Smart Administration Ministry backs scrapping mandatory ID cards in principle

Latvia's Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) conceptually supports a proposal by Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava, of the National Alliance party, to abolish the requirement to obtain a personal identity card. At present, Latvian citizens and non-citizens must obtain one from the age of 15.

The ministry's position is set out in a letter to the Public Administration and Local Government Committee. The letter shows that VARAM backs the idea in principle, so the specific solution and how it would be put into practice remain open.

The proposal affects all citizens and non-citizens of Latvia aged 15 and over, the group for whom obtaining the card is currently compulsory. If the idea were implemented, that obligation would no longer apply.