Jurmala adopts the biggest childbirth benefit in Latvia

From the 1st of January 2025 onward Jurmala municipality will pay EUR 1 000 for each newborn, making it the biggest childbirth benefit in the country, according to Jurmala City Council.

The EUR 1 000 benefit will be provided to the parent, guardian or adopted parent of a child born after the 1st of January 2025 and whose permanent place of residence was registered in Jurmala at least 12 months prior to the child’s birth.

In 2024, the childbirth benefit was EUR 500. It was provided to more than 400 Jurmala residents last year. The childbirth benefit is one of the types of support Jurmala municipality provides families with children.

Jurmala residents are also provided with an annual allowance of EUR 100 to support the learning process for children from the age of one and a half years, schoolchildren, as well as students up to 25 years of age who are studying in a full-time programme.

The municipality also pays for free city and school buses, as well as free train trips, free lunches for kindergarten children and pupils up to 12th grade. For large families, an allowance for attending cultural, sports and exploratory events and other forms of support is also available.

From the 1st of January 2025 onward, the benefit to access to healthcare for seniors whose permanent place of residence is registered in Jurmala will be EUR 200 per calendar year, (EUR 150 in 2024).

Jurmala is the only municipality in Latvia that provides such a benefit to all of its seniors.

The allowance is intended to help seniors cover medical expenses for health care – patient’s contributions and co-payments, health care, including dental services, medicines and medical supplies, including optics, including vitamins, and other health-related expenses.