From 1 October to 15 December, recipients of Latvian pensions living abroad must submit an application to the State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) to continue receiving pension payments in 2027. This is required under the Cabinet Regulation No. 542 of 27 June 2006 "Procedures for the Payment of the State Pensions Granted in the Republic of Latvia to Persons After Departure for Permanent Residence in Foreign States".
These requirements also apply to recipients of pensions and benefits granted by the State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) residing in Latvia, who have chosen to have their payments transferred to an account held with a payment institution not registered in Latvia, but in an EU Member State, an EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. This requirement is laid down in Section 29 of the Law on State Social Insurance.
Application forms are available on the SSIA website at https://www.vsaa.gov.lv/lv/citi-iesniegumi
If the SSIA does not receive an application by 15 December, the disbursement of the pension or benefit will be suspended as of 1 January of the following year.
An application for continuation of pension payment may be submitted:
by using an email address;
electronically, by signing the application with a secure electronic signature and sending it to pasts@vsaa.gov.lv;
in person at any of the SSIA Customer Service Centres;
by post, sent to any SSIA customer service centre;
through an authorised representative.
If the application is sent by post or submitted through an authorised representative, it must be accompanied by a notarised proof of life certificate of pension recipient. The certificate must be issued no earlier than one month prior to the date application is sent or submitted to the SSIA.
If residing in a Member State of the European Union/European Economic Area, the person receiving a pension may consult the competent authority for pensions in the country of residence about the possibility of proving the fact of living.
If residing in Canada or Guernsey, you can send a completed application for the continuation of your Latvian pension payment, certified by the competent authority by using the form “Application for pension payment continuation”.
The proof of life does not have to be submitted by persons receiving a Latvian pension, who reside in:
Lithuania, Estonia and Australia, as information exchange on pension recipients between institutions is carried out electronically.
Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, if the pension is paid through the competent institutions of these countries.
To continue receiving a survivor's pension, a notarised certificate confirming that both the recipient and the dependent to whom the pension was granted are alive is required. This means that the recipient of the pension, e.g., a parent, must provide the SSIA with proof of living for both him/herself and his/her dependent (child).
If the dependent receiving the survivor's pension submits a valid certificate of studies as of 1 October to confirm his/her studies (from the age of 18) and to continue pension payments, the notarised proof of life is not mandatory.
It is possible that abroad other legal persons or institutions may also carry out notarial activities. Therefore, in each specific case, the SSIA will assess the document submitted and the information provided therein proving the fact of living of the person on a case-by-case basis.