This chapter presents information about cases in which social insurance periods spent working in foreign countries are taken into account when granting benefits in Latvia, as well as what benefits you have received in a foreign country that you can continue receiving if you move permanently to Latvia.

For the UK, each case needs to be assessed individually to determine whether a person falls within the scope of Art 30 of the Withdrawal Agreement, and so the EU Coordination Regulations apply, or whether they fall within the scope of situations described in Art 32 of the Withdrawal Agreement and/or come under domestic legislation and the Protocol on Social Security Coordination attached to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Social insurance regulations in the European Union

In general, persons moving to another country in the European Union only need to be socially insured in one state. This means that if you move to work in another EU country, you will pay social insurance contributions there. This will give you entitlement to the right to receive local social insurance benefits.

If you have lived, worked and paid social insurance contributions in another EU country or Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Iceland, this insurance period is taken into account when determining your rights to receive social insurance benefits in Latvia.

Key principles of social security in the European Union:

• citizens of other countries have the same rights and obligations as citizens of the specific country;
• insurance periods and contributions accrued in another Member State may be taken into account for granting benefits and pensions;
• benefits obtained in accordance with the laws of one country are also payable if the person moves to another country;
• social insurance contributions should only be paid in one country (the legal acts of one Member State only may be applied in relation to a person).

To which benefits do the conditions apply?

After returning to Latvia, the social insurance period in a foreign country is taken into account for persons who have worked in a European Union Member State or European Economic Area (EEA) (Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland), Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

All the social insurance periods are calculated together, irrespective of the EU/EEA Member State (or the UK) where they have been accrued, and are summed up for the purpose of determining the entitlement to the following social security pensions and benefits in Latvia:

• old-age pension or retirement pension;
• survivor's pension;
• invalidity benefit;
• compensation for a workplace accident or work-related illness;
• unemployment benefits;
• sickness benefit;
• paternity, maternity benefits.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

If you have worked in another EU/EEA Member State or the UK and are returning to Latvia, you will need to submit:

• Evidence that you have worked and paid social security contributions there. You must submit form U1 to Latvia's State Social Insurance Agency, which must be requested from the competent institution in the EU/EEA Member State (or the UK) where you have been working.

If you have received unemployment benefits in one of the EU/EEA countries, Switzerland for at least 4 weeks and are seeking work in Latvia, you have the right to continue receiving benefits for 3 to 6 months. In order to continue receiving unemployment benefits in Latvia:

• you must submit form U2 to Latvia's State Social Insurance Agency, which must be requested from the agency paying unemployment benefits in the EU/EEA Member State where you have been working;
• you must register with the State Employment Agency within 7 days and participate in its support activities for unemployed.

Persons (frontier workers) who work in another EU/EEA Member State while habitually residing in Latvia only have the right to claim unemployment benefits in Latvia in specific cases (for example workers in border zones, seamen, seasonal workers). More detailed information on receiving unemployment benefits in Latvia.

When requesting unemployment benefits in Latvia, you must indicate the EU/EEA Member State where you were employed, the employer's name and address, the date of commencing and ending employment, and your insurance number in the country where you were employed.

If you work in another EU/EEA Member State, you have the right also to claim family-related benefits.

In granting family benefits (ģimenes pabalsti), primary consideration is given to the country where the parents are employed, followed by the children's country of residence. Latvia grants family benefits in the following cases:

• if one of the parents is employed in Latvia and the children live in Latvia;
• if Latvia is the only country of employment but family members live in another EU/EEA Member State;
• if one of the parents is employed in Latvia and the children live in another EU/EEA Member State and the second relevant Member State is a country of employment where family benefits are lower than in Latvia.

In the last case, Latvia pays the difference in benefits if the family benefit in Latvia is more than that granted in the other EU/EEA Member State. More information on family benefit payments in Latvia.

For old-age pensions the social insurance period in another EU/EEA Member State (or the UK) is only taken into account if the insurance period (employment history) in Latvia is insufficient to receive a pension. It is possible that pensions for insurance periods in one EU/EEA Member State may be granted earlier than in others since the retirement age differs from country to country.

If your insurance period (employment history) in Latvia is at least 15 years, the pension amount shall be calculated in accordance with national laws and regulations. If the insurance period in Latvia is not sufficient, the insurance periods accrued in other EU/EEA Member States (or the UK) shall also be taken into account, but each state grants a pension regarding their social insurance periods.

Jargon busters

Social insurance contributions are legally mandated payments paid into a special budget account which give the right to socially insured persons to receive social insurance benefits stipulated by law, including unemployment, maternity, illness and parental benefits, disability, old-age and survivor's pensions, and compensation for workplace accidents and work-related illnesses and healthcare services.

Forms you may need to fill in

European Union forms issued by the State Social Insurance Agency or another competent institution of the relevant EU/EEA Member State to persons working/living in another EU/EEA country.

Know your rights

See the links below for information on your rights to move around the European Union. These are not European Commission websites and do not reflect the views of the European Commission.

• Social security in the European Union - information on social insurance contributions and benefits if you have worked/lived in another EU/EEA country
• Unemployment benefits after returning to Latvia
• Family benefits after returning to Latvia
• EU pensions

European Commission publication and website:

• Social security: your rights in other European Union Member States

Who do you need to contact?

State Social Insurance Agency
Lacplesa iela 70a, Riga, LV-1011
Tel.: +371 64507020 (working days 8.30- 17.00)
Email: pasts@vsaa.gov.lv
Email for consultations: konsultacijas@vsaa.gov.lv, twitter.com/VSAA_LV
Branches in Riga and elsewhere

State Employment Agency
Administration: K. Valdemara iela 38 k-1, Riga, LV-1010
Tel.: +371 80200206
Email: pasts@nva.gov.lv
twitter.com/NVA_gov_lv
Branches in Riga and elsewhere

Ministry of Welfare
Skolas iela 28, Riga, LV-1331
Tel.: +371 80205100
Email: lm@lm.gov.lv
twitter.com/Lab_min

If you have any problems regarding your rights in the European Union, please contact the EU assistance service.