Pensioners Living Abroad Must Confirm Latvian Pension Payments by 15 December
Latvia's State Social Insurance Agency (VSAA) reminds Latvian pension recipients living abroad to submit a request by 15 December to continue payments in 2027. Otherwise, payments may be suspended from 1 January.
Latvian pension recipients who live abroad must submit a request to the State Social Insurance Agency (VSAA) by 15 December to continue receiving payments in 2027. If the agency does not receive the document by the deadline, it will suspend the relevant payments from 1 January 2027. The requirement stems from Cabinet of Ministers regulations on paying state pensions to people who have left Latvia to live permanently abroad.
Who must apply
The obligation applies to pension recipients living abroad, as well as certain Latvian residents who receive a pension or compensation in a foreign account. Residents of Latvia must apply if they have chosen to receive payments in an account at a payment institution in an EU member state, a European Economic Area country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. Those who receive their pension in an account at a Latvian payment institution do not need to apply.
The VSAA accepts requests from 1 October to 15 December. Forms are available on the agency's website under "Citi iesniegumi" (other applications).
How to submit
The request can be sent to the e-address, emailed with a secure electronic signature to pasts@vsaa.gov.lv, delivered to any VSAA customer service centre, mailed, or submitted through an authorised representative. If sent by post or through a representative, a notarised confirmation that the recipient is alive must be attached. It must have been issued no earlier than one month before submission.
Exceptions and special cases
Proof of life is not required from pensioners living in Lithuania, Estonia and Australia, because the institutions exchange information electronically. It is also unnecessary for those in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine if the pension is paid through those countries' competent authorities. Residents of Canada or Guernsey can send a request confirmed by the competent authority.
For a survivor's pension, confirmation is needed for both the recipient and the dependant, for example a parent must provide it for themselves and the child. If a dependant aged 18 or older submits a valid study certificate from 1 October, the notarised confirmation may be omitted. The VSAA will assess each case individually.
