In order to unite the accommodation possibilities provided by private persons for war refugees from Ukraine, the information register has created an opportunity for private persons, by authenticating with latvija.lv, to register their property for accommodation.

Any individual who is ready to offer their own housing for the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees is invited to authenticate on this portal and register it, including a number of technical details, such as how many people can be accommodated, where the property is located, whether the accommodation is suitable or suitable. persons with functional disorders, etc.

The information on accommodation submitted in the register will be passed on to municipalities for further use. Information from the local governments of this system will help to solve the issues of accommodation more quickly, in cooperation with private persons.

In order to apply for support for the accommodation of civilians in Ukraine, an application must be submitted to the municipality within 14 days from the date of accommodation, choosing the type of support you will want to receive - rent or compensation. The information of all municipalities is available together in this document “Municipal information on rent and remuneration”. Read more here.

In order to obtain the services provided by state and local authorities, you need to register with one of the municipalities. The scope of services may vary from one municipality to another.

Services can be received in person, while in Latvia for up to 90 days, by presenting a personal identity document issued in Ukraine or another country, but if you are in Latvia for more than 90 days, you also need a long-term visa issued in Latvia. If the term of validity of the document issued in Ukraine has expired, in Latvia it will be considered to be valid until 28 February 2023. An application for a long-term visa can be filled in electronically here. Next the form should be filled in and signed and accompanied by passport data sheet copies (including regarding visas/border crossings) or a copy of a personal identity document or a copy of a birth certificate (for a child). A visa application can be submitted:

• in person at the Joint Support Centre for Ukrainian inhabitants at Kaļķu Street 1, Riga;
• in person at one of the joint State and municipality client service centres (please make an appointment beforehand by phone);
• sent by post to the Office of Citizenship and Migratory Affairs’ Migration Department or any territorial branch. In this case, you should attach a 35 × 45 mm photograph.

OR

If you do not have a valid personal ID document, in order to receive State and municipality services, you must obtain a residency permit. In order to receive a residency permit, you should fill in application form for a residency permit electronically, and then print out and sign it. Residency permit applications can be submitted at:

• in person at the Joint Support Centre for Ukrainian inhabitants at Kaļķu Street 1, Riga;
• in person at one of the joint State and municipality client service centres (please make an appointment beforehand by phone);
• sent by post to the Office of Citizenship and Migratory Affairs’ Migration Department or any territorial branch.

Important! Documents to be submitted may also be produced on site in the institutions.
Minors must be present at the time of submission of a long-term visa application or on receipt of a long-term visa.
Children under 14 years of age must be present at the time of submission of an application for a residence permit or on receipt of a residence permit.

Residency permits can also be used to apply for services electronically, because it includes an electronic signature, which can be used for authorisation on institution websites, as well as for signing electronic documents. In Latvia, an electronic signature can obtained in several ways: eSignature on an eID card or using the mobile application eSignature mobile. With these tools, it is possible to create an e-address (a resident’s mailbox on the website Latvija.lv), which can be used to contact State and municipality institutions, including to apply for services.

If you have been granted temporary protection in Latvia (a visa or temporary residence permit has been issued, or a personal identification number has been issued) and you are going to leave Latvia to return to Ukraine or go to another country, you must submit an application for temporary protection status and visa or temporary residence to the Directorate of Citizenship and Migration Affairs cancellation of permission.

A submission can be submitted:

• write an application (LV-UA languages or LV-RU languages), sign with a secure electronic signature and send to OCMA  e-address or to pasts@pmlp.gov.lv;
• in person at OCMA or at unified customer service center;
• in person in the diplomatic or consular representation of the Republic of Latvia in a foreign country.

If your minor children or persons under guardianship or guardianship are traveling with you, please fill in the information for each of these persons.

If, after arrival in Latvia, you cannot find a place to live for you and your family, regardless of whether you will require a place to live for a period of up to a month or longer, to arrange this:

• please contact the municipality in whose territory you are located;
• or by calling: +371 27 380 380;
• or search on the website majasbegliem.lv.

Be prepared to provide information about the number of persons, their age and gender, as well as to provide information about whether these persons include children without their parents. If appropriate, you should also provide information about any additional support you require, for example, for pregnant women, families with children up to two years of age, or for people with functional disabilities – mobility problems, mental disabilities, care requirements, specific health care and other needs.

You can receive this service for up to 120 days if you signed up before May 24, or up to 90 days if you signed up after May 24.

To receive meals, including special nutrition, please contact municipality in whose territory you find yourself, or the joint assistance coordination point provided by the State and the municipality.

After you receive a statement from the municipality’s social service authority regarding the crisis situation, one time in three months at more than 400 distribution points throughout Latvia you can receive:

• two food packages;
• a hygiene and household product package;
• two additional packages of children’s food if your family has babies or toddlers aged 7 to 24 months;
• an additional package of hygiene products if your family has small children up to 2 years old;
• a package of education items for a family with primary school and secondary school aged children.

At soup kitchens run by the European Support Foundation to help impoverished people, you can receive ready meals without the need to present a statement or other documents.

You can receive this service for up to 120 days if you signed up before May 24, or up to 90 days if you signed up after May 24.

For emergency medical assistance, please call the Emergency Medical Assistance Service on 113 or 112.

You can receive all health care services paid for by the Latvian State, which are available to members of the Latvian public. More information is available on the National Health Service website. If you need information and or have any questions or queries, please call the following numbers in English or Russian: +371 80 001 234 (Monday–Thursday from 08:30–17:00, Friday from 08:30–15:00), or when calling from an overseas number: +371 67 045 005.

You will not be required to pay patient’s co-financing, unless you are in work (you are an employee or self-employed).

A pharmacy will issue you with medicines required for treating chronic illnesses, except narcotic medicines or equivalent psychotropic medicines, based on a prescription issued in Ukraine if it is written in clearly legible handwriting or using a computer or other technical aids, which ensure that the details and text of the prescription can be clearly understood. Medicines will also be issued if the prescription’s term of validity has expired no more than 14 days beforehand.

Free psychoemotional support is available to children, teenagers and their families. More information is available on the website of the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Welfare’s free social support hotline is: +371 80 700 011.

If you need to do so, you can contact the municipality’s social service (in the municipality territory where you are currently living, in order to apply to receive the following benefits:

• one-off benefits in a crisis of €272 for adults and €190 for each child;
• the guaranteed minimum income allowance of EUR 109 for the first person and EUR 76 for each subsequent person in the household of a Ukrainian civilian;
• other financial support or social services based on your individual personal needs.

By appealing to the State Social Insurance Agency or joint State and municipality client service centres, by presenting a long-term visa or residence permit, you may apply for:

• childbirth allowance;
• parental allowance;
• family state allowance.

If a child has arrived in Latvia unaccompanied by his parents, the child’s emergency guardian can apply at any municipality to receive monthly support payment for fulfilling the duties of an emergency guardian in the amount of EUR 171 regardless of the number of unaccompanied children. In addition, you can apply to receive a subsistence payment for an unaccompanied child, as well as a support payment to buy clothing and soft products (for example, bed linen, blankets, pillows and a mattress). In accordance with the Ukrainian Civilians’ Support Law, monthly support for the subsistence of an unaccompanied child is:

• EUR 215 for an unaccompanied child up to 7 years of age;
• EUR 258 for an unaccompanied child aged 7 to 18 years.

Every child can receive an education in Latvian or in the language of an ethnic minority at pre-school education and primary education level. Likewise children can also attend interest-based education groups. More detailed information is available on the Ministry of Education and Science website. The school map is available at: www.izm.kartes.lv.

If you are studying in Ukraine, you have the opportunity to continue your studies in Latvia, state and private universities and colleges. The recognition of previous education documents and the admission of students to an appropriate study program shall fall within the competence of the educational institution. By 30 June 2022, any student admitted may receive a Latvian State grant of EUR 140 per month. More information is available on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science and on the www.studyinlatvia.lv.

If you are doing scientific research in Ukraine, you have the opportunity to continue your scientific activity in Latvia. If the scientific institution offers you apprenticeships (without being paid for), the Latvian State will provide you with a research grant of EUR 900 per month by 31 August 2022. More information is available on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science and on the website of the State Education and Development Agency.

Getting a paid job

In order to be able to work in Latvia, you need one of the following documents:

• a long-term visa or

• residency permit.

To make it easier for you to find a job, it is first worth contacting the State Employment Agency to obtain the status of an unemployed person or job seeker. There you can find support for refugees and integration of people of alternative status into the Latvian job market, arranging an appointment in person at any of the State Employment Agency’s branches. You can also visit the State Employment Agency’s CV and vacancy portal. You do not need to register to search for a vacancy on the portal. On the right-hand side of the portal’s landing page, use the search tool to find the type of employment you are interested in and choose the relevant type of employment with the note "Ukraine".

If you are looking for job opportunities in Latvia with employers, who are specifically interested in hiring Ukrainian civilians, visit this website: www.ukrainetolatvia.teamtailor.com.

If you worked as a doctor in Ukraine, you can continue working in your profession. Check out the information prepared by the Health Inspectorate on employment for Ukrainian medical personnel in Latvia.

For a period of one month from your first day in your new job, you can submit an application to the State Labour Inspectorate and receive a one-time payment to support you as you start work in the amount of EUR 500.

In 2022 the minimum monthly wage before paying taxes based no normal working hours is EUR 500 (EUR 780 in construction). Every month the minimum hourly tariff rate varies depending on the number of normal working hours during the month in question.  More detailed information about this is available from the Ministry of Welfare website.

Other ways of earning income

If you want to do business in Latvia, you should register your company on the Enterprises’ Register website or the public administration service portal: Latvija.lv.

Economic operators should register on the State Revenue Service’s Electronic Declaration System or arrange an appointment in person at any of its branch offices.

From 12 March 2022, the requirements have been simplified for Ukrainian civilians, who want to register in the Taxi Drivers’ Register.

If you have any questions about paying taxes, you can find the information you require on the State Revenue Service website. You can also receive the information you require by calling the hotline: +371 67 120 012, which is specially intended for Ukrainian civilians.

Compliance with and violations of employment requirements

Information about employment requirements in Latvia can be found on the State Labour Inspectorate website.

If you have any questions or queries about employment regulations, as well as about what you should do if these regulations are violate, please contact the State Labour Inspectorate:

• by writing to the following e-mail address: vdi@vdi.gov.lv;
• by consulting the information hotline: +371 67 186 522.

If you have brought a pet to Latvia, you must arrange a visit to a veterinarian to meet State-paid animal registration and compulsory health requirements. More detailed information is available on the Food and Veterinary Service website.

If you have brought a pet into Latvia from Ukraine that does not have an owner, the animal must be placed in quarantine. More detailed information is available on the Food and Veterinary Service website.

You are entitle to use public transport free of charge, which transports passengers on a municipality-funded regional route. You will have a present a personal ID document or another document that proves that you are a Ukrainian civilian, when purchasing a ticket with a 100% discount at the box office or at boarding transport.

Information about registering a vehicle can be found on the Road Traffic Safety Directorate website. The vehicle must be registered within three months of entering Latvia.

The national police, in order to prevent possible violations of law, closely follow developments in society and pay increased attention to the forms of views and actions related to aggression against Ukrainian civilians or support for the Russian war in Ukraine. In cases where you are in contact with potential criminal activities or you have information about possible trafficking in human beings, the State Police shall be reported by calling 110 or 112 (from foreign numbers to +371 67 014 002) or by addressing the nearest State Police station. For possible trafficking in human beings, you can also seek support from one of the following organisations:

• NGO Patvērums Droša māja, Lāčplēša street 75-9/10, Riga, +371 67 898 343. Daily Trust Phone +371 28 612 120, e-mail drosa.maja@gmail.com
• NGO centrs Marta, Matīsa street 49-3, Riga, +371 67 378 539 (from 10:00 to 18:00), e-mail centrs@marta.lv

Ukrainian civilians who are prepared to give evidence of what has happened in Ukraine, including war crimes, must turn to the National Security Service.

Aizkraukle District +371 29 276 729 or +371 26 655 351, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 25 664 454 or +371 27 889 770

Alūksne District +371 26 456 644, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 299 933

Augšdaugava District +371 65 476 829, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 65 421 500

Ādaži District (in welcoming and accommodation matters +371 25 626 704, in refugee support matters +371 29 451 628, regarding schools and pre-schooling +371 26 544 669)

Balvi District +371 28 341 228 (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) or +371 64 501 690

Bauska District +371 28 646 934, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 20 278 188 or +371 29 111 783

Cēsis District +371 26 122 098

Daugavpils (for registration +371 26 655 295, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 65 421 500

Dienvidkurzeme District +371 22 445 072, only regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 63 420 269

Dobele District (24 hours +371 29 785 503 or for registration +371 63 722 002)

Gulbene District (regarding a place to live or accommodation and transport: +371 29 284 673, only regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 297 818)

Jelgava (for registration and regarding a place to live or accommodation 8787, only regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 27 868 795, regarding other matters +371 63 005 527 or +371 29 433 212)

Jelgava District +371 27 868 795, only regarding a place to live or accommodation 8787

Jēkabpils District +371 65 283 888 or +371 25 907 965, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 25 780 667

Jūrmala (Welfare Authority +371 22 549 823 or +371 27 713 352, Education Authority +371 67 511 498, 24 hour medical help hotline +371 80 001 234, Jūrmala Municipal Police 24 hour hotlines (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) +371 67 740 448 or +371 29 444 810)

Krāslava District +371 65 624 383

Kuldīga District +371 28 881 288, only regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 27 020 937

Ķekava District 8488, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 22 123 450

Liepāja (Municipality hotline (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) +371 63 420 269, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 22 445 072, for provision of short-term accommodation – Information Centre for New Arrivals +371 25 719 118, Liepāja Social Services +371 25 418 244, NGO “Tabitas sirds” for immediate humanitarian assistance +371 29 767 262 or +371 26 142 827, Liepāja Education Authority +371 63 489 141, information about family doctors in Liepāja +371 28 691 133)

Limbaži District +371 29 476 711 (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) or +371 26 422 599

Līvāni District +371 65 307 250, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 492 184

Ludza District +371 29 501 066, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 458 895

Mārupe District +371 25 423 038, +371 67 933 470 or +371 67 914 424, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 25 728 371

Ogre District +371 29 129 877, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 784 026

Olaine District +371 25 659 946, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 204 909

Preiļi District +371 27 865 913 (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) or +371 22 443 812

Rēzekne +371 26 488 499, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 26 447 724 or +371 29 150 544

Rēzekne District +371 20 287 445, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 26 447 724 or +371 29 150 544

Rīga +371 80 000 800, only regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 28 365 842

Ropaži District +371 26 482 289, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 28 711 252

Salaspils District (for registration +371 29 327 156, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 26 378 174, Salaspils Municipal Police 24 hour hotline +371 67 980 033)

Saldus District +371 20 228 180 (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) or +371 27 380 380

Saulkrasti District +371 29 452 778 (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) or +371 67 142 507

Sigulda District +371 65 505 888, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 29 228 437

Smiltene District +371 29 613 117, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 26 396 436

Talsi District +371 26 132 701

Tukums District (8881, in matters related to social help +371 25 759 992)

Valka District +371 28 459 842, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 26 183 387

Valmiera District 8484, only regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 28 681 333

Varakļāni District +371 29 419 134 (also regarding a place to live or accommodation) or +371 27 790 024

Ventspils District +371 29 145 212, regarding a place to live or accommodation +371 28 680 808 or +371 63 680 808

Opening a bank account (LV, RU, UA)

Opening a bank account (EN)

Opening an account within the Latvijas Pasts (Latvian Post) payment system

Free SIM cards

E-solutions - possibility to conveniently receive services of the Latvian state (LV, EN)

E-solutions - possibility to conveniently receive services of the Latvian state (LV, RU)

E-solutions - possibility to conveniently receive services of the Latvian state (LV, UA)

Help for Ukrainian refugees in Latvia

Translation from Latvian into Ukrainian, Russian and English

Exchange of postal items with Ukraine

Local government contact details for accommodation
Registration of housing for assistance

Послуги для цивільного населення України