Marriage registration

Information about marriage in the UK is available from the General Register's office.

For any information about the legal requirements and formalities for marriages in Latvia, we recommend that parties should first consult the competent authorities in Latvia or the Latvian Embassy in London.

You may apply for a Certificate of No Impediment at the British Embassy Riga if you have resided in Latvia for at least 21 clear days. You should make an appointment with the British Vice-Consul to give notice of your intended marriage and swear an affidavit. You are also requested to present the following documents:

• Your British passport
• Evidence that you have resided in Latvia for at least 21 clear days
• Copy of your fiancé(e)'s passport
• If this is not your first marriage, either the original decree absolute confirming the divorce, or the death certificate of a former spouse

The statutory consular fee for this service is 50 LVL  payable in lats at the Embassy (For fees please see our Consular fees page).

Provided no objection to your proposed marriage is notified to us within 21 clear days from the date you gave your notice of marriage, a certificate will be issued in both English and Latvian. The certificate is valid for three months. The statutory consular fee for issuing the CNI is 50 LVL payable in lats at the Embassy(For fees please see our Consular fees page).

If you have to present documents issued in the UK (CNI, birth/death certificates etc) to Latvian authorities, it is advisable to get them legalised at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK.

N.B The British Embassy in Riga has no jurisdiction to authenticate documents issued in the UK.

Birth registration

If you want a birth to be registered at the British Embassy you will need to fill in an application form and bring it to the Embassy together with the originals
of the following documents:

        - Child's local birth certificate
        - Parents' birth certificates
        - Parents' marriage certificate (if applicable)
        - Parents' passports

There is no obligation to register your child, but by doing so you will receive a British-style birth certificate and a permanent record of the birth is maintained
at the General Register Office in the UK. The certificate is also required when getting married and may be used to open a bank account in the UK. It can also be submitted in support of a British passport application.