Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) is facing persistent staffing shortages that have led to long wait times for identity document processing. Despite the recent decision to drop the mandatory requirement for electronic identification (eID) cards, individuals seeking identity documents still face wait times of several weeks. The situation has prompted many to arrive at PMLP offices several hours before they open and has led to overcrowding in larger cities.
To address the issue, PMLP has reduced its previous booking periods and is now primarily accepting first-come, first-serve visitors. However, this has created a backlog of customers, with the earliest available booking times not until June.
The primary cause of the staffing shortage is the demanding nature of the work. Puķe explained that PMLP has regularly advertised job vacancies, but many employees leave after only a few days or weeks due to the high emotional and physical demands of the job.
The Ministry of Interior is also trying to address the issue of PMLP’s capacity. Additional equipment, such as mobile devices, has been introduced to help with identity document processing. However, the ministry has noted that there are other challenges that need to be addressed, including the influx of Ukrainian immigrants and the need to review the status of Russian pensioners living in Latvia.
At the beginning of the year, the decision to make eID cards mandatory from May 1 put further strain on PMLP’s capacity. However, since the decision was reversed, the flow of customers has somewhat stabilized. The long wait times for identity document processing continue to be a problem, but efforts are being made to improve the situation.
