I. General Provisions

1. These regulations determine the procedures for the issuance and use of the passports of the Republic of Latvia.

2. All citizens of Latvia who have reached the age of 16 and who have been registered in the Population Register shall receive a passport of the citizen of Latvia (hereinafter – passport).
Children up to five years of age travelling to a foreign country shall be issued a passport for one year or the duration of the trip (if it exceeds one year), from five years of age – for five years or a shorter period remaining up to the time they reach the age of 16. If during the trip or within one month after the return the child reaches the age of 16, the passport shall be issued for 10 years. The child’s parents or guardians shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the passport.

3. The passport shall be issued to citizens of Latvia whose citizenship is registered in the Population Register in accordance with the provisions of the Citizenship Law.

4. The passports shall be made according to a single pattern in Latvian and English.

5. The following information about the holder shall be recorded in the passport:
5.1. Given name, surname,
5.2. Date of birth,
5.3. Sex,
5.4. Identity number,
5.5. Ethnicity,
5.6. Place of birth.

6. The person’s given name and surname shall be entered in conformity with the spelling rules of the Latvian language. If the person so desires, the original form of his/her given name and surname, based on a supporting document, shall be entered under the heading “Special Notes”. The document confirming the original form of the given name and surname is to be presented by the person himself/herself.

7. For children up to 16 years of age, the following details shall be recorded in the passport:
7.1. Given name, surname,
7.2. Date of birth,
7.3. Sex,
7.4. Identity number.

9. The passport shall be issued to a citizen for 10 years. Persons over 60 years of age shall be issued a passport for 50 years.

13. Documents for a passport exchange must be submitted within a month’s time in case of:

13.4. Change of ethnicity

15. In order to exchange a passport because of a change in the registered name and surname or ethnicity, supporting documents must be submitted in conformity with the provisions of Articles 4 and 11 of the Law on Changing the Registered Given Name, Surname or Nationality.

18. Within a month after reaching the age of 16, Latvian citizens must submit the documents and photographs for obtaining a passport.

On issuance of a passport to citizens who have reached the age of 16, the ethnicity is entered in the passport in conformity with the ethnicity of the father or mother – according to the passport holder’s national self-awareness.