A plan to reduce bureaucracy by simplifying building construction, company registration, and expanding the use of e-services has been presented to the government, according to proposals from the Bureaucracy Reduction Task Force.
The task force has submitted 21 priority measures for reducing bureaucracy.
One of the proposals is to stop duplicating electronic services for businesses in paper form. To implement this, all ministries and their subordinate institutions must identify services provided in both digital and paper formats and take steps to eliminate such duplication.
The plan includes automatic activation of e-addresses for newly registered legal entities in the Latvian Register of Enterprises and, within a reasonable timeframe, for existing registered entities. It also proposes enabling legal entities to use e-addresses via authorized representatives.
Other proposals include shortening the processing time for applications and simplifying official correspondence. State institutions will be encouraged to make response letters shorter and more direct, allowing quicker replies. All ministries and institutions will be asked to review their communication practices and focus on addressing the core issue rather than using overly formal language.
The task force also proposes reducing the time required to issue administrative acts and simplifying their content.
Institutions should evaluate their administrative procedures and deadlines and make relevant regulatory adjustments. Additionally, it is proposed that only the decision part of favourable administrative acts be included in notifications, which may also be sent by SMS.
In the transport sector, various e-services are to be expanded, including remote receipt of registration documents and number plates, remote issuance of driver’s licenses in some cases, and the elimination of paper forms for trial drives and new vehicle certificates (CoC), replacing them with digital versions.
Procedures for vehicle registration in inheritance cases are to be simplified, and the requirement for a separate learning card for each driving school location is to be removed.
IT solutions are proposed to improve the management of active employment measures. For example, the status of “job seeker” would be eliminated in favour of a unified “unemployed” status, streamlining administrative work at the State Employment Agency (NVA).
The NVA’s event organization processes would also be reviewed to allow for more flexible criteria adjustments without needing Cabinet regulation changes, delegating responsibility to the agency itself.
The exchange of information between medical institutions and the State Medical and Work Capacity Expert Commission is to be optimized, including granting doctors access to the e-health system.
The operation of the Social Enterprise Commission, led by the Ministry of Welfare, would also be optimized by reviewing only those annual reports where discrepancies are identified, instead of all reports.
The task force recommends a one-time information submission rule for state authorities, with further use of this data internally.
For instance, a unified e-form is to be created for the Central Statistical Bureau and the State Revenue Service, aiming to reduce administrative burden on businesses. Reports such as “2-darbs” and “2-apgrozījums” would be discontinued in 2025, and more institutions like the Bank of Latvia could join this system in 2026.
Currently, companies must submit financial closure reports to both the Register of Enterprises and the State Revenue Service. The plan proposes enabling submission to just one institution and automatic information sharing between them.
The plan also introduces legal recognition of apartment owners’ associations to allow them to apply for building renovation loans, including registration numbers, representatives, and beneficial ownership details.
Support provided by development finance institution Altum is also to be simplified—standardized forms, remote identification, streamlined internal review procedures, and simplified financing up to 100 000 euros .
To reduce administrative burden, institutions would rely more on existing data instead of repeatedly requesting information, reduce report submission frequency during projects, and remove unnecessary oversight criteria by simplifying and merging Cabinet regulations.
It is proposed that institutions be allowed to return overpayments or incorrect payments to the original account without a request from the person. Currently, a refund often requires not only a court decision but also a written request.
An electronic account registration system is to be introduced alongside the e-address. This would eliminate the need for individuals to submit applications just to inform institutions of their payment accounts for benefits. Once registered, relevant benefits would be granted automatically when a person becomes eligible.
The task force also proposes that schools collect student information only once, eliminating the need for separate applications or permissions for after-school activities, camps, or clubs. All necessary documents would be submitted digitally.
Healthcare providers would automatically send e-receipts to the State Revenue Service’s EDS system for reimbursement claims.
Work safety materials, currently spread across multiple websites (“stradavesels.lv”, “vdi.gov.lv”), will be consolidated into one portal, which will also be promoted publicly.
Energy efficiency in single- and two-family homes would be encouraged by applying a simplified notification process for reconstruction and renovation.
Company registration forms are to be simplified, and administrative processes for private home construction will be eased—homes up to 150m² would only require a simple notification rather than full approval
Construction of small buildings up to 25m² would be exempt from the construction approval process, cadastral registration, and land registry entry. If the owner wishes to register such buildings, only a notification would be needed.
Residential and auxiliary buildings up to 60m² would also follow the simplified notification process, except in protected or historically significant areas.
Machine translation of foreign-language documents would be accepted without the need for certified accuracy confirmation—only a note stating the translation was generated via a machine tool would be required.
This initiative follows a March directive by Prime Minister Evika Siliņa to establish the Bureaucracy Reduction Task Force, led by State Chancellery Director Raivis Kronbergs and co-chaired by Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Aigars Rostovskis.