Everyone does not need a passport - Silina

RIGA - There is no reason to worry about the doubling of the fee for the issuing of passports, because not all residents need this document, said Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) in an interview with TV3 this morning.

Silina admitted that the planned increase in passport issuing fees is significant, but there is no reason to be alarmed, because not all people need this document - only those who want to travel to third countries need it, meaning that they have enough money to afford it.

However, some groups of people will be able to get a discount on the issuing of their passports, the politician added.

As reported, from February 2024, Latvia will start issuing passports of new design, while the state fee for a new passport will increase twofold, according to amendments drafted by the Interior Ministry.

The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs has been issuing the current passports since 2015. The new design passports will be better protected against counterfeiting, the office explained. The new passports will also be thicker, with the number of pages increasing from 34 to 42.

The state fee for applying for a new passport was last raised in 2012. Since then, the cost of several items that make up the fee has almost doubled, and the amendments proposed by the Interior Ministry stipulate that the state fee for issuing a new passport to an adult within ten workdays will increase to EUR 60 from EUR 30 now. If a person wishes to receive a new passport within two workdays, the state fee will be EUR 110, up from EUR 55 now.

For persons under the age of 20, the state fee for a new passport issued in ten workdays will increase from EUR 15 to EUR 30. If a person under the age of 20 applies for a passport to be issued in two workdays, the fee will be EUR 55, up from EUR 30 now.