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Consular assistance in emergency situations
Issue of a temporary travel document
Material Assistance
Assistance in case of illness or accident
Assistance in case of death
Prior to your trip abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends obtaining travel medical insurance and life insurance with the option of repatriation in case of death. Please note that the residents of Latvia may receive consular assistance in emergency situations through the diplomatic missions abroad.
In countries where there is no Latvian diplomatic mission, please contact the nearest Latvian diplomatic or consular mission. With Latvia's accession to the European Union, the residents of Latvia may receive consular assistance from the diplomatic or consular missions of other EU member states, where no Latvian diplomatic or consular mission has been established.
To receive a consultation or information concerning assistance in emergency situations, please contact the Consular Department of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (telephone: +371 7016364). During non-working hours, please call to the emergency service phone number (+371 29 287 398).
Many emergency situations abroad can be solved more easily if precautionary steps are taken before leaving the country.
It is highly recommended that a person: - insures one's life, health and property;
All expenses of medical aid and transportation provided to a person in an emergency situation should be covered by the person him/herself or relatives, since there are no funds for such purposes allocated in Latvia's state budget. Therefore, insurance is highly necessary in case of person's illness, death and other emergency. If a person has been insured, the expenses mentioned above are covered by the insurance company according to the terms of the insurance policy.
These measures ensure that more prompt and effective assistance can be received in case of an emergency as well as help mitigate or even avoid moral and financial damage.
Issue of a temporary travel document
Residents of the Republic of Latvia who have lost their travel document (passport), or it has been stolen or rendered invalid, should inform the mission of the Republic of Latvia in order to receive a temporary travel document - a return certificate. This document certifies an identity of the person permanently residing in Latvia and allows him/her to return to Latvia crossing its border a single time.
A return certificate is a document that allows its holder to return to Latvia.
In order to receive a return certificate in a Latvian mission abroad, the person should: - fill out an application form indicating the personal data, place of residence in Latvia, relatives and the document the person was holding when leaving Latvia as well as other information;
- submit a police certificate testifying that the document has been stolen or lost;
- submit 2 photos 3X4 cm;
- pay the consular fee LVL 10,00 (LVL 5,00 for persons under the age of 16);
Subsequently, a consular officer inquires with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Interior whether a return certificate can be issued to the person or not.
After crossing Latvia's border, the person should hand the return certificate to the local bureau of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Interior at his/her place of residence in order to obtain a new passport.
Material Assistance
In 2003, one hundred residents of Latvia lost their means of subsistence abroad and asked for consular assistance in Latvia's diplomatic and consular missions.
There are no financial resources allocated in the Latvian state budget for non-refundable material assistance to persons who have lost their means of subsistence abroad. However, there is a special procedure to provide a person with the sum of money necessary to return to Latvia.
Residents of Latvia who have lost their means of subsistence may ask for assistance in the mission of Latvia to contact his/her friends and relatives in Latvia and ask them to deposit the necessary amount of money with the Consular Department of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (57 Elizabetes Street, Riga; telephone (+371) 7016364). Having received confirmation that the necessary amount of money has been deposited with the Consular Department of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a consular officer provides the person who has lost the means of subsistence with the relevant sum of money from the resources of the mission. Money can also be deposited with an official of the Consular Department during holidays, contacting by telephone (+371) 29 287 398.
Residents of Latvia may also use "Western Union" money transfer services provided by Latvijas Krājbanka and Latvijas pasts.
Assistance in case of an illness or an accident
If a person abroad or his/her relative or friend suffers an accident, contact the local police office and the mission of Latvia.
In case you are in a country where there is no Latvian mission, please contact the Consular Department of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (telephone (+371) 29 287 398).
Assistance in case of death
If a person is abroad with his/her relatives or friends and one of them dies, inform immediately the local police office and the mission of Latvia.
In case you are in a country where there is no Latvian mission, please contact the Consular Department of Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (telephone (+371) 29 287 398).
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