Documents at the Consular Department (address: Street Elizabetes 57, Riga, LV-1050) can be submitted BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT:
Upon submitting documents for legalisation, please present/submit following:
- your passport/eID;
- the document to be legalised;
- filled-in application form; if several documents are submitted, additional application forms need to be filled in;
- state fee can be paid at the Consular Department with a credit/debit card (VISA, VISA Electron, Maestro, Master). State fee – 40 EUR for 1 document legalisation within 2 hours; 25 EUR for 1 document legalisation within 5 working days.
Working hours (by prior appointment only):
Monday: 12:30 –16:00
Tuesday: 09:00 – 12:00
Thursday: 09:00 – 12:00
Friday: 09:00 – 12:00
Please note that the submitted documents must meet all requirements, otherwise the Consular Department will not be able to carry out legalisation procedure. Therefore, it is necessary to contact the institution which requires legalisation and clarify if the legalisation is necessary for:
- original document / notarized copy of the document;
- translation of the document;
- both original document / notarized copy of the document and translation of the document.
Document CANNOT be legalised if the Consular Department does not have at its disposal a specimen signature of the undersigning official and a sample of the relevant seal or stamp, or if they do not comply with the requirements for the processing of documents specified in legislation (for example, translations or copies are not bound together and sealed, the document is laminated etc.)
If it is necessary to request a specimen signature of the undersigning official and a sample of the stamp from a Latvian or foreign institution, the procedure can be extended for an unspecified period.
Document CANNOT be legalised, if it is issued or intended for use in a foreign country which has joined the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents (ccf77ba4-af95-4e9c-84a3-e94dc8a3c4ec.pdf (hcch.net). Under those circumstances it must be authenticated with an apostille by sworn notaries of Latvia (www.latvijasnotars.lv, e-mail address: info@latvijasnotars.lv).
In line with international practice and the Cabinet Regulation No 264 of 18.06.2019. “Regulations for Legalisation of Public Documents”, prior to legalising documents of certain countries at the Consular Department, the documents must be legalised both at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and the embassy of the issuing country. See here the list of those countries and embassies to which these legalisation requirements apply. Documents issued in these countries cannot be processed urgently. In addition to the application, a copy of the passport must also be submitted.
In case of necessity, please e-mail to legalizacija@mfa.gov.lv