A Latvian friend once explained the personal code like this: it is the number that every office already knows when you walk in. Doctors, banks, schools and the tax office all pull your file with it. Getting the Latvian personal code, the personas kods, is therefore the real key to the system, and it is easier than most newcomers expect.
This guide explains how it is assigned, how to ask for one if you are not moving yet, and what the optional eID card for foreigners adds.
What is the Latvian personal code?
The personas kods is the identifier under which you are listed in the Register of Natural Persons (Fizisko personu reģistrs). That register replaced the old population register on 28 June 2021. Employers need it to register you, doctors use it for your file, banks usually ask for it, and the online services of the state recognise you by it.
It is not a tax number you apply for separately, and it is not a card. It is an identifier tied to your entry in the register, and your documents show it.
How do you get a Latvian personal code if you move?
For an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who moves to Latvia for more than 90 days, the code arrives with the registration certificate issued by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP). When your data enters the register, the code is generated automatically. You do not fill a separate form.
The sequence is in practice:
- arrive and rent a home;
- apply for the registration certificate at the PMLP (see residence in Latvia for EU citizens);
- receive the certificate and the code;
- declare your address.
A visa does not give a personal code, and neither does a simple stay. The code follows a residence document or a registration for a legal link with Latvia.
Can you get a personal code without moving?
Yes, and this surprises many people. If you do not settle in Latvia but have a legal link with it, such as a property, a business activity, health care, taxes, benefits or studies, you can ask the PMLP to enter you in the register. The PMLP says you may send its registration questionnaire with your identity document:
- in person at any PMLP office;
- through the official electronic address, the e-adrese;
- by e-mail to the PMLP, if the questionnaire is signed with an electronic identification means issued by an EU or EEA country or Switzerland.
There is also a quiet route: if you use Latvian online services with your European electronic identity through the eIDAS gateway, you are entered in the register and your code is assigned automatically. This is useful for owners of property who never live in Latvia.
A related case is health insurance. A pensioner or a person insured elsewhere who registers an S1 form with the National Health Service (NVD) receives a questionnaire to obtain a personal code for each family member concerned. For the full picture, read healthcare in Latvia for expats.
Do you have a link with Latvia but no plan to move, and wonder which route to the code suits you? Moovy can set out the options for your case and draft the covering message for the PMLP. The office still makes the entry.
What is the eID card for foreigners and do you need it?
After registration you may apply for the eID card for foreigners (ārzemnieka personas apliecība). It costs 170 euros and is produced in two working days, according to the 2026 fee table (Cabinet Regulation No. 133). For comparison, the general Latvian eID card costs 30 euros in 10 working days, or 45 euros in two.
The foreigner's eID is optional, it is not a travel document and it does not prove a right of residence. It is aimed at people who handle their affairs online without living in Latvia. You apply in person at one of the PMLP's offices, where photos and the fingerprints of two fingers are taken. If you live in Latvia and have another accepted means of electronic identification, you may not need it. See digital ID in Latvia to compare the options.
How do you keep your data current?
The register works on declarations, and you share the responsibility. The PMLP says you must report certain changes within 30 days, for example a foreign address, a new identification number from another country or a new nationality. Not reporting information can lead to a warning or a fine of up to 700 euros.
Your declared address is separate: a change of address within Latvia must be declared within a month. Read the rules in the step-by-step guide to moving to Latvia.
What are the common traps with the personal code?
- Believing the code is enough to live in Latvia. It is not. If you stay longer than 90 days you still need the registration certificate.
- Waiting for a code before you rent. The code comes with the certificate, which needs an address and a ground for residence, so plan the order.
- Asking a stranger to "get your code". The assignment is free of any fee in the pages we read. Be wary of paid intermediaries.
- Forgetting that British citizens follow another route. For them the code comes with a temporary or permanent residence permit, and UK electronic identification is not among the means accepted for e-mail filing. See moving to Latvia from the UK.
Where do you use the code afterwards?
Almost everywhere. Your employer reports you to the tax authority with it, the family doctor registers you with it, the municipality finds your child's file through it, and the VID links your tax return to it. Keep it somewhere safe, and treat it as a personal identifier: it is not a secret like a password, but it is a key piece of identity data.
Which services need your Latvian personal code?
Think of the code as the thread that ties your Latvian life together. With your Latvian personal code you can:
- be registered by an employer, who reports you to the tax authority;
- register with a family doctor and have an S1 recorded by the National Health Service;
- open a bank account, since most banks ask for it;
- log in to the state portal if you hold an accepted electronic identity;
- enrol a child at school or kindergarten through the municipality;
- register as self-employed on the VID's electronic system.
The code does not make you a resident, and it does not give you tax benefits. It is an identifier. Residence is a separate matter handled by the registration certificate, as explained in residence in Latvia for EU citizens.
What does the Register of Natural Persons record about you?
The register holds your identity data: name, personal code, date of birth, nationality, declared address and, where relevant, a foreign identification number. This is why the PMLP asks you to keep it up to date. If you change nationality, receive a new foreign document or move abroad, report it within 30 days. Because the register replaced the old population register on 28 June 2021, advice written before that date may use the older terms.
When you leave Latvia for good, declare your new place of residence abroad. This is also what the tax authority looks at when it decides if you still count as resident.
How do owners of Latvian property get a personal code?
A foreign owner who does not live in Latvia has a legal link with the country through the property. They can ask to be entered in the register by sending the PMLP the questionnaire. This is often the first step before opening a bank account or paying property tax online. The code is needed to pay the state fee when registering ownership, since the payment must quote your personal code and the cadastral number. See buying property in Latvia.