Latvian old-age and survivor's pensions will now also be granted to persons permanently residing outside the territory of the Republic of Latvia in a country which is not a Member State of the European Union, a country of the European Economic Area or a country with which an agreement on social security cooperation has been concluded (a third country), if they are entitled to such pensions under the Law On State Pensions. This is laid down in the amended Law On State Pensions.
To claim an old-age or survivor's pension, a person must submit to the State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) an application for a pension (forms available on the website https://www.vsaa.gov.lv/en can be used) and documents proving the length of insurance before 31 December 1995.
The application and documents for granting a pension submitted by 31 October 2023 will be examined by the SSIA from 1 November 2023 and the pension will be granted from the date of application, but not earlier than 17 June 2023.
The Latvian pension granted will be transferred by the SSIA to the beneficiary's credit institution account, which can be credited with a payment in euro.
A pension beneficiary residing in a third country will be required to submit a request to the SSIA for the continuation of the payment of the Latvian pension each year between 1 October and 15 December, indicating the address of place of residence and the details of the bank account to which the pension is to be credited.