Data authority: relatives may receive personal data of a missing person to settle their affairs

The Data State Inspectorate (DVI) has issued a clarification for situations in which a person has been declared missing. The authority states that relatives of such a person are allowed to receive his or her personal data in order to handle matters and obligations connected to the missing individual.

The explanation addresses a practical question: how family members should proceed when they need to continue managing the affairs of a missing relative, while it remains unclear whether data protection rules permit this. The DVI has confirmed that transferring such data to relatives is permissible specifically for the purpose of resolving the missing person's obligations.

The Data State Inspectorate is the authority responsible in Latvia for overseeing compliance with personal data protection requirements and for explaining how relevant regulations apply in practice. Clarifications of this kind help both residents and various institutions understand how to act in situations not explicitly detailed in law.

Being declared missing is a legal status that can create a need to resolve matters connected to that person, including matters requiring access to their personal data. The DVI's clarification gives relatives greater certainty, confirming that they are entitled to receive the necessary information rather than facing refusal on data protection grounds.