On Wednesday, July 15, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 360 of June 9, 2020, drawn up by the Ministry of Interior “Epidemiological security measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 infection”.
The amendments provide that, prior to arrival in the Republic of Latvia, a person entering through the services of international carriers shall certify in writing that, upon arrival in the Republic of Latvia, the epidemiological security measures specified in the State will be observed to limit the spread of Covid-19 infection. The carrier concerned shall be responsible for the submission of an attestation.
If a person arrives from a State to which special precautionary and restrictive measures apply, the questionnaire shall be referred to the State Border Guard, which in turn shall transmit it to the State Police if the person came from a State to which the special precautionary and restrictive measures do not apply, the data shall be referred to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
In the referred to attestation, the person shall indicate his or her given name, surname, personal identity number, contact phone for communication and the address of the actual place of residence in which the person will be reached, as well as the countries and dates of departure in which the person has stayed during the last 14 days prior to arrival in the territory of the Republic of Latvia.
In the case of a person staying in the country to which the special precautionary and restrictive measures apply, it shall certify that special precautions will be taken, including self-containment. If the address of the actual place of residence is different from the address of the place of self-isolation, the person has a duty to notify the State Police immediately.
A system is scheduled to be prepared within one month, in which the certificates can be submitted electronically.
In order to limit the number of persons travelling in Latvia, the amendments provide that a third-country national who has taken a decision regarding the issuance of a residence permit may receive a document certifying the right of residence at a diplomatic or consular representation of the Republic of Latvia in a foreign state, if he or she has not stayed in the country for the last 14 days to which the special precautions and restrictions are applicable. measures.
On the other hand, with effect from July 15, 2020, diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Latvia in foreign states where the prevalence of Covid-19 infection is recorded, which may pose a serious threat to public health, the adoption of applications for long-term visas (category D), submitted on the basis of a decision taken by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs on the issue of temporary residence permits, the issuance of such visas in the Republic of Latvia.
Prepared by:
Māris Zariņš
Head of the Ministry of Interior's
Communications Department,
Tel.: 67219213
Mob. phone: 29120858
E-mail: maris.zarins@iem.gov.lv