• The law On the regulated professions and recognition of a professional qualification;
• Cabinet Regulation No. 827 of 20 December 2016 Procedures for the recognition of professional qualifications for permanent professional activity in the Republic of Latvia;
• other provisions of the Cabinet of Ministers issued in accordance with the said Law.

The law contains legal provisions arising from Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications.

Regulated are those professions for which the law On regulated professions and the recognition of professional qualifications requirements for education and professional qualifications are laid down. These requirements vary from profession to profession.

The list of regulated professions in Latvia is also available at the level of the Academic Information Centre in the database of regulated professions.

There is no regulated education and training in Latvia, as well as training with a special structure as referred to in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC Article 11(c) (ii).

The European Professional Card is an electronic document equivalent to the decision on the recognition of professional qualifications. Application for a European professional card also takes place electronically YourEurope. The European Professional Card may be applied for by nationals of EU Member States who have the right to pursue a professional activity in another EU Member State or have obtained professional qualifications in the profession of a nurse, physiotherapist, pharmacist, mountain guide and real estate agent. The last two professions are not regulated in Latvia, so the recognition of professional qualifications is not necessary for work in Latvia. In Latvia, European Professional Card applications are processed by institutions issuing certificates for the recognition of professional qualifications, i.e., in the nursing profession - Health Inspectorate, physiotherapist - Latvian Union of Professional Organisations for Medical Persons, pharmacist - Latvian Pharmacist Association.

The European Professional Card in these professions is open to persons who wish to pursue their own professional activities in another EU Member State and those who wish to provide temporary services.

Website of the European Commission YourEurope additional information is available as well as a link to the website where the European Professional Card can be applied for.

The fee for processing the application shall be:

• EUR 80 for persons who have obtained professional qualifications in Latvia and who apply for the recognition of professional qualifications in another EU country;
• EUR 240 for persons who have obtained professional qualifications abroad and apply for the recognition of professional qualifications in Latvia.

If a citizen of the European Union or an EFTA Member State who carries out a permanent professional activity in his or her country wishes to provide temporary services (in terms of limited duration or the nature of the case) in a regulated profession in Latvia, the procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications described above shall not be performed.

However, in most cases the service provider must provide declaration for an institution issuing a professional qualification recognition certificate, as well as in part of the professions (or specialties), such institution may perform a qualification check of the service provider before the service provider begins to provide services temporarily for the first time in Latvia (the list of these professions is available in the database of regulated professions.

The regulated professions in which a declaration is not to be submitted at the beginning of the provision of temporary services in Latvia shall not be required: independent expert on the energy performance of buildings, rank-minister, ship engineer, radio specialist, lawyer, lawyer, lawyer, patent pilot, military paramedics, real estate valuer, sworn auditor.

The relevant professions, the content of the declaration and the procedures for submitting the declaration shall be determined by Cabinet Regulation No. 47 of 21 January 2021 Arrangements for the provision of temporary professional services in a regulated profession in the Republic of Latvia.

Those rules shall also provide for a fee for the proficiency check, if any, of EUR 100.

May also apply for short-term services in the profession of nurse, pharmacist or physiotherapist by European Professional Card.

• Information institution (see also database of regulated professions) adopt documents and evaluate them. If necessary, additional documents shall be requested.
• The information institution shall draw up a statement regarding acquired education and send it to the institution issuing the professional qualification certificate (see also database of regulated professions).
• Institution issuing a certificate of recognition of professional qualifications, compare the content of the educational and professional qualifications acquired abroad with the requirements specified in Latvia for a particular profession, and accordingly take a decision regarding the recognition of professional qualifications, partial recognition with additional requirements, non-recognition or recognition of a part of the profession. If, as a result of the comparison, an institution determines an additional requirement - a conformity assessment of the qualification or an adaptation period, it shall inform the applicant regarding the institutions in which the conformity assessment of the qualification can be carried out and, if necessary, to acquire the missing education, or of the qualified representatives of the relevant profession in the Republic of Latvia, who may perform the supervision of the applicant during the adaptation period.
• The time limit for taking decisions is specified in the Law On regulated professions and the recognition of professional qualifications Article 43.
• The decision may be appealed in accordance with the procedures specified by the Administrative Procedure Law to the Ministry, which is the leading State administrative authority in the field of policy relevant to the regulated profession.

Documents for the recognition of professional qualifications for permanent professional activity shall be submitted to the information institution. The information institution can be found for each profession in the database of regulated professions by clicking on the name of the profession concerned.

Documents to be submitted:

• Application;
• A copy of the identity document;
• Evidence of education and professional qualifications (diplomas and annexes thereto (extracts of performance));
• Documents from the country of origin concerning the right to pursue a profession in a given country (certificates, licences, registration, etc., if any);
• A statement of work experience abroad (if any);
• For doctors, veterinarians, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, dentists, architects, a statement of good repute from the country of origin and the absence of disciplinary violations.

Documents may be submitted to the information institution:

• personal presentation of original documents or notarially certified copies;
• by post, accompanied by notarially certified copies of the document;
• electronically, by signing the application with a secure electronic signature.

Documents in foreign languages need a translation in Latvian (notary approval for the signature of an interpreter is not necessary).

Documents issued outside the EU (except Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan) should be legalised in .

The fee for the recognition of professional qualifications shall be EUR 240, the payment shall be made in the account of the information institution. The institution issuing the certificate of recognition of professional qualifications shall, where necessary, inform the applicant of the additional costs related to the assessment of the qualification, the adaptation period or the acquisition and evaluation of additional information.

Documents for the recognition of professional qualifications acquired in the EU in the profession of nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist may also be submitted electronically using European Professional Cards the platform.

Persons wishing to practise in the regulated profession in Latvia shall also be subject to the requirements of the knowledge of the official (Latvian) language, which are specified in Cabinet Regulation No 733 of 7 July 2009 Regulations regarding the extent of the knowledge of the official language, the procedures for the verification of the proficiency of the official language and the State fee for the verification of the proficiency of the official language. For example, doctors, nurses, doctors' assistants, veterinarians, educators, surveymen, sports specialists must know the Latvian language at C1 level in accordance with these Regulations.

Additional information on the procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications may be obtained at the website of the Academic information centre or by electronic email prof@aic.lv.

More information on the recognition of professional qualifications in the European Union is available at European Commission website.

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