Declaration of residence and its registration.

When selling or buying real estate, the residence declaration is essential. The place of residence must be declared by a person who changes the place of residence or who has not declared the place of residence until now. We will help solve interested parties’ questions related to the residence declaration and its processes. Who needs to declare residence and why?

• The place of residence must be declared by a person who changes the place of residence or who has not declared the place of residence until now. By declaring residence in a certain municipality, a person becomes a resident of the relevant municipality. Therefore, the person is entitled to receive the services of the relevant municipality, for example, the opportunity to register a child in the municipal pre-school educational institution, to receive social assistance from the municipality, etc.
• According to the provisions of the Residence Declaration Law, in the event of a change of residence, the relevant person is obliged to declare it at the residence declaration authority within a month since he/she permanently resides in the new residence. The purpose of the law is to make a person reachable in legal relations with the state and local government.
• According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Latvia, a person is given a warning or fined for not declaring the place of residence (Article 186, second part), while a fine is imposed on the person for knowingly providing false information to the authorities for declaring the place of residence when declaring the place of residence (Article 190.10). Therefore, it is important to declare correctly and provide truthful information when declaring.

Where can I declare my place of residence?

• Electronically, on the portal: www.latvija.lv;
• Place of residence in the declaration office of the municipality. Each city has a municipal department where you can turn to for help in matters of declaration of residence;
• In the Department of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

When submitting an application, the first name, surname, personal identification number, residential address and the legal basis for living in the declared place of residence must be indicated. When declaring the place of residence, information about the person’s previous address in the Population Register will automatically be replaced by information about the new address. So, it is only necessary to declare and it is not necessary to cancel the old information about the declared place of residence separately.