According to an official at the consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Ottawa, in 1993 Latvian citizenship was a prerequisite for the issuance of the new Latvian external passports issued by Latvia beginning in 1991, shortly after independence (17 Oct. 1995). The official also stated that it was normal procedure in 1993 for non citizens residing in Latvia to be issued the old Soviet-style external passports for use as official travel documents. The Latvian government stopped issuing the Soviet-style passports at the beginning of 1995 and is about to replace them with new external passports for non-citizens (ibid.). In the meantime, temporary external passports for non citizens are being issued (ibid.). The remaining Soviet-style external passports will remain in circulation until their expiration (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of the Republic of Latvia, Ottawa. 17 October 1995. Telephone interview with official.