eParaksts, Smart-ID, and eID: Signing Things in Latvia

Latvia runs its paperwork through three electronic identities: the eID card, the eParaksts mobile app, and Smart-ID. Each does two jobs. It proves who you are to an online service, and it puts a signature on a file that the law treats the same as ink.

Which one you can get comes down to a single question: do you have a Latvian personal code? Since 1 January 2026, the tax system's filing portal accepts only these tools and some bank logins, so anyone running a Latvian company now needs one, or needs someone authorised to act for them.

This explains what each tool is, who can get it, and what it opens, with a link to the source for each rule. It is not legal advice. Where an official source leaves a question open, the guide says so rather than guessing.

What Are eParaksts, Smart-ID, and the eID Card?

eParaksts mobile, Smart-ID, and the eID card are Latvia's three qualified electronic identities. Each one proves who you are to an online service and signs documents with the legal weight of a handwritten signature. Which one you can get depends on a single thing: whether you have a Latvian personal code.

All three are qualified. The Digital Security Supervision Committee has qualified two electronic identification providers, Smart-ID and the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre, and the National Cyber Security Centre explains that identifying yourself with a qualified tool counts the same as showing an identity document in person.

And all three lead back to the personal code. The eID card is a Latvian identity document, which carries one. eParaksts mobile asks for a valid Latvian passport or eID card. A full Smart-ID account asks for an Estonian, Latvian, or Lithuanian personal code. If you have no code yet, the arrival checklist explains how a foreigner gets one, and the section on working without one is below.

Who Can Get a Latvian eID Card?

Latvian citizens and residents get the eID card from the migration authority for EUR 30 in 10 working days, or EUR 45 in 2 working days. A foreigner with a legal relationship with Latvia and a personal code can get a foreigner's eID card instead, for EUR 170, issued in 2 working days.

For a Latvian citizen or resident, the eID card is the identity card itself. The state fee is EUR 30 for issue in 10 working days, or EUR 45 for issue in 2 working days. Signing and identifying yourself with it afterwards is free for people and companies alike.

A foreigner who does not live here can apply for a foreigner's eID card instead. The migration authority gives it to foreigners with a legal relationship with Latvia in property, commercial activity, health, taxation, benefits, asylum, or education, once they are entered in the Natural Persons Register and have a personal code. The state fee is EUR 170, and the card is issued in 2 working days. It is not a travel document.

Using a card online used to mean a reader plugged into a computer. LVRTC's eID Scan app now lets you sign and identify yourself with the card through a phone's NFC chip instead of a card reader, on eParaksts.lv, in the eParakstītājs 3.0 program, and in the tax portal.

Can a Foreigner Get eParaksts Mobile?

Only with a Latvian identity document. LVRTC gives eParaksts mobile free to anyone at least 14 years old who holds a valid Latvian passport or eID card. Its page does not say whether a foreigner's eID card counts, so a foreigner relying on one should confirm with LVRTC before applying.

eParaksts mobile is the state's signing app, and getting and using it is free for everyone. LVRTC lists three conditions: you are at least 14 years old, you hold a valid Latvian passport or eID card, and your phone runs a recent Android or iOS version with a secure hardware area for the keys.

Before the app works you sign a contract with LVRTC, and how long that takes depends on what you already have.

• With an eID card, sign the contract on your phone through eID Scan, or on a computer with a card reader. This is done in minutes.
• Without the card or its PIN codes, log in with internet bank credentials, apply, and sign the contract in person with a courier, which is free. LVRTC says this route takes up to 5 working days.

Notaries stopped signing these contracts on 10 October 2025, so older guides that send you to one are out of date.

Does Smart-ID Work for Signing and Government Services in Latvia?

Yes, with a full account. Smart-ID is a qualified identity and signing tool in Latvia, accepted by the tax portal and Latvija.gov.lv, and free to use. A full account needs an Estonian, Latvian, or Lithuanian personal code; without one you get a Basic account, which works for online banking only and cannot sign documents.

Smart-ID is the private app the largest Latvian banks have used for logins since 2017, and it is also a qualified identity and signing tool. It comes as two kinds of account.

• A full account signs documents and logs into public services. It needs an Estonian, Latvian, or Lithuanian personal code.
• A Basic account is for online banking only. It cannot sign documents or reach other services, and it exists for people with no Baltic personal code.

Banks register accounts at their branches, and Swedbank registers non-customers too. The app is free to download and use; the services you log into pay for the transactions.

The tax portal and Latvija.gov.lv both want the qualified version. If a service tells you your account level is too low, you are using a Basic account where a full one is needed, and Smart-ID's help pages explain the upgrade.

How Can a Foreigner Without a Latvian Personal Code Sign and File?

A foreigner without a Latvian personal code has four routes: an electronic identity from their own EU country, a foreigner's eID card if they qualify, a tax portal username and password, which VID gives only to foreigners who have no legal connection with Latvia and cannot get a foreigner's eID card, or authorising someone else to file.

These are the options, in order of how much they let you do yourself.

1. An electronic identity from your own EU country. Latvija.gov.lv, where the company's official e-address lives, accepts official identification from other member states. A qualified certificate from a supervised provider in another member state has the same legal standing as a Latvian one, so the Register accepts documents you sign with it. VID's announcement does not list foreign eIDs among the ways into the tax portal.
2. A foreigner's eID card. The migration authority lists commercial activity among the relationships that qualify, which is the natural category for a board member or shareholder of a Latvian company, though the decision is the authority's. You need a personal code first.
3. A tax portal username and password. VID still issues these, but only to foreigners who have no legal connection with Latvia and cannot get a foreigner's eID card.
4. Someone else acting for you. Authorise a board member who does have a Latvian tool, or the company's accountant, to file in the tax portal. The power of attorney needs no notary, and VID says it adds it within four to ten working days.

For a Register filing with no qualified signature at all, the notarial route still works, and the registration guide sets it out.

Which Tools Log Into EDS, the Latvian Tax Portal?

Since 1 January 2026, EDS accepts only a qualified Smart-ID, an eID card, eParaksts or eParaksts mobile, or certain internet bank logins. A user who registers with one of them can act for every company where VID's records show you as an official, and a company can add its outside accountant as a user.

Returns, payroll reports, and the annual report all go to VID through EDS, its Electronic Declaration System.

Which Tools Open Latvija.gov.lv and the Company E-Address?

Latvija.gov.lv accepts eParaksts mobile, the eID card, the eParaksts card, qualified Smart-ID, and official identification from other EU member states, and it stopped accepting internet bank logins on 1 January 2025. Every company in the Register has had to use its official e-address there since 1 January 2023.

The e-address is where state bodies send a company's official correspondence, so at least one board member should be able to log in and should switch on notifications.

Treat it as served mail rather than as an inbox. A notice is delivered when it arrives there, whether or not anyone opened it, which is how a company misses a deadline it never knew it had. Two habits close that gap: give a second person access, through the portal's authorisation for another user, so a single board member on holiday is not the only route in; and turn on email or SMS notifications, because nobody logs into a government portal speculatively. It has also become the plumbing for more than correspondence: it is one of the three channels a company may use to send and report structured e-invoices, which makes activating it useful before the obligation reaches you rather than after.

Can You File With the Register of Enterprises Electronically?

Yes. The Register of Enterprises accepts filings signed with eParaksts, Smart-ID, or a qualified signature from another EU member state, through its e-service or by email. When a document needs several signatures, it can be filed electronically only if every signer has an electronic signature; otherwise the filing goes on paper.

One director without a signature is enough to put the whole filing back on paper.

Is an Electronic Signature Legally Binding in Latvia?

Yes. Under the Electronic Documents Law, a document with a secure electronic signature counts as signed by hand, whatever the document is. In dealings with state and municipal bodies it counts as signed when it carries a secure electronic signature and a time stamp, so a qualified time stamp matters as much as the signature itself.

A qualified certificate from a supervised provider in another EU member state has the same legal standing as a Latvian one, so a qualified signature from Estonia or Lithuania works the same way.

How Do You Check an .edoc or .asice Signed File?

Open it on eParaksts.lv, which checks .edoc, .asice, and signed PDF files free of charge, including documents signed in another country. eParaksts itself signs into .edoc or PDF. For a filing with the Register, the qualification details should read QESig and QTSA, meaning a qualified signature with a qualified time stamp.

The Register notes that anyone can use the check without having an eParaksts of their own.

What Should You Do When eParaksts or Smart-ID Fails?

Most failures are one of five: a forgotten eParaksts mobile PIN or password, a blocked eID card PIN, expired certificates on the eID card, a Smart-ID account level that is too low, or a computer that does not see the card. LVRTC and Smart-ID each publish an official fix.

• A forgotten PIN or password in eParaksts mobile. LVRTC's help pages cover resetting the e-Identity PIN and the eParaksts password, and reactivating the app on a new phone.
• A blocked eID card PIN. Unblock it with the PUK code, in eID Scan or on a computer. The same pages cover a lost PIN envelope and a blocked PUK.
• Expired certificates on the eID card. The signing certificates on the card have their own validity, and LVRTC explains how to check and renew them.
• Smart-ID says the account level is too low. The service needs a full account, and a Basic one will not do.
• The computer does not see the card. Update eParakstītājs 3.0 and enable the browser extension; LVRTC has steps for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

How Should a New Board Member Set Up Signing in Latvia?

Start with the personal code. A board member who has one should get an eID card plus eParaksts mobile or a full Smart-ID, register in the tax portal, and switch on e-address notifications. One without it uses their own EU identity where accepted, or authorises the company's accountant, and applies for a foreigner's eID card if they qualify.

1. Find out whether you have a Latvian personal code, or qualify for one.
2. With a code, get an eID card and eParaksts mobile, or a full Smart-ID account. Two tools mean a lost phone does not stop the company's filings.
3. Without one, use your own EU identity where it is accepted, and apply for a foreigner's eID card if you qualify.
4. Register as a user of the tax portal, or authorise the company's accountant there.
5. Log into the company's e-address on Latvija.gov.lv and switch on notifications, so letters from state bodies do not sit unread.
6. Before the first Register filing, confirm that everyone who has to sign has a qualified signature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is eParaksts Free?

Yes. Getting and using eParaksts mobile is free for everyone, and signing and identifying yourself with the eID card is free for people and companies alike. The eID card itself carries a state fee of EUR 30, or EUR 45 for faster issue.

Can You Still Get eParaksts Mobile at a Notary?

No. Notaries stopped signing eParaksts mobile contracts on 10 October 2025. The contract is now signed remotely with an eID card, through the eID Scan app or a card reader, or in person with a courier, which is free and takes up to 5 working days.

How Long Does a Foreigner's eID Card Take?

The migration authority issues a foreigner's eID card in 2 working days for a state fee of EUR 170. The applicant must first be entered in the Natural Persons Register with a Latvian personal code, and needs a legal relationship with Latvia in property, commercial activity, health, taxation, benefits, asylum, or education.

Can You Use a Smart-ID Basic Account for the Tax Portal?

No. A Smart-ID Basic account works for online banking only and cannot log into public services or sign documents. EDS and Latvija.gov.lv both need the full, qualified Smart-ID, which requires an Estonian, Latvian, or Lithuanian personal code.

Do Latvian Authorities Accept an E-Signature From Another EU Country?

Yes, if it is qualified. A qualified certificate from a supervised provider in another EU member state has the same legal standing as a Latvian one, and the Register accepts documents signed with it. A filing with a state body also needs a qualified time stamp.

How Long Does VID Take to Add an EDS Power of Attorney?

VID says it adds a power of attorney to EDS within four to ten working days. The power of attorney needs no notary, and it can be submitted electronically in EDS or in person at a VID or state customer service centre.

Sources

• Noteikumi par valsts nodevu par personu apliecinošu dokumentu izsniegšanu, the Cabinet regulation on identity document fees, and PMLP on the eID card and the foreigner's eID card.
• eParaksts mobile, the eParaksts price list, and LVRTC on eID Scan and the end of notary contracts.
• Smart-ID on registration methods and account types and cost.
• VID on secure login to EDS from 2026, foreign users, and becoming an EDS user.
• VDAA on logging into Latvija.gov.lv, and the Oficiālās elektroniskās adreses likums, the Official Electronic Address Law.
• The Elektronisko dokumentu likums, the Electronic Documents Law, articles 3 and 26, and the Register on filing electronically, foreign e-signatures, and checking signed documents.
• The National Cyber Security Centre on qualified electronic identification.

This page explains the tools and the rules around them. It does not tell you which to choose for your own situation, and a question about your company's filings needs someone who can see them.