Procedures for Covering Expenditures Related to the Recognition of the Professional Qualification of a Person

Issued pursuant to
Section 36, Clause 14 of the law
On the Regulated Professions and the Recognition
of Professional Qualifications

1. The Regulation prescribes:

1.1. the procedures by which a person who has obtained a professional qualification in foreign countries (hereinafter - the applicant) shall cover the expenditures related to the recognition of the professional qualification;

1.2. the procedures by which the applicant shall cover the expenditures related to the aptitude test for the provision of temporary professional services (hereinafter - the temporary services);

1.3. the procedures by which the applicant or a person who has obtained education and a professional qualification in the Republic of Latvia, and also a person who has a recognised professional qualification in the Republic of Latvia and who applies for the receipt of the European Professional Card shall cover the expenditures related to the processing of the application for the European Professional Card and issuing of the European Professional Card;

1.4. the amount of the expenditures referred to in Sub-paragraphs 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 of this Regulation.

2. The Regulation shall not be applied in respect of the regulated professions in which the recognition of a professional qualification obtained in foreign countries is determined by the international agreements binding on the Republic of Latvia.

3. The amount of the expenditures related to the recognition of a professional qualification, the aptitude test for the provision of the temporary services, the processing of the European Professional Card, and the issuing of the European Professional Card in the professions regulated in the Republic of Latvia shall be as follows:

3.1. recognition of the professional qualification of a person - EUR 240 which includes:

3.1.1. the expenditures of the information authority - EUR 80;

3.1.2. the expenditures of the authority which issues the professional qualification recognition certificates in the regulated professions (hereinafter - the recognition institution) - EUR 160;

3.2. the expenditures of the recognition institution in relation to the aptitude test for the provision of the temporary services - EUR 100;

3.3. processing of the application for the European Professional Card - upon receipt of the application from a person who has obtained education and a professional qualification in the Republic of Latvia, and also from a person who has a recognised professional qualification in the Republic of Latvia and who is applying for the receipt of the European Professional Card for a permanent professional activity in the regulated profession of a nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist, real estate agent, or mountain guide in another European Union or European Economic Area state - EUR 80;

3.4. processing of the application for the European Professional Card and issuing of the European Professional Card - upon receipt of the application from a person who has obtained education and a professional qualification in the Republic of Latvia, and also from a person who has a recognised professional qualification in the Republic of Latvia and who is applying for the receipt of the European Professional Card for the provision of the temporary services in the regulated profession of a nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist, real estate agent, or mountain guide in another European Union or European Economic Area state - EUR 80;

3.5. processing of the application for the European Professional Card and issuing of the European Professional Card - upon receipt of the application from a person who has obtained education and a professional qualification in another European Union or European Economic Area state and who is applying for the receipt of the European Professional Card for a permanent professional activity or the provision of the temporary services in the regulated profession of a nurse, pharmacist, or physiotherapist in the Republic of Latvia - EUR 240.

4. When submitting the documents necessary for the recognition of a professional qualification to the information authority, the applicant shall append a certification thereto on making the payment referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.1 of this Regulation to the bank account provided by the information authority.

5. The recognition authority shall, after receipt of the statement from the information authority on the conformity of the education and professional qualification of the applicant with the requirements laid down for the relevant regulated profession in the Republic of Latvia (hereinafter - the statement of the information authority), issue and send an invoice to the information authority for EUR 160. The information authority shall pay the invoice within 10 working days after receipt thereof.

6. In addition to the expenditures referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.1 of this Regulation, the applicant shall cover the expenditures of the recognition authority which have incurred for it in relation to:

6.1. ensuring additional requirements - aptitude test or adaptation period - in accordance with the law or regulation regarding additional requirements for the recognition of a professional qualification obtained in foreign countries in the professions regulated in the Republic of Latvia;

6.2. the acquisition and assessment of additional information if the applicant whose home country is not a European Union Member State or a state of the European Free Trade Association has not indicated complete information in the documents appended to the application on his or her acquired education, professional qualification, or professional experience.

7. If the expenditures referred to in Sub-paragraph 6.2 of this Regulation have incurred for the recognition authority, it shall, within two months after receipt of the statement of the information authority, inform the applicant in writing of the necessity to cover the relevant expenditures, and also shall indicate the amount thereof and the procedures for covering the expenditures.

8. The applicant shall, within two weeks after receipt of the information referred to in Paragraph 7 of this Regulation, inform the recognition authority as to whether he or she agrees to cover the costs indicated by the recognition authority. If the applicant does not agree to cover the abovementioned costs, the recognition authority shall take a decision according to the information at the disposal thereof.

9. The applicant has the right to receive back the part of the payment indicated in Sub-paragraph 3.1.2 of this Regulation for the recognition of the professional qualification if, within two weeks after commencement of the recognition process of professional qualification, he or she has revoked in writing (by indicating also his or her bank details) the submission addressed to the information authority on the recognition of the professional qualification in regulated professions. In such case the costs for bank services shall be covered by the applicant.

10. If the recognition authority, in accordance with the laws and regulations which determine the procedures for the performance of the aptitude test of a provider of the temporary services, has taken the decision to perform the aptitude test for a person who commences the provision of the temporary services for the first time, the relevant person shall, until performance of the aptitude test, submit such documents to the recognition authority which confirm the payment of the expenditures referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.2 of this Regulation in the bank account indicated by the recognition authority.

11. Expenditures for the services referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.3, 3.4, or 3.5 of this Regulation shall be covered by the recipient thereof in accordance with the laws and regulations which determine the procedures for the exchange and supervision of information within the scope of the Internal Market Information System, the responsibility of the institutions involved in exchange of information, and the procedures for the issuing of the European Professional Card.

Prime Minister A. K. Kariņš

Minister for Education and Science I. Šuplinska

Translation © 2022 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)