Declaring your place of residence in a rented flat

Updated 05.10.2026.

Your declared place of residence (deklarētā dzīvesvieta) is the address at which the state and the municipality reach you (Dzīvesvietas deklarēšanas likums (Declaration of Place of Residence Law), articles 1 and 3). Municipal services can also depend on it. You may declare a rented flat as your place of residence, and the landlord cannot forbid it.

Your rights

Dzīvojamo telpu īres likums (Residential Tenancy Law), article 15: "The landlord may not prevent the tenant from declaring the residential premises rented by them as their place of residence." This also applies to the spouse, children and other persons entered in the agreement as residing there.

The tenancy agreement itself is a lawful basis for living at that address (Declaration of Place of Residence Law, article 3, paragraph 2). Separate consent from the owner is not needed. If the agreement says you may not declare your residence, that clause contradicts article 15 of the Residential Tenancy Law.

Obligation and deadline

Declaring is an obligation for Latvian citizens and non-citizens, for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland with a registration certificate or a permanent residence certificate, and for foreigners and stateless persons with a residence permit issued in Latvia (Declaration of Place of Residence Law, article 6).

A new place of residence must be declared within one month from the time you live there permanently (article 4). Failing to declare can lead to a warning or a fine of up to 70 fine units, which is up to 350 euros (article 16; one unit is 5 euros under Administratīvās atbildības likums (Law on Administrative Liability), article 16).

How to declare online

The e-service "Dzīvesvietas deklarēšana vai norādīšana" (Declaration or designation of residence) on latvija.gov.lv:

Log in to latvija.gov.lv with your internet bank, eID card, eParaksts or eParaksts mobile.
Open the e-service "Dzīvesvietas deklarēšana vai norādīšana".
Enter the new address and the legal basis (the tenancy agreement).
If you wish, enter one additional address where you can be reached at certain times.
Submit. The data in the Register of Natural Persons is updated straight away (PMLP, 13.06.2025).

Declaring online is free of charge (PMLP, 13.06.2025). Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland and their family members, and foreigners with a residence permit, can also use the service. You can log in with the internet bank of certain banks, an eID card or a secure electronic signature (PMLP, 13.06.2025).

How to declare in person

In Rīga you declare in person at the Rīga neighbourhood residents' centres (Rīgas apkaimju iedzīvotāju centri) (Rīgas valstspilsētas pašvaldība, 09.12.2025). Bring:

a completed declaration form;
your passport or identity card;
for foreigners, also the residence permit or registration certificate;
proof of payment of the state fee.

The state fee in person is 4.27 euros; some groups of people pay less or nothing (Rīgas valstspilsētas pašvaldība, 09.12.2025; PMLP, 13.06.2025). The fee and the reductions are set by the Cabinet of Ministers (Declaration of Place of Residence Law, article 14.²). Processing takes one working day.

Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland and foreigners with a residence permit can also submit the declaration to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (Pilsonības un migrācijas lietu pārvalde, PMLP) (Declaration of Place of Residence Law, article 8, paragraph 2).

For foreigners

If you apply for a residence permit or a registration certificate, the address you give in your application to PMLP becomes your declared place of residence on the day the permit or certificate is issued (article 8, paragraph 11). If you then move to another rented flat, you must declare the new address within one month, like everyone else.

If your residence permit expires or is cancelled and you do not receive a new one within one month, the information on your declared place of residence is considered cancelled (article 12, paragraph 8).

The Residential Tenancy Law does not distinguish between tenants by citizenship. Article 15 applies to every tenant.

When you move out

When the agreement has ended, declare your new address. If you do not, the owner can ask the municipality to cancel the information on your declared place of residence, because you no longer have a legal basis to live there (article 12, paragraph 1, point 2). The municipality decides within one month, or up to four months if needed (Administratīvā procesa likums (Administrative Procedure Law), article 64; LV portāls, 26.05.2025).

The owner can see free of charge who has declared their residence in the property, with the e-service "Manā īpašumā deklarētās un papildu adresi norādījušās personas" (Persons who have declared or designated an additional address in my property) on latvija.gov.lv (Declaration of Place of Residence Law, article 13, paragraph 3; PMLP, 11.02.2026).