Speaking about the planned changes on Latvian Radio's "Good Morning" program on Tuesday, October 29, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) said that the increase would not exceed five euros a year for those who have been granted exemptions.
Kozlovskis said on "Good Morning" that, given that the Ministry of the Interior was tasked by the government to cut spending by almost seven million euros, "we then looked very carefully and realized that we cannot cut the services we provide, [..] I would say, at the expense of citizens' security."
"Therefore, in assessing this, we saw that there is an opportunity [..] to increase passport fees and ID fees, and additionally visa services for foreigners," said the Minister of the Interior. T
"Initially, it was already planned to be €60 by February this year. [..] Now, these fees also do not actually cover the cost of issuing passports and ID cards. If we look at our neighbors, in Estonia it is already €60 for a passport, in Lithuania, it is €50," Kozlovskis said.
All the reductions in state fees for issuing identity documents - for a child or young person up to 20 years of age, for pensioners, and for persons with a disability of group I or II - are maintained. For these groups, the standard fee for an identity document will rise by €5 in both 2025 and 2026.
The fee changes do not entail any innovations.