_____ _____ Latvia

Global Sourcebook for International Data Management

                                         by Graham Rhind

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Latvia

Global Sourcebook | Index | Properties

LATVIA
LATVIA

For supplementary information, see links to post office home pages here External, to postal code pages here External and to other personal name and addressing issues pages here External.

Table of Contents

Latvia - Country information

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Local short name form

Official name

Area

Population

1 893 223 (2021 estimate) [1]

Capital

Currency

International telephone access code

371

ISO 3166 country codes

Car nationality plate code

LV

Internet country code

LV

GRC Country Code

LAT

Latvia - Number format

   1 234,45

(where , indicates the decimal separator and a space the thousands separator)

Latvia - Date and time formats

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   Note: This section last updated 7th May 2021

The official format is:

   yyyy-mm-dd

though

   dd.mm.yyyy or
   dd/mm/yyyy

are often used.

   14:32

Latvia - Languages

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   Note: This section last updated 25th June 2015

The national language, Latvian External, is spoken by some 1 394 000 people, or 51.6% of the population. Some 32% (861 600) of the population have Russian as their mother language. There are also 105 000 Belorussian-speakers; 3 000 Estonian-speakers; 35 000 Lithuanian-speakers; 57 000 Polish-speakers; 8 000 Baltic Romani External-speakers; 5 000 Tatar-speakers and 78 000 Ukrainian-speakers.

Latvia - Personal names and forms of address

imageimage

The forms of address used in Latvia are:

   Mr      kungs
   Mrs     kundze
   Miss    jaunkundze

Jaunkundzeis only used for female children – use kundze for all other females.

Male and female family names are written differently. Male names often end in , female in -a or -e.

The name with form of address is written in this order:

   given name[ ]family name[ ]form of address

When writing to a family (i.e., “Mr and Mrs”), use the form of address:

   family name[ ģimenei]

where ģimenei means “family”.

In a letter, “Dear “ is Ļoti cienījamais (Ļ. cien.) (“most respectable”) or augusti godātais (A. god) (“highly honoured”) for males and Ļoti cienījamaor augusti gogātā for females, in this way:

   Ļoti cienījamais Janis Smita kungs.

For informal use, the letter headings are Miļais (male) and Miļā (female).

Note that the family name is declined when used with a form of address, so that Janis Smits becomes Janis Smita kungs.

When addressing an envelope, the form of address as above is used (usually abbreviated) followed by the person’s job title and then the name and form of address in this way:

   [Ļ. cien.]job title[ ]given name[ ]family name[ ]form of address

When addressing somebody with a professional degree, the title is also included:

   Arhitekta (m) / Arkitektes (f)             Architect
   Inženiera (m) / Inženieres (f)             Engineer
   Profesora (m) / Profesores (f)             Professor

Women usually take their husband’s family name upon marriage (with a feminised ending), but may also hyphenate this to their maiden family name.

   Tables of names can be acquired: given names External, surnames/family names External, family name prefixes External, forms of address External, job titles External

Latvia - Company legal forms

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   Note: This section last updated 10th July 2013

Latvian company types include:

Sabiedrība ar ierobežotu atbildību (SIA, Limited liability company)

   Akciju sabiedrība  (A/s, Joint stock company)  
   Branch
   General partnership
   Individuālais komersants (IK, Sole Trader)
   Individualais Uznemums (IU) 
   Komandītsabiedrība  (KS, Limited partnership)  
   Pilnsabiedrība (PS, Partnership) 
   Representative office
   Sabiedrība ar ierobežotu atbildību (SIA, Limited liability company)
   Comprehensive tables of these strings can be acquired – see http:www.grcdi.nl/addresses.htm External

Latvia - Address formats

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   Note: This section last updated 24th March 2021

Latvian addresses have the format:

   Recipient information 
   Thoroughfare name[ ]thoroughfare type[ ]building number{[, ]sub-building information}{[, ]Sub-locality] 
   MUNICIPALITY{[-]sorting code}[, ]POSTAL CODE    

For example:

image

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dz. is an abbreviation of dzīvoklis, meaning “apartment”. Latvian thoroughfare types are written with a lower-case first letter.

Building numbers often cover more than one building, indicated by the number being followed by a letter:

   62
   62A
   62B
   ...

This may also be indicated by a number, preceded by k (korpuss, building), like this:

   62 k-1
   62 k-2
   ...

The postal code is written to the right of the city name. Addresses for a number of the larger cities may also include a sorting number indicating the post office, but this is no longer much used as it often duplicated within the postal code. The building number may sometimes be found written before the thoroughfare name, and the postal code may sometimes be found written before the municipality name.

   A table containing information about the relevant position of elements within address blocks can be acquired External

Thoroughfare types

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Common Latvia thoroughfare types are bulvaris, gatve, iela and prospekt.

Latvia - Postal codes

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   Note: This section last updated 5th April 2020

Postal codes (Pasta Indeksa) consist of a block of 4 digits, usually preceded by LV-. The first two indicate the routing area, mostly corresponding to the pre 1st July 2009 district boundaries, the last two the post office. Postal codes cannot begin with 0, 22-29, 35, 49, 55 or 58-99.

   Metadata containing postal code formatting rules, exceptions and regular expressions can be acquired External

Latvia - Postal code format graphic

image

image

Latvia - Postal code format

Latvia - Postal code specifics

Latvia - Postal code regular expression

\A((1)[0-9][0-9][0-9]|(2)[0-1][0-9][0-9]|(3)[0-4][0-9][0-9]|(3)[6-9][0-9][0-9]|(4)[0-8][0-9][0-9]|(5)[0-4][0-9][0-9]|(5)[6-7][0-9][0-9]|(LV-1)[0-9][0-9][0-9]|(LV-2)[0-1][0-9][0-9]|(LV-3)[0-4][0-9][0-9]|(LV-3)[6-9][0-9][0-9]|(LV-4)[0-8][0-9][0-9]|(LV-5)[0-4][0-9][0-9]|(LV-5)[6-7][0-9][0-9])\Z

Latvia - Postal code level of coverage

2

Latvia - Postal code map

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Place names in Latvia

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   Note: This section last updated 5th December 2016

Refer to Exonyms in Latvia for full lists of place names in Latvia in other languages.

   Alternate place name forms/postal code tables can be acquired at http://www.grcdi.nl/settlements.htm External
   Other language place name data can be acquired at http://www.grcdi.nl/otherlanguageplace.htm External

Latvia - Administrative districts

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   Note: This section last updated 18th August 2021

Constitutional changes from 1st June 2021 reduced the number of novadi External (singular novads, amalgamated municipalities) from 110 to 36 and the number of pilsēti (singular pilsēta, republican cities), shown in the list below with an asterisk, from 9 to 7.

Municipality from 1st June 2021 Postal code zone(s) Municipality 2011-2021 Postal code zone(s)

Ādaži

10, 21 (shared with Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Ropaži, Riga, Salaspils, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Ādaži

21

Carnikava

21

Garkalne

10, 21

Aizkraukle

51

Aizkraukle

51

Jaunjelgava

51

Koknese

51

Nereta

51

Pļaviņas

51

Skrīveri

51

Alūksne

43 (shared with Smiltene)

Alūksne

43

Augšdaugava

54 (shared with Daugavpils)

Daugavpils

54

Ilūkste

54

Balvi

45

Baltinava

45

Balvi

45

Rugāji

45

Viļaka

45

Bauska

39

Bauska

39

Iecava

39

Rundāle

39

Vecumnieki

39

Cēsis

41 (shared with Smiltene)

Amata

41

Cēsis

41

Jaunpiebalga

41

Līgatne

41

Pārgauja

41

Priekuļi

41

Vecpiebalga

41

Daugavpils *

54 (shared with Augšdaugava)

Daugavpils *

54

Dienvidkurzeme

34 (shared with Lipāja)

Aizpute

34

Durbe

34

Grobiņa

34

Nīca

34

Pāvilosta

34

Priekule

34

Rucava

34

Vaiņode

34

Dobele

37

Auce

37

Dobele

37

Tērvete

37

Gulbene

44

Gulbene

44

Jēkabpils

52

Aknīste

52

Jēkabpils *

52

Jēkabpils

52

Krustpils

52

Sala

52

Viesīte

51

Jelgava *

30 (shared with Jelgava)

Jelgava *

30

Jelgava

30 (shared with Jelgava *)

Jelgava

30

Ozolnieki

30

Jūrmala *

20

Jūrmala *

20

Ķekava

10, 21 (shared with Ādaži, Mārupe, Olaine, Ropaži, Riga, Salaspils, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Baldone

21

Ķekava

10, 21

Krāslava

53 (shared with Līvāni), 56

Aglona

53

Dagda

56

Krāslava

56

Kuldīga

33

Alsunga

33

Kuldīga

33

Skrunda

33

Limbaži

40 (shared with Sigulda)

Aloja

40

Limbaži

40

Salacgrīva

40

Lipāja *

34 (shared with Dienvidkurzeme)

Liepāja *

34

Līvāni

53

Līvāni

53

Ludza

57

Cibla

57

Kārsava

57

Ludza

57

Zilupe

57

Madona

48

Cesvaine

48

Ērgļi

48

Lubāna

48

Madona

48

Mārupe

10, 21 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Olaine, Ropaži, Riga, Salaspils, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Babīte

21

Mārupe

10, 21

Ogre

50

Ikšķile

50

Ķegums

50

Lielvārde

50

Ogre

50

Olaine

21 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Mārupe, Ropaži, Riga, Salaspils, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Olaine

21

Preiļi

53 (shared with Krāslava)

Preiļi

53

Riebiņi

53

Vārkava

53

Rēzekne *

46 (shared with Rēzekne)

Rēzekne *

46

Rēzekne

46 (shared with Rēzekne *)

Rēzekne

46

Viļāni

46

Rīga *

10 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Ropaži, Salaspils, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Rīga *

10

Ropaži

10, 21 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Riga, Salaspils, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Ropaži

21

Stopiņi

10, 21

Salaspils

21 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Riga, Ropaži, Saulkrasti, Sigulda)

Salaspils

21

Saldus

38

Brocēni

38

Saldus

38

Saulkrasti

21 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Riga, Ropaži, Salaspils, Sigulda)

Saulkrasti

21

Sēja

21

Sigulda

21 (shared with Ādaži, Ķekava, Mārupe, Olaine, Riga, Ropaži, Salaspils, Saulkrasti), 40 (shared with Limbaži)

Inčukalns

21

Krimulda

21, 40

Mālpils

21

Sigulda

21

Smiltene

41 (shared with Cēsis), 43 (shared with Alūksne), 47 (shared with Valka and Valmiera)

Ape

43

Rauna

41

Smiltene

47

Talsi

32

Dundaga

32

Mērsraga

32

Roja

32

Talsi

32

Tukums

31

Engure

31

Jaunpils

31

Kandava

31

Tukums

31

Valka

47 (shared with Smiltene and Valmiera)

Valka

47

Valmiera

42, 47 (shared with Smiltene and Valka)

Beverīna

42

Burtnieki

42

Kocēni (before 2010: Valmiera)

42

Mazsalaca

42

Naukšēni

42

Rūjiena

42

Strenči

47

Valmiera *

42

Varakļāni

48

Varakļāni

48

Ventspils *

36 (shared with Ventspils)

Ventspils *

36

Ventspils

36 (shared with Ventspils *)

Ventspils

36

Administrative districts graphic

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Telephone numbers in Latvia

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Latvian numbers have no area codes and a length of 8 digits when called from abroad. Mobile numbers commence with a 2.

   Tables of telephone number information/formats can be acquired – see http://www.grcdi.nl/telephone.htm External 

References

  1. ^ citypopulation.de/en/latvia/admin/ External 20230120

Every effort is made to keep this resource updated. If you find any errors, or have any questions or requests, please don't hesitate to contact the author.

All information copyright Graham Rhind 2024. Any information used should be acknowledged and referenced.