Surname changes can leave people without valid documents for 10 days
Sunday 20th September 2026 on 09:15 in
Latvia
Changing a surname makes all existing personal documents invalid immediately, while standard replacement can take 10 working days, LSM reported. The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, known by its Latvian acronym PMLP, advises people to check processing times and fees before changing their documents, especially if they have travel, medical procedures or other important activities planned.
Latvia has two types of identity documents: a passport and an identity card, or eID card. People aged 15 and over must have at least one valid identity document, although they may hold both.
Documents are issued within 10 working days under the standard procedure, or within two working days for a higher state fee.
“As soon as a person receives a decision from the Department of Civil Registry that their surname has been changed, they must remember that their old documents become invalid. All of them: passport, eID card, driving licence, library card, anything,” Madara Puķe, head of the PMLP public relations department, said.
This means people can be left without valid documents while waiting for replacements. Puķe said people commonly choose to pay the higher fee and receive new documents within two working days because they need them to sign contracts, visit doctors, travel and carry out everyday activities.
The PMLP offers a simplified document replacement procedure only to newlyweds who change their surname when they marry.
Sintija, who changed her surname after 20 years of marriage, said she had to manage without identity documents for almost two weeks. The PMLP invalidated her old documents immediately, while her new documents were produced under the standard procedure.
Her situation was made more difficult by several matters occurring at the same time. She had a magnetic resonance scan scheduled two days later, needed to collect medication for her child from a pharmacy and also had to deal with banking services, document signing and other issues requiring a valid identity document.