Procedures for the Recognition of Travel Documents of Foreigners

Issued pursuant to
Section 4, Paragraph four of the Immigration Law

1. The Regulation prescribes the procedures by which the travel documents of foreigners are recognised in the Republic of Latvia.

2. The following terms are used in this Regulation:

2.1. issuing country - a country, an international organisation, or an internationally unrecognised national or territorial formation which has issued a travel document of a foreigner;

2.2. institutions - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Border Guard, the State Police, and the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (hereinafter - the Office);

2.3. document to be assessed - a travel document of a foreigner, including its modification, for which the decision on its recognition in the Republic of Latvia has not been taken (sample of the relevant document or detailed description of such document).

3. A document to be assessed may be recognised in the Republic of Latvia if it is:

3.1. the property of the issuing country and has been issued by the competent authority of the relevant issuing country, and also if the laws and regulations of the relevant issuing country stipulate that the holder of such document has the right to cross the border of the relevant issuing country and to travel abroad;

3.2. the travel document of a refugee issued in accordance with the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951;

3.3. the travel document of a stateless person issued in accordance with the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons of 28 September 1954;

3.4. a travel document issued by an international organisation;

3.5. the travel document of a seafarer issued in accordance with the Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention of 13 May 1958 or another travel document of a seafarer which includes the information specified in the abovementioned convention;

3.6. licence of an aircrew member issued in accordance with Annex 9 to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 7 December 1944;

3.7. a temporary travel document.

4. Unless otherwise provided for by the international agreements binding on the Republic of Latvia, a document to be assessed may be recognised in the Republic of Latvia if:

4.1. it is protected against forgery;

4.2. the information therein is provided in the original language and English or French;

4.3. a place for visas is provided therein;

4.4. the following information on the holder of the document is provided therein:

4.4.1. given name (names);

4.4.2. surname;

4.4.3. date of birth;

4.4.4. place of birth;

4.4.5. gender;

4.4.6. photograph;

4.4.7. signature (except for the travel document of a minor child);

4.5. the following information on the document is provided therein:

4.5.1. issuing country;

4.5.2. name of the issuing institution;

4.5.3. document number;

4.5.4. issuing date of the document;

4.5.5. the term of validity of the document.

5. If the document to be assessed does not conform to the requirements referred to in Sub-paragraph 4.3 of this Regulation, it may be recognised in the Republic of Latvia if such recognition conforms to the international obligations of the Republic of Latvia.

6. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the State Border Guard shall send the document to be assessed to the State Police. The State Police shall provide an opinion on the conformity of the document with the requirement referred to in Sub-paragraph 4.1 of this Regulation.

7. The State Police shall send the document to be assessed to the Office. The Office shall provide an opinion on the validity of the document to be assessed for entry into the Republic of Latvia and receipt of a visa or residence permit.

8. After provision of an opinion, the Office shall send the document to be assessed to the State Border Guard. The State Border Guard shall ensure continuous storage of sample travel documents.

9. The State Police and the Office shall submit the opinions referred to in Paragraphs 6 and 7 of this Regulation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 20 days after the State Police has received the document to be assessed. The State Police shall ensure that the document to be assessed is transferred to the Office in a timely manner in order to ensure compliance with the time limit referred to in this Paragraph.

10. If the State Police or the Office does not provide an opinion within the time limit specified in Paragraph 9 of this Regulation, it shall be deemed that the State Police or the Office do not have, according to their competence, objections against the recognition of the document to be assessed.

11. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall, taking into account the opinions referred to in Paragraphs 6 and 7 of this Regulation, evaluate the conformity of the document to be assessed with the international obligations of the Republic of Latvia which are applicable to the circumstances or conditions of the issuance thereof and shall decide on the following in relation to the document to be assessed:

11.1. recognition in the Republic of Latvia;

11.2. recognition in the Republic of Latvia with additional conditions;

11.3. non-recognition in the Republic of Latvia.

12. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the State Border Guard has received information:

12.1. that the travel document of a foreigner needs to be assessed in accordance with this Regulation, however, a sample of the relevant document to be assessed has not been received and a detailed description of the document is available in any of the official and internationally recognised databases of travel documents of foreigners, the institution shall retrieve the relevant description and handle the document to be assessed in accordance with the procedures referred to in this Regulation;

12.2. on the existence of the travel document of a foreigner, however, its detailed description cannot be found in the official and internationally recognised databases of travel documents of foreigners, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall, upon its own initiative or upon request of institutions, request the document to be assessed from the issuing country of the travel document of the relevant foreigner.

13. If the international legal circumstances change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may review the decision taken in accordance with Paragraph 11 of this Regulation and take a new decision on the recognition of the document to be assessed in the Republic of Latvia.

14. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall, without delay, inform of the decision which has been taken in accordance with Paragraphs 11 and 13 of this Regulation:

14.1. the State Border Guard;

14.2. the Office;

14.3. the institution of the European Union which is responsible for maintaining the lists of uniform travel documents of foreigners.

15. The State Border Guard shall ensure that the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the recognition of travel documents of foreigners in the Republic of Latvia is updated in the information system of sample documents.

16. The decision on the recognition of a travel document of a foreigner in the Republic of Latvia shall be valid until:

16.1. the issuing country informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the use of the travel document of the foreigner has been discontinued;

16.2. the issuing country changes legal status and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been informed of the further use of the travel document of the foreigner;

16.3. another decision on the recognition of the document is taken.

17. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall inform the State Border Guard in the case referred to in Paragraph 16 of this Regulation. In the cases referred to in Sub-paragraph 16.3 of this Regulation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall also inform the institution of the European Union which is responsible for maintaining the list of uniform travel documents of foreigners.

18. The following travel documents of foreigners are also recognised in the Republic of Latvia:

18.1. a travel document the sample, copy, or detailed description of which has been received until the day of coming into force of Cabinet Regulation No. 215 of 29 April 2003, Procedures for the Recognition of Travel Documents of Foreigners;

18.2. a travel document which has been recognised in accordance with Paragraph 15 of Cabinet Regulation No. 215 of 29 April 2003, Procedures for the Recognition of Travel Documents of Foreigners, and does not lose its validity in accordance with Paragraph 15 of this Regulation.

19. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall transfer the sample travel documents of foreigners at its disposal to the State Border Guard within six months after the day of coming into force of this Regulation.

20. Cabinet Regulation No. 215 of 29 April 2003, Procedures for the Recognition of Travel Documents of Foreigners (Latvijas Vēstnesis, 2003, No. 65; 2004, No. 52; 2007, No. 153), is repealed.

Prime Minister A. K. Kariņš

Minister for Foreign Affairs E. Rinkēvičs

Translation © 2022 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)