26.03.2008.
Citizenship is one of the strongest links between an individual and the State in which he or she lives. Citizenship is also the key to full political participation. Statistical data for the year 2008 indicate that 81.6% of Latvia's resident population holds Latvian citizenship. Latvia has adopted all necessary legislation in relation to naturalisation and citizens' rights and ensures that it is fairly and equitably implemented.
The Law on Citizenship was adopted in 1995. In elaborating its citizenship legislation, Latvia took into account recommendations of international human rights organisations such as the UN, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE. These organisations have acknowledged that Latvia's citizenship legislation corresponds to the norms of democracy and human rights. Several amendments to the Law have been made in consultation with experts from the OSCE and the Council of Europe. The latest amendments, affirmed by the people of Latvia at a referendum in 1998, led to the law being further liberalised.
The fundamental principles of the Law on Citizenship are based on the fact that after Latvia's independence was renewed, all laws and the Constitution adopted during the period prior to Soviet and Nazi occupations remained in force. Consequently, holders of Latvian citizenship prior to 1940 and their descendants were granted citizenship automatically after 1991. Forty per cent of Russians residing in Latvia at the time, for example, obtained their citizenship in this manner.
The Law on Citizenship determines the procedure by which all permanent residents of Latvia may become citizens and establishes the requirements that applicants for citizenship need to fulfil in order to participate fully in national public life, including a knowledge of the Latvian language and of Latvia's history.
Naturalisation
The naturalisation process has always had an important role to play in furthering social integration. Following the liberalisation of the Law on Citizenship in autumn of 1998, the number of naturalisation applications rose almost fourfold. The Law provides for the granting of citizenship within a one-year time frame, however, in practice, the procedure takes no more than three to six months. Children born to non-citizens in Latvia after the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991 are automatically entitled to Latvian citizenship.
On 30 April 2004, the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration in co-operation with the Ministry for Children and Family Affairs sent a letter to parents of the 15,000 children born after 1991 inviting them to register their children as citizens of Latvia and also explaining the due procedure. This initiative stimulated increased activity on the part of these parents. Altogether 7089 children who were born in Latvia after August 21, 1991 and whose parents are non-citizens or stateless persons, have been granted Latvian citizenship.
Interest in naturalisation and the rate at which citizenship is granted remains consistently high. Since September 2003, the number of applications for naturalisation doubled (2,422 applications during the period from September to December 2002 compared to 5,159 applications during the same period in 2003). A total of 2,440 applications for naturalisation were received in November 2004, and this is the highest number of applications received during one month in the history of the Naturalisation Board. The number of applications has also remained very high during 2005, as is indicated by the 19,807 applications received during the year. During 2006, there were 10,581 applications, and 3308 applications were received during 2007. Significant factors leading to an increase in the number of naturalised persons were the public campaigns carried out by the Government and Latvia's joining the European Union. Since the start of the naturalisation process in 1995 and until 31 December 2007, altogether 125,031 applications for naturalisation were received. By order of the Cabinet of Ministers 127,786 persons were granted Latvian citizenship, including 13,572 minors.
The major portion of all applicants for citizenship consists of Russian residents and represents 68.1% of the total. Due to the successful naturalization process, in 2004, citizens of Russian nationality outnumbered non-citizens of Russian nationality for the first time. By 31 December 2007, 57.5% or 367,035 individuals among those 638,410 residents of Russian nationality in Latvia had obtained citizenship.
Number of persons granted Latvian citizenship by order of the Cabinet of Ministers
The Government has adopted a number of legislative and proactive measures to sustain the naturalisation process and encourage non-citizens to apply for citizenship. In the twelve years since the beginning of the naturalisation process in 1995 to 2008, the number of non-citizens has decreased from 29% to 18%. A record high number of naturalised citizens was registered during the years of 2006, when there were 16,439 new citizens, 19,169 persons registered in 2005 and 16,064 in 2004. During the previous periods, in 2003 and 2002, citizenship was granted to 10,049 and 9,844 persons respectively.
2007 marked slowdown in the rate of naturalization. Partly this is due to the new provision that provides visa free traveling to non-citizens to almost all member states of the EU. The Naturalization board in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration will conduct study to clarify causes of the decrease in the numbers of naturalization and evaluate necessary actions to be taken in the future.
In certain cases the naturalisation examinations have been simplified. Since June 2001, graduates of national minority schools who have passed the Latvian language exam are not required to take the language test for naturalisation. Applicants who have reached the age of 65 only need to take the oral part of the language test.
On 16 September 2003, the Latvian government decided to broaden even more the number of groups eligible for paying a reduced naturalisation fee so that naturalisation is more accessible to applicants with a low income. At present, retired persons, students and persons with special needs are eligible for a reduced naturalisation fee (less than 5 EUR). In June 2001, the Government reduced the standard naturalisation fee by a third and broadened the number of groups eligible for paying a reduced naturalisation fee. On average around 40% of applicants for citizenship pay either a reduced state fee or are fully exempt from it.
In co-operation with international partners, the Latvian government provides Latvian language courses free of charge for persons wishing to become citizens. The Latvian Society Integration Foundation has agreed to ensure continuity of this process.
An Information Centre has been established at the Naturalisation Board to disseminate information on the requirements for naturalisation among non-citizens in Latvian and Russian languages. Projects such as brochures and TV advertisements encouraging people to naturalise and a toll-free information hotline, as well as visitors' days offered by regional offices of the Naturalisation Board, informing potential applicants about the requirements for naturalisation, among others, contribute to the sustainability of the naturalisation process.
The Government additionally continues to support an extensive campaign of information on Latvian citizenship and naturalisation, providing information on obtaining Latvian citizenship and encouraging non-citizens to apply. As part of the campaign, information has been disseminated to non-citizens through television and radio advertisements, the Internet, newspapers and personal contact. Information days on citizenship issues have been organised and an Internet page has also been created in Russian. Commencing in 2006, the Naturalisation Board is implementing a new initiative, a series of informative events – information days for national minorities organisations. An information day has already taken place at the Latvian-Lithuanian cultural organisation. Further informative co-operation is planned with other organisations of national minorities.
In searching out new opportunities to promote the naturalisation process, the Naturalisation Board organises information days for companies that employ a large number of non-citizens, for example, during 2006, information days on issues concerning the obtaining of citizenship were held at the sanatorium Belorusija in Jurmala and for workers of the Olainfarm pharmaceutical factory.
State officials, including the President, the Prime Minister and ministers have made public statements on several occasions encouraging non-citizens to naturalise.
The effectiveness of the naturalisation process is confirmed by the continuously high pass rates achieved in naturalisation tests - about 90% of applicants pass on their first attempt.
A good example of this success is the obtaining of citizenship by a person holding refugee status. In December 2004 a Latvian passport was presented to a person who had lived in Latvia as a refugee since 1998 and had obtained citizenship through the naturalisation process. This is the first case in Eastern Europe of a refugee being naturalised.
The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities has stated that Latvia has fulfilled all his recommendations regarding citizenship. The European Union has welcomed the amendments made to the Law on Citizenship and the continuing process of naturalisation.
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