Latvian interior minister proposes ending mandatory eID card, allowing choice between passport and ID card
Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava has submitted amendments to parliament that would let residents choose between a passport and an ID card as their mandatory identity document, instead of requiring the eID card. The changes are proposed for the bill's second reading.
Latvia's Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava (National Alliance) has submitted amendments to the Law on Identity Documents for consideration in parliament, proposing to drop the current requirement that citizens and non-citizens aged 15 and older must obtain a personal identity card, commonly known as the eID card.
Under the proposal, both the personal identity card and the Latvian citizen's or non-citizen's passport would be recognized as valid mandatory identity documents. This would let each resident decide which document to use for identification, while provisions that currently enforce mandatory possession of the ID card specifically would be removed.
Digital identification landscape has evolved
The Interior Ministry argues that since the eID card became mandatory, the electronic identification environment has developed substantially. Alongside the ID card, residents widely use the state-provided "eParaksts mobile" service as well as the private-sector "Smart-ID" solution. The European Union also plans to introduce a unified European digital identity wallet in the future.
According to the ministry, the ID card is no longer the only means of accessing electronic services, so there is no longer justification for requiring every resident to obtain this specific document. The state should continue to require that a person hold a valid identity document, but the choice of document type should be left to the individual.
Complaints about fees and usage statistics
The proposal's justification notes that the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs regularly receives complaints from residents about having to pay a state fee for the eID card in situations where they use a passport for travel but rely on "eParaksts mobile" for online authentication.
The ministry cites statistics showing that use of "eParaksts mobile" has grown far faster in recent years than use of the eID card's electronic functions. In 2025, "eParaksts mobile" was used for 30 million electronic identification instances, compared with 4.3 million for eID cards.
The ministry believes dropping the mandatory requirement would also reduce administrative burden and risks in situations where technological changes would otherwise require mass replacement of documents. The amendments have been submitted for the bill's second reading in parliament.
