How long does it take to get citizenship in Latvia?

The naturalization process in Latvia takes 6–22 months on average (11 months typical). You need 5 years permanent residence (10 years total legal residence) before applying.

What are the steps to get Latvia citizenship?

1. Application to PMLP (0.5–2 months). 2. Document verification & language test (2–6 months). 3. Cabinet of Ministers decision (3–12 months). 4. Oath & certificate (0.5–2 months)

What is the residency requirement for Latvia citizenship?

You need 5 years permanent residence (10 years total legal residence) to be eligible for naturalization in Latvia. Requires 10 years total legal residence (5 years temporary + 5 years permanent).

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Immigration Tracker

Latvia — Citizenship Timeline

5 years permanent residence (10 years total legal residence) → 4 processing steps → passport

Average Total

11mo

Range

6–22mo

Speed Rank

#6 of 20

Residency Req.

5 years permanent residence (10 years total )

Processing Steps

1Application to PMLP1mo avg (0.5–2 months)

Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP)

2Document verification & language test3mo avg (2–6 months)

Latvian language (A2/B1), history, constitution, and national anthem tests

3Cabinet of Ministers decision6mo avg (3–12 months)

Background check and final review

4Oath & certificate1mo avg (0.5–2 months)

Oath of allegiance to the Republic of Latvia

Total processing time

Moderate11 months average

Important Notes

Requires 10 years total legal residence (5 years temporary + 5 years permanent). Must pass Latvian language test (A2 minimum, B1 for some categories), history, constitution, and national anthem tests. Dual citizenship allowed for EU/NATO citizens and some other categories. Must renounce previous nationality in most other cases.

How Latvia compares

Average naturalization processing time, all 20 countries. Latvia highlighted.

Source: PMLP (pmlp.gov.lv), globalcitizensolutions.com, immigrantinlaw.com · Last updated: 2026-06

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