Latvia to extend temporary residence permits to Russians only in exceptional cases

This was stated by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Krišjānis Kariņš, Delfi reports

According to the prime minister, the validity of residence permits will not be extended in the future, except in rare cases. Kariņš added that the government will make specific decisions on this issue in the coming weeks.

The head of the Latvian government also noted that currently Russian citizens are not issued visas, except in exceptional cases, and practically no residence permits are issued.

Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, explained that marriages can be classified as exceptional cases. If a citizen of Russia or Belarus is married to a citizen of Latvia, the grounds for obtaining a residence permit will be considered sufficient.

According to Latvian senior officials, Russian citizens will no longer have renewable residence permits, except in special cases.

The publication Latvian Public Media notes that, according to the Office for Citizenship and Migration, more than 9,000 Russians currently have a valid temporary residence permit in Latvia.

At the same time, more than 37,000 citizens of Russia have a permanent residence permit - a large number of such persons is explained by the presence of Latvian non-citizens who, living in Latvia, decided to obtain Russian citizenship.