Latvia
Latvia is a country with average LGBTQ+ friendliness (see LGBT Equality Index), located in 80th place, with some legal protections for trans people. It is offering an average standard of living, some legal protections, and some healthcare for transgender individuals. Latvia isn't the best choice, but for some people, it might be a viable option.
Why Latvia?
- Low cost of living
- European Union & NATO membership
- English & Russian speaking queer communities
Why not Latvia?
- Weak equality & non-discrimination laws compared to the rest of the EU
- Tedious legal gender recognition process (requires diagnosis & medical intervention, e.g. HRT)
- Possible future political issues
- Racist beliefs widespread, Russophobia common (violent crime rare however)
Political Situation for Trans People
Access to (Trans) Healthcare
Overview of gender change processes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VKhBxby1Y-qTp71j2RDqt6WhNPWLX389--B9ducYMbo/
State-funded health care services are provided in Latvia to:
- citizens of Latvia;
- non-citizens of Latvia;
- citizens of the EU Member States, Island, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, who have entered into labour relationships or reside as self-employed persons in Latvia (including their family members);
- foreigners, having a permanent residence permit in Latvia;
- refugees and persons, who have been granted an alternative status;
- children of the above mentioned inhabitants in the age up to 18 years.
Healthcare without residency
Anyone can receive private healthcare. However, that requires paying for it out of pocket or dealing with insurance.
A paid visit to the doctor will generally cost 40-90 eur (depending on the doctor).
Immigration Policy
US citizens may stay in Latvia for up to 90 out of 180 days without a visa. However, a D-type/long-stay visa or residence permit is required to stay long-term.
Useful resources:
Permanent Residency
Requirements:
- Temporary residence permit for the last 5 years
- A2 Latvian language certificate
Citizenship Pathway
Citizenship can be obtained through naturalization.
Requirements:
- Proof of permanent residence for the last 5 years
- Proof of income
- Knowledge of the basics of the constitution, history and culture
LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities
- Riga
Community & Support Resources
- Transformacija: trans community & support
- Queer Safer Space: temporary housing & support
- Trans Migrants of Baltic: resources for trans migrants (primarily in Russian and Ukrainian)
- Active Rainbow: LGBTQ+ community
National Organizations
- Transformacija: trans rights advocacy
- Mozaika, Association of LGBT and their friends: LGBT rights advocacy
Arriving in Latvia
For finding a place to rent you might want to check out ss.com, a peer-to-peer marketplace.
Cost of Living
- Rent: ~300 eur/month (~900 eur/month in the centre).
- Public transport: 30 eur/month (city pass), inter-city trains and buses are relatively cheap.
- Healthcare:
- Food: ~300 eur/month.
- Education:
Housing Access & Cost
- add details on discrimination in rentals if applicable
- also how easy is it to rent/buy etc
Law Enforcement ("How bad are the cops?")
- please add details, especially around safety for trans people
Censorship & Digital Privacy
- please add details
Ease of Travel to Other Countries
- Residence permit allows traveling to other Schengen countries (90/180 rule applies).
Animal Policies
- Is COUNTRY pet-friendly or not?
- Please a section on the Traveling with pets page and add details there
Preparing for Latvia
- cultural adaptation might be an issue, link to Cultural_adaptation
- For further details we suggest a country specific subpage, the Template can be found at https://transworldexpress.org/wiki/Template:CultureIntegration