Saeima subcommittee agrees on dual citizenship for Latvian citizens residing abroad

  • 2012-07-19

RIGA - Saeima Citizenship Law Amendments Subcommittee yesterday reached agreement on dual citizenship for citizens of Latvia who live abroad, Latvians who were deported, and their children, as well as Latvians and Livonians who do not permanently reside in Latvia, Saeima’s Press Service informed LETA.

"The subcommittee decided at its meeting today that Latvian citizenship will be retained for those citizens of Latvia who have received citizenship of another European Union member state, member states of the European Free Trade Association, or NATO. Dual citizenship will also apply to citizens who become citizens in a country with which Latvia has signed an agreement on dual citizenship," explained the subcommittee's chairman Ingmars Caklais (Unity).

Latvian citizenship will also be retained for every person who becomes a citizen of another country through marriage or adoption.

The subcommittee also decided that citizens of Latvia who were deported or left Latvia as a result of the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany occupations, and did not return to reside permanently in Latvia after May 4, 1990, will be entitled to dual citizenship.

Latvians and Livonians who do not permanently reside in Latvia will receive Latvian citizenship if they can prove that their ancestors lived in Latvia and if they have sufficient Latvian language skills.

At its next meeting, the Citizenship Law Amendments Subcommittee will consider granting Latvian citizenship to the children of Latvian citizens who are born abroad.