The translation of this document is outdated.
Translation validity: 01.03.2018.–30.04.2018.
Amendments not included:
12.04.2018.,
07.06.2018.
The Saeima1 has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following Law:
Law on the Official Electronic
Address
Chapter I
General Provisions
Section 1. Terms Used in this
Law
The following terms are used in this Law:
1) official electronic address - a set of elements (a
unique string consisting of digits or digits and letters)
enabling the reachability of the addressee in the electronic
environment;
2) official electronic address information system - an
environment for electronic communication and handling of
documents for secure and reliable use by an identifiable user of
the official electronic address account;
3) official electronic address account - data
depository maintained in the official electronic address
information system where the user of the official electronic
address account may access electronic communication and
electronic documents sent to his or her official electronic
address, or communicate and send electronic documents;
4) user of the official electronic address account - a
public or legal entity registered in the records of the
Enterprise Register (hereinafter - the records), a person
unregistered in the records or a natural person who has an
activated official electronic address account;
5) person unregistered in the records - a person who
has not been registered in the records but who has been
registered with the register of taxpayers of the State Revenue
Service;
6) public entity - a direct administration authority, a
public entity not subordinated to the Cabinet, a derived public
person and its institution, a judicial authority, a prosecutor's
office, a sworn bailiff, and an insolvency administrator, as well
as a private individual to whom a State administration task has
been delegated.
Section 2. Purpose of this Law
The purpose of this Law shall be to ensure secure, efficient
and high-quality electronic communication and handling of
electronic documents between public entities and private
individuals.
Section 3. Status and Availability
of the Official Electronic Address Information System
The official electronic address information system is a State
information system and it is managed by the State Regional
Development Agency. Access to the official electronic address
information system shall be ensured via the State administration
services portal www.latvija.lv and in another way via a software
interface.
Section 4. Scope of Application of
this Law
(1) This Law shall apply to electronic communication and any
handling of electronic documents, using an official electronic
address, regardless of its legal effect.
(2) This Law shall not apply to electronic communication and
handling of electronic documents between:
1) private individuals;
2) public entities, if it is implemented using any other
secure electronic document handling system for communication
between such entities.
Section 5. Use of Official
Electronic Addresses
(1) The use of an official electronic address shall be
mandatory for:
1) a public entity;
2) a legal entity registered in the records;
3) a reserve soldier.
(2) An official electronic address may be used by:
1) a natural person from 14 years of age, registered with the
Population Register;
2) a person unregistered in the records.
Chapter II
Creation of an Official Electronic Address and Activation of an
Official Electronic Address Account
Section 6. Elements of the Official
Electronic Address
The official electronic address shall consist of:
1) for a public entity - the registration number assigned by
the Enterprise Register, or, if none has been assigned, the
identifier assigned in the official electronic address
information system;
2) for a legal entity registered in the records - the
registration number assigned by the Enterprise Register;
3) for a person unregistered in the records - the 11-character
taxpayer registration code assigned by the State Revenue Service,
or, if none has been assigned, the identifier assigned in the
official electronic address information system;
4) for a natural person - his or her personal identity
number.
Section 7. Creation of an Official
Electronic Address and Activation of an Official Electronic
Address Account
(1) For the legal entity referred to in Section 5, Paragraph
one, Clause 1 or 2 of this Law, the official electronic address
is created and the official electronic address account is
activated automatically.
(2) The official electronic address of the person referred to
in Section 5, Paragraph one, Clause 3 and in Paragraph two of
this Law shall be created using qualified means for electronic
identification of persons available in the official electronic
address information system and by electronically logging in to
the State administration services portal www.latvija.lv.
Concurrently with the creation of an official electronic address,
an official electronic address account is activated for the
relevant person.
(3) The Cabinet shall determine the security and technical
requirements for the official electronic address information
system, the requirements for interfaces and their use, the
procedures by which the institutions registering or maintaining
information on users of official electronic address accounts
shall provide the information necessary for the creation of the
official electronic address to the controller of the official
electronic address information system, and the volume of this
information, as well as the procedures for creating the official
electronic address and the activation of the official electronic
address account.
Section 8. Catalogue of the Official
Electronic Addresses
(1) The catalogue of the official electronic addresses is a
component of the official electronic address information
system.
(2) Information on the created official electronic addresses
shall be included in the catalogue of official electronic
addresses.
(3) Information on the deactivated and cancelled official
electronic addresses shall be removed from the catalogue of the
official electronic addresses.
(4) Information included in the catalogue of official
electronic addresses may be accessed:
1) by public entities according to their competence -
information on all official electronic addresses;
2) by private individuals - information on the official
electronic addresses of State institutions.
(5) The Cabinet shall determine the scope and handling of
information to be included in the catalogue of official
electronic addresses.
Chapter III
Accessing the Official Electronic Address Account
Section 9. Accessing the Official
Electronic Address Account
The user of an official electronic address shall access the
official electronic address account, using qualified means for
electronic identification of persons available in the official
electronic address information system.
Section 10. Transfer of Access
Rights
The user of the official electronic address account may
specify and update another user having the right to access his or
her account, indicating the first name, surname and personal
identity number of such user or the official electronic address
account and the level of access rights (view or send electronic
documents, contact), as well as to revoke the access rights
granted to another user.
Section 11. Cancellation of an
Official Electronic Address and Deactivation of an Official
Electronic Address Account
(1) The manager of the official electronic address information
system shall cancel an official electronic address in the
following cases:
1) when the fact of death of a natural person has been
registered in the Population Register;
2) for a public entity:
a) after completion of its reorganisation or liquidation
process, if operation of such institution is terminated,
b) on the basis of a decree of the Minister for Justice
regarding dismissal or removal from the office of a sworn
bailiff,
c) after annulling the certificate of an insolvency
administrator;
3) after removal from the Enterprise Register of a legal
entity registered in the records;
4) after termination of operation of a person unregistered in
the records.
(2) A user of an official electronic address account who does
not have the obligation to use the official electronic address
has the right to deactivate the official electronic address
account in the official electronic address information system.
The user of the official electronic address account also has the
right to deactivate the official electronic address account by
submitting a corresponding application to the manager of the
official electronic address information system.
(3) An official electronic address account in the official
electronic address information system shall be deactivated for a
natural person for the period of time when the person is in a
place of imprisonment, except the natural person who serves the
sentence of deprivation of liberty in an open prison.
(4) The Cabinet shall determine the procedures for annulling
the official electronic address and deactivating the official
electronic address account, as well as for deleting the
corresponding information from the catalogue of official
electronic addresses.
Chapter IV
Electronic Communication and Sending, Receiving and Storing
Electronic Documents
Section 12. Electronic Communication
and Sending Electronic Documents
(1) If the official electronic address account has been
activated, the public entity and the private individual shall
communicate electronically and send an electronic document using
the official electronic address.
(2) A public entity may communicate electronically and send an
electronic document using a corresponding State information
system, concurrently ensuring the availability of the
corresponding communication and document in the official
electronic address account.
(3) If the institution has received the document in printed
form, not electronically, and it needs to be forwarded, Paragraph
one of this Section need not be applied.
(4) A document which should be sent to an electronic mail
address in accordance with the laws and regulations, shall be
sent to the official electronic address, if it has been
activated.
(5) The procedures for sending documents in criminal
proceedings, civil proceedings, administrative proceedings,
administrative violation proceedings and Constitutional Court
proceedings provided for in this Law shall apply, insofar as
other procedures for sending documents have not been laid down in
other laws.
Section 13. Notification Regarding
Receipt of Electronic Communication and Electronic Document
(1) The user of an official electronic address account may
activate a service in the official electronic address information
system using which it will receive receive from the manager of
the official electronic address information system an informative
notification sent to the communication channels offered in the
official electronic address information system regarding receipt
of electronic communication or electronic document at the
official electronic address.
(2) If the service referred to in Paragraph one of this
Section has been activated, after receipt of the communication at
the official electronic address, the manager of the official
electronic address information system shall immediately send a
corresponding notification to the communication channel indicated
by the user of the official electronic address account.
Section 14. Storage and Availability
of Electronic Communication and Electronic Document
(1) The manager of the official electronic address information
system shall ensure the storage and availability of the received
and sent electronic communication, electronic documents, and
their metadata in the official electronic address account.
(2) The Cabinet shall determine the storage volume and period
of electronic communication, electronic documents, and their
metadata sent to the official electronic address, as well as the
action to be taken by the manager of the official electronic
address information system in case the storage volume of the
electronic documents and their metadata has been exceeded or the
term for their storage has expired.
Chapter V
Obligations and Liability
Section 15. Obligations of the
Manager of the Official Electronic Address Information System
The manager of the official electronic address information
system has the following obligations:
1) to ensure the creation of the official electronic address
in accordance with the procedures laid down in this Law;
2) to use secure information systems and equipment, as well as
to use procedures ensuring the delivery of communication to the
official electronic address account, the safety and
inalterability of electronic communication and electronic
document existing in the official electronic address account, as
well as the storage of proof of sending and receiving electronic
communication and electronic document;
3) to ensure cancellation of the official electronic address
and activation or deactivation of the official electronic address
in the cases specified in this Law;
4) to always maintain online information in the catalogue of
official electronic addresses;
5) to ensure the availability of information and consultative
support for the use of the official electronic address
account;
6) to inform the user of the official electronic address
account regarding changes and interruptions in the availability
of the information systems;
7) in case of a dispute, to present the user of the official
electronic address account an acknowledgement of the fact and
time of sending or receiving electronic communication or
electronic document;
8) to ensure the availability of electronic communication and
electronic documents existing in the official electronic address
account and their storage in accordance with the terms laid down
in the laws and regulations;
9) to use information systems that ensure recognition of the
recipient and the sender;
10) to verify the right of representation of the legal
entities registered in the records according to the information
received from the information system of the Enterprise
Register;
11) upon developing the solution for the official electronic
address, to create open software interfaces in order to ensure
the capability to integrate the official electronic address
information system with other information systems.
Section 16. Obligations and
Liability of the User of the Official Electronic Address
Account
(1) The user of the official electronic address account shall
be liable for any actions that have been carried out in the
official electronic address account using qualified means for
electronic identification of persons available in the official
electronic address information system.
(2) The Cabinet shall determine the procedures for using the
official electronic address information system.
Transitional Provisions
1. For a public entity, except a sworn bailiff and insolvency
administrator, as well as for a reserve soldier, the official
electronic address account shall be activated by 31 May 2018, and
Section 5, Paragraph one of this Law shall apply as of 1 June
2018.
2. For a sworn bailiff, insolvency administrator and courts
hearing civil cases, criminal cases, administrative cases, and
administrative violation cases, as well as for the Constitutional
Court, Section 5, Paragraph one of this Law shall apply as of 1
January 2020.
3. For legal entities registered in the records, the official
electronic address account shall be activated from 1 January 2019
to 31 December 2019, and Section 5, Paragraph one of this Law
shall apply as of 1 January 2020. A legal entity registered in
the records, if it has an activated electronic address account,
shall be contacted using electronic means, and an electronic
document shall be sent using the official electronic address.
4. For the person referred to in Section 5, Paragraph two of
this Law, the official electronic addresses shall be created as
of 1 June 2018.
5. The Cabinet shall issue the regulations referred to in
Section 7, Paragraph three, Section 8, Paragraph five, Section
11, Paragraph four, Section 14, Paragraph two, and Section 16,
Paragraph two of this Law by 1 August 2017.
This Law shall come into force on 1 March 2018.
This Law was adopted by the Saeima on 16 June 2016.
President R. Vējonis
Riga, 1 July 2016
1 The Parliament of the Republic of
Latvia
Translation © 2017 Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre)