Private documents

Pursuant to Section 10, Paragraph three of the Official Language Law, documents from persons in a foreign language shall be accepted if attached thereto is a translation into the official language, certified in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Cabinet, or notarially certified.

The procedure of certification of private documents is provided for by the Cabinet Regulation No.291 of 22 August 2000 Procedures for the Certification of Document Translations in the Official Language unless it is provided by the laws and regulations that a notarially certified translation of the document is required or another procedure is established. Under Clause 6 of the previously mentioned regulation, in certifying the veracity of a document translation, a translator shall draw up a certification note in the official language on the last page of the translation below the text.  The certification note shall include:

1. the words “TULKOJUMS PAREIZS” [the translation is correct] in capital letters; 
2. the given name, surname and personal identity number of the translator; 
3. the signature of the translator;
4. the name of the place of certification; 
5. the date of certification.

The same provisions are applicable to the private documents issued in foreign countries as to the private documents issued in the Republic of Latvia.

Public documents

Pursuant to Article 1 of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter — Hague Convention), the following are deemed to be public documents:

1. documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with the courts or tribunals of the state, including those emanating from a public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process-server;
2. administrative documents; 
3. notarial acts;
4. official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity,  such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in  existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures, including, documents issued by foreign competent authorities shall be deemed public documents as well, for example, statements on a foreign legal person registered in a respective country.

All public documents shall be attached a notarially certified translation into Latvian.

Legalisation of public documents

If an issuing country of a public document is a member state of the Hague Convention, the public document shall be legalised according to the procedure provided for by the Hague Convention, namely, veracity of the public document shall be certified with “Apostille” certification by a competent authority of an issuing country of the public document. The public document certified with “Apostille” of a competent authority of an issuing country of the public document shall be valid for submission to the Register of Enterprises without additional approval.

The list of the member states of the Hague Convention is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.

At the same time it should be indicated that in case a public document issued in the Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine or Uzbekistan is submitted to the Register of Enterprises by a private person, without the mediation of central authorities, the public documents issued by the aforementioned countries shall be legalised according to the procedure provided for by the Hague Convention as well. Namely, in this case Article 13 of the agreements on legal assistance entered into between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine or Uzbekistan shall not be applicable.

If the issuing country of the public document is not a member state of the Hague Convention, the public document shall be legalised according to the procedure provided for by the Cabinet Regulation No.186 of 20 March 2012 Regulations for Legalisation of Public Documents, namely, a public document shall be first legalised by a competent authority of the respective issuing country of the public document and then it shall be legalised by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia or diplomatic or consular representation of the Republic of Latvia in the issuing country of the respective public document.

Public documents, which do not require legalisation

Pursuant to Section 3, Paragraph two of the Document Legalisation Law, from 24 November 2010 the legalisation requirement of documents is abolished for documents issued in a state of the European Union, of the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation.  Therefore, if the issuing country of the public document is a member state of the European Union, of the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation, the Register of Enterprises accepts the public document without legalisation.

The list of the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.

Issuing of documents

Documents in a foreign language (and their translations) may be submitted to the Register both in a paper and electronic form. At the same time, it should be indicated that in case it is planned to submit the documents in a foreign language and their translation electronically that are signed by secure electronic signature issued by another country, we recommend using “.asice” extension established by the European Union for the “.edoc” files.