Retiring in Latvia

Hello everyone,

Why did you choose to retire in Latvia? What are the advantages compared with your home country?

What were your main considerations when deciding to move? For example, taxes, ease of transferring your pension, etc..

Are there any specific formalities you had to go through as a retiree moving to Latvia (for example, is there a particular retirement visa)?

What is Latvia's healthcare like? Have you had any good or bad experiences dealing with healthcare professionals?

Do you have any tips for other retirees in Latvia?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

Hello Priscilla. I moved here before retirement in order to build a house. National Trust a qango Government office robbed me of my family home in England on old Crown land taxation. I went into rented and saved working all hours being taxed on every penny and rated 1000 pound per year on rented home. When I had enough up and left and here pay 50 euro rates per year and nothing else save TV internet a third of Uk price.Food cheaper live more relaxed like 1960s in UK before it all went to madness. i have a very large gardens here and suitable for an English Baronet to work at to create world heritage garden from cow fields. Now retired on army pensions and State pension one can work even harder to make a garden of the Gods on earth. We live well but work hard without pay just to make a home and gardens to my standing. I love England but not the greed of today people that sit in high places and expect to be pampered as babies by public taxation income alongside their own salary. Corruption is not as noticeable as here but exists the same as all Governments are evil. Latvian roads wreck my car springs every year and I can walk faster than drive on these Biblical donkey roads outside of Riga. That is corruption really noticed by all that come here to visit .tourists no they turn back and go home before ever seeing Latvia once off the A1 Baltic Highway. That is what is keeping rural Latvia poor. For me it matters not but to many poor Latvian I know my heart pours out to. A nation in the hands of garb and pocket merchants I wonder what the EU will make of all the grants made available that have little mark on things outside of Riga. We drove to Tallin last week for a rest.Must say for two nations next eachother Estonia is a proper EU nation with good roads and nice housing and everything not found in this still old Communistic nation. Wake up Latvia time to be counted and accountable for wasted funds.When a toilet block in this country can cost 6 million Euro to build one must stand up and be counted by EU

I retired here and love it. I am an American attorney. You can call me at ***, as there is much to say

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@Lewis

For security reasons it is unsafe to post contact details on the open forum.
Use the message system for this

Hello, Lewis!  I am thinking about retiring to Latvia and am interested in any advice you can provide. I have a much younger half sister and family that live in Latvia and will be visiting them in mid-April through the first week in May. My concern is that my sole source of income is Social Security from the United States and I believe that in order to keep that benefit, I would have to return to the US periodically. Do you have any information about this? Aija Hughes

No problem. I retired here and live solely off my US social security. I do not need to return to the US .  It is deposited into my US bank account automatically.

Thank you. Are you a long-term resident? If so, how difficult was it to get that?

I have a Temporary Resident status. The Migration office has several criteria for this. check out https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/
are you an EU citizen?

Hi, Lewis! I am a US citizen but both of my parents were Latvian citizens. I think I would prefer to live in a smaller town and not Riga directly. Is it difficult to rent an apartment or small house in those areas? Also, I noted that a resident must carry health insurance. Did you purchase health insurance through a Latvian or U S insurer?

I have Latvian health insurance. It is cheap. 60 euros for a year.
I am looking for a place to buy outside of Riga too.

Hell0
I am first generation Latvian and live in South Carolina and looking to retire in the next year or 2.
Are you still living in Riga? Can you tell me more about living as a retiree in Riga?  I am thinking of doing this for a year or 2.
Any tips or info you can provide me would be most appreciated.
Thank you!
Inese Freimanis

I'd love to connect with a Non EU citizen who has been through the Residency Permit process. We are a family of 3 adult US citizens,  parents retired on pension and adult son teaches English online. We would like to relocate to a small European country and travel extensively. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi, I am thinking of retiring in Latvia, I have a dual Latvian American citizenship.
Would like to find out about medical benefits in Latvia, will I need medical insurance and how much it will cost, what does it cover.

Hi,
Just wanted to ask if you are satisfied with your Latvian health insurance, how it works and what is covered.

My experience with health insurance is limited to the policy required for a residency permit, but for that, it is very cheap. One whole year for 60 euros.
Lewis
***

Moderated by Priscilla 2 years ago
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It would be very interesting to hear your opinion about retiring in Latvia.
I was born there and emigrated at age 33, live in US for 30 years and want to return to Latvia part time, may be for 2 month a year, want to rent or buy a condo in Jurmala.

So good you moved to Asia. Lewis why only because of sex trade

Hi Lewis
How would I start the process of retirement in Latvia? Is english widely spoken there? Nas

@Lewis Clementson Hi Lewis long time since last meet .Hope all is good for you .Gary told me you left Latvia to minister in Asia . Bit of a difference to here.