The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has implemented a new Consular Register platform that will simplify registration before trips and allow citizens to receive assistance abroad more quickly in crisis situations.
The platform, whose main goal is to expedite information exchange and enhance the efficiency of consular assistance to Latvians abroad, has been available since October on the portal latvija.gov.lv (section Notification of Short-Term Foreign Travel in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular Register).
In the event of a large-scale crisis (such as a natural disaster, terrorist act, or military action), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be able to quickly contact the traveler or their designated contact person to provide the necessary consular assistance.
As noted, in crisis situations, the Consular Register system will allow multiple consular staff members to work simultaneously, quickly gathering and organizing the necessary information while providing timely consular assistance to Latvian citizens.
To reduce the amount of information travelers need to enter into the Consular Register, the updated system will extract some data from the Population Register. This means that travelers will no longer need to re-enter information about themselves, their documents, or their children.
To register, it is sufficient to specify the destination, travel dates, and contact details of a close person. The system will combine the data of family members so that assistance can be provided to everyone at once if necessary.
The option to enter data about third parties will also remain, so that in the case of organizing a group trip, the trip organizer or a group member can register all travelers, thus avoiding the need for individual registration by each traveler. This will also allow consular staff to be informed in emergencies about who a specific person is traveling with, as well as simplify communication, as it will be conducted only with one family member or group member.
Any person with legal status in Latvia can register foreign trips lasting no more than three months: citizens of Latvia, non-citizens of Latvia, stateless persons recognized in Latvia as stateless, persons who have been granted refugee status or alternative status in Latvia, persons who have received temporary protection, as well as family members of these persons traveling with them. Registration is voluntary and free of charge.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the trip is completed, all information will be closed after three months and used only for statistical purposes.
