the lack of a generation limit, and loses on the requirement for descendants of citizens to renounce Russian citizenship.

Which route fits and what it requires

Route	Language	Previous citizenship	Decision
Descendants of Latvian citizens on 17 June 1940	no exam	only citizenship of EU, NATO, European Free Trade Association countries, Australia, Brazil and New Zealand is kept	within a month of a complete file
Exiles of 1940-1990 and their descendants	no exam	any is kept	up to 4 months
Latvians and Livs	fluent Latvian, checked in Latvia	any is kept	up to a year

Exiles are those whose ancestor fled the occupation regime beyond the USSR and could not return. Latvians and Livs are those whose ancestor was Latvian or Liv by ethnicity and lived in Latvia in 1881 or later. The route also sets the price: for descendants of citizens the main cost is renouncing Russian citizenship, for Latvians and Livs it is preparing for the language check.

Documents for registration

the applicant's passport;
proof of the ancestor's citizenship or ethnicity: a pre-war passport, the 1935 census, civil registry records, and for Latvians and Livs the 1886-1887 censuses and parish registers;
birth and marriage certificates for every generation from the ancestor to you;
name change records if the surname is spelled differently in documents from different years;
a renunciation document for a previous citizenship that cannot be kept;
translations into Latvian and legalisation of foreign documents.

The archive search takes one to six months, faster if the ancestor's place of birth is known.

What changed by 2026

Since 1 January 2024 repatriate status is no longer granted, and the Repatriation Law expires on 1 July 2028. Descendants of Latvians and Livs from third countries receive a temporary residence permit for 5 years, and a permanent one after 5 years of continuous residence and basic Latvian. Since 15 July 2025 only biometric passports are accepted from Russian citizens.

Registration of citizenship through an ancestor does not depend on these changes and works under the Citizenship Law.

Who Latvian citizenship suits

Those whose great-grandfather, grandfather or parent was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940, and those whose ancestors fled occupied Latvia to the West. For them it is the cheapest EU passport: no investment, no exam and no relocation.

Russians without an exiled ancestor need to decide whether they are ready to give up Russian citizenship. If not, compare Bulgaria, Romania or Greece, where the first passport is kept on the roots route.

This topic in other countries

Citizenship cost in other countries:

More about the country:

All programmes and a family calculator - how much citizenship costs in different countries.

FAQ

How much does Latvian citizenship cost in 2026?

The main state payment is a $60 passport, and an identity card is $35. The rest goes on archives, certificates, legalisation and translation into Latvian, and for many Russians on renouncing Russian citizenship.

Can you buy Latvian citizenship?

No, Latvia has no citizenship by investment programme. Investment gives a residence permit, while citizenship comes by descent or naturalisation.

How much does Latvian citizenship cost for a family?

From $120 for passports if both spouses qualify. Children under 15 are registered on a parent's application, and a child's passport costs $30. A spouse without roots needs a residence permit and naturalisation.

Do you have to give up Russian citizenship?

Descendants of Latvian citizens on 17 June 1940 do: only citizenship of EU, NATO and a few other countries can be kept. Exiles of 1940-1990, Latvians and Livs keep any citizenship.

Do you need to speak Latvian?

Descendants of citizens and exiles need no exam. Latvians and Livs whose ancestors were not citizens must speak Latvian fluently, and it is checked in Latvia.

How long does Latvian citizenship take?

By law the decision takes a month for descendants of citizens, up to 4 months for exiles and up to a year for Latvians and Livs. With archives the whole path usually takes 6-12 months.

Do you have to live in Latvia?

No. You can apply at a Latvian embassy, and descendants of citizens do not need to live in the country.