By December 15, individuals who receive a pension from Latvia and who live in a foreign state must submit an application to continue receiving pension payments in 2022 to the State Social Insurance Agency, pursuant to Cabinet Regulation No. 542 - “Procedures for the Payment of State Pensions Granted in the Republic of Latvia to Individuals Who Have Departed for Permanent Residence in a Foreign State”.
Taking into account the amendments to the aforementioned legislation, as well as restrictions related to the epidemiological situation, the SSIA recommends that applicants request continuation of their pension payments remotely:
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You may send the application to the official e-address of the SSIA or to the email address pasts@vsaa.gov.lv, authenticated with a Latvian secure electronic signature (eID karti/eParaksts mobile). In this case, it is not necessary to enclose a notarial certification that the applicant person is alive.
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Applications can be sent by post. An application which is sent by post must be accompanied by the original copy of a notarial certification.
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The application can also be submitted by an authorised person upon presenting a power of attorney. In this case, the original copy of a notarial certification must be enclosed with the application.
A person residing in a Member State of the European Union/European Economic Area may ask about the possibility to certify the fact of life at the competent authority in pension matters of the country of residence.
A person residing in Canada may send a completed application for pension payment continuation which is approved by the competent authority in Canada: the form „Application for pension payment continuation”.
Recipients of a pension from Latvia residing in Lithuania, Estonia or Australia do not have to submit a life certificate because the information exchange on recipients of pensions takes place electronically between the competent authorities.
Recipients of a pension from Latvia residing in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine for whom the payment of pension takes place via competent authorities do not need to submit a life certificate.
In order to receive a survivor’s pension, a notarial certification is required to prove that both the pension recipient and the dependant to whom the pension has been granted are alive. If the dependant receiving the survivor’s pension sends a valid certificate of studies to prove they enrolled in higher education (after reaching the age of 18) and to extend the payment of the pension, the additional submission of a notarial certification is not necessary.
It is possible that notarial deeds in foreign states may also be executed by other legal entities or authorities. In each individual case, the SSIA will separately review the submitted life certificate documents and the information provided therein.