Yes. Latvia lets its citizens hold the citizenship of another NATO country, and the United States is one, so a US citizen who registers as a Latvian citizen keeps both. The same is true of Canadians and Britons (also NATO) and Australians (named in the law). Descendants of Latvian exiles go further: they can keep any other citizenship at all. The rules only bite if your other citizenship is from a country outside Latvia’s list, or if you take a new one later.
This page is about the dual-citizenship rules themselves: the permitted list, what happens when a Latvian takes another citizenship, children, and getting Latvian citizenship back. If your family fled Latvia during the occupation, the route you register under is explained in Latvian citizenship for descendants of exiles, and the overall picture is in the Latvian citizenship by descent guide.
The short answer
- US, Canadian, UK or Australian citizens claiming by descent: you keep your current citizenship on any of the descent routes.
- Descendants of exiles (the ancestor fled or was deported between 17 June 1940 and 4 May 1990) and people registering as Latvians or Livs: dual citizenship with any country.
- Other descendants of 17 June 1940 citizens: dual citizenship only with a permitted country. If yours isn’t on the list, you renounce it as part of the application.
- A Latvian citizen who later takes a non-permitted citizenship: must apply to renounce Latvian citizenship within 30 days, or risk having it taken away.
The countries Latvia allows dual citizenship with
Section 9 of the Citizenship Law, as the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA, in Latvian PMLP) summarises it, lets a Latvian citizen also hold the citizenship of:
- another EU or EFTA member state;
- another NATO member state, which includes the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom;
- Australia, Brazil or New Zealand;
- a country that has a bilateral agreement with Latvia recognising dual citizenship (OCMA says there are none in force);
- any other country, if the Cabinet gives permission because of important national interests;
- any country whose citizenship was acquired automatically (by operation of law) through marriage or adoption.
OCMA publishes the full country list as a download on its dual citizenship page. The wider list dates from the amendments in force since 1 October 2013, which is why older articles that say Latvia bans dual citizenship are out of date.
Why the US question is easy for descendants
Latvian citizenship by descent turns on an ancestor who was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940, the day the Soviet occupation began. The law sets no generational limit. Which route you register under changes the dual-citizenship rule, but for an American it ends in the same place:
- Exile route: any other citizenship is allowed, so US citizenship is fine.
- Other 1940-descendant route (for example, the ancestor stayed in Latvia, or emigrated earlier but was still a citizen on 17 June 1940): only permitted countries, and the US is permitted through NATO.
Where the exile route really matters is for people whose other citizenship is from outside the list, and for their children. If you hold a second foreign citizenship as well as US citizenship, check each one against the list. The exiles page explains who counts as an exile and how to prove it.
On the American side, the State Department says US law does not require a US citizen to choose between US citizenship and another nationality. You must still use your US passport to enter and leave the United States.
Taking another citizenship after you’re Latvian
Once you hold Latvian citizenship, the general rule applies to any new citizenship you take later, whichever route you registered under. OCMA says this applies to exiles’ descendants, Latvians and Livs too: if they later take the citizenship of a country that isn’t permitted, they must apply to renounce Latvian citizenship.
- New citizenship from a permitted country: nothing to give up. You must still inform OCMA that you have acquired another citizenship.
- New citizenship from a non-permitted country: you must apply to renounce Latvian citizenship within 30 days of acquiring it. The exceptions are Cabinet permission and citizenship acquired automatically through marriage or adoption.
- If you don’t apply: OCMA says Latvian citizenship may be taken away under section 24 of the Citizenship Law when someone has acquired another state’s citizenship without submitting the renunciation application. It is a decision, not an automatic loss, and it isn’t applied if it would leave the person stateless.
Renouncing costs a state fee of €21.34 (€7.11 for some groups, such as victims of political repression). OCMA decides within one month of receiving all the documents, and can refuse if you owe taxes or other payments to the state.
Children with two citizenships: the 18 to 25 choice
OCMA’s starting point is that children of Latvian citizens may hold dual citizenship with any country. The catch comes at adulthood. A child whose other citizenship is from a country outside the permitted list must, between their 18th and 25th birthdays, do one of two things:
- keep Latvian citizenship and give OCMA a document from the other country showing that its citizenship has been given up; or
- keep the other citizenship and apply to renounce Latvian citizenship.
This doesn’t apply to a child registered as an exile’s descendant, or to a child whose other citizenship is from a permitted country. A Latvian-American child, for example, has nothing to choose.
Getting Latvian citizenship back
If you were a Latvian citizen yourself and gave it up when you took another citizenship, you may be able to get it back. OCMA restores Latvian citizenship on request if you lost it:
- by renouncing it, or having it revoked, because you acquired the citizenship of an EU, EFTA or NATO country, Australia, Brazil or New Zealand; or
- through a choice your parents or adoptive parents made without your written consent (until age 25).
Restoration is not available to people who lost Latvian citizenship by taking a non-permitted citizenship, or whose citizenship was revoked by a court for giving false information. You need the application form, an identity document, a criminal record certificate if you are 14 or over (issued within the last six months, legalised and translated as required) and proof of the €21.34 state fee. OCMA decides within one month of receiving a complete file.
If you were never a citizen yourself and your claim comes through a 1940 ancestor, you don’t need restoration: you register as a descendant instead. The document chain guide and the apostille guide cover the paperwork for that.
What to check before you apply
- List every citizenship you hold. If they are all from permitted countries, the dual citizenship rules won’t touch you on any route.
- Work out whether your ancestor was an exile. If you hold a non-permitted citizenship, the exile route is the one that lets you keep it.
- Think ahead about future citizenships. If you might take a third citizenship from outside the list, the 30-day renunciation rule will apply.
- Check your eligibility first. Our free citizenship by descent checker covers Latvia, and dual citizenship by descent, country by country compares Latvia with its neighbours, including Lithuanian dual citizenship, which is far stricter.
Frequently asked questions
Does Latvia allow dual citizenship with the USA?
Yes. Latvia allows its citizens to also hold the citizenship of another NATO member state, and the United States is one. The same goes for Canada and the UK (NATO) and for Australia, which the law names. Descendants of exiles can keep any other citizenship at all, whichever country it is from.
Can Americans get Latvian citizenship by descent and keep their US passport?
Yes, if a direct ancestor was a Latvian citizen on 17 June 1940 and you can document every link. Whether that ancestor was an exile or not, a US citizen keeps US citizenship: exiles' descendants may hold any other citizenship, and other descendants may hold the citizenship of a NATO country. There is no language test on the 1940-descent routes.
Which countries does Latvia allow dual citizenship with?
Other EU and EFTA countries, other NATO countries, Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. Latvia also allows citizenship acquired automatically through marriage or adoption, citizenship of a country with a bilateral agreement (OCMA says none is in force), and other citizenships kept with Cabinet permission for important national interests.
What happens if a Latvian citizen takes a citizenship that isn't on the list?
They must apply to renounce Latvian citizenship within 30 days of acquiring the other one, unless the Cabinet has given permission or the other citizenship came automatically through marriage or adoption. If they don't, OCMA says Latvian citizenship may be taken away under section 24 of the Citizenship Law, though never if that would leave the person stateless.
Does my child have to choose between Latvian and another citizenship at 18?
Only if the other citizenship is from a country outside the permitted list. In that case the child must, between 18 and 25, either prove they gave up the other citizenship or apply to renounce Latvian citizenship. The choice doesn't apply to an exile's descendant or to a child whose other citizenship is from a permitted country, such as the US.
I gave up Latvian citizenship to become American. Can I get it back?
Probably, yes. OCMA restores Latvian citizenship on request to people who renounced it, or had it revoked, because they acquired citizenship of an EU, EFTA or NATO country, Australia, Brazil or New Zealand. The state fee is €21.34 and OCMA decides within one month of receiving a complete file. You need a criminal record certificate if you are 14 or over.
Do I have to tell Latvia that I hold another citizenship?
Yes. OCMA says a Latvian citizen must inform it on acquiring another country's citizenship, under the law on the Register of Natural Persons. In its dealings with you, Latvia treats you only as a Latvian citizen, whatever other passport you hold.
Official sources
- OCMA (PMLP): Dual citizenship (permitted countries, exiles, Latvians and Livs, children aged 18 to 25, the 30-day renunciation duty, notifying OCMA)
- OCMA (PMLP): Renunciation of citizenship of Latvia (who must and who may renounce, fee, section 24 deprivation)
- OCMA (PMLP): Restoration of citizenship (who can restore, documents, fee, one-month decision)
- OCMA (PMLP): Latvian exiles and their descendants
- Citizenship Law of Latvia (likumi.lv, English translation) (sections 9, 23 and 24)
- US Department of State: Dual nationality
Checked against these sources on 29 October 2026. The OCMA pages were read directly; likumi.lv could not be opened that day, so section numbers are as OCMA cites them; the State Department page could not be opened either, so its position is as its published wording states it. Only OCMA can decide your case; confirm with it or a Latvian embassy before you apply or renounce anything.