Funeral allowance registration

Receiving Burial Benefit in Riga

When a close person passes away, relatives, despite their grief, must not only organize the funeral but also take care of receiving burial benefits.

The Labor Law provides the employee with two paid days off in case of the death of a close relative. According to labor legislation, in the event of the death of a spouse, parent, child, or other close family member, the employee is entitled to two paid days off to organize the funeral. The closest relative who takes on the responsibility of organizing the funeral is entitled to receive a burial benefit from the state, the amount of which depends on the deceased's status.

If the deceased was receiving a pension before their death, the benefit amounts to two pensions. If the deceased was employed, the state provides a burial benefit equal to two average monthly salaries.

The application for the burial benefit can be submitted either in person, through the local government customer service centers, or online via the portal latvija.gov.lv. The processing of the application typically takes three working days.

The application for the burial benefit must be submitted within 6 months from the date of the person’s death. If the deadline is missed, the benefit will not be granted.

The maximum burial benefit amount is 430 euros, but not exceeding the actual funeral expenses of the deceased. When applying for the benefit, the family (or individual) income and financial status are not considered. The right to the benefit belongs to the closest relative of the deceased, whose last registered place of residence was in the administrative territory of Riga city, or, if there are no relatives able to organize the funeral, to the person who takes on the responsibility of organizing the burial on behalf of the family

In the Riga Social Services, you need to submit:

• an application;
• a copy of the death certificate (with the original presented);
• a copy of the decision from the State Social Insurance Agency (with the original presented) or a certificate from another institution confirming that the burial benefit has not been paid, * or stating the amount of the paid benefit;
• original documents confirming the expenses for funeral services.

Attention! To receive the burial benefit, you must submit the original documents confirming the expenses to the Riga Social Services within two months from the date the expenses occurred!

Burial Benefit in Jurmala

The burial benefit is a financial assistance designed to cover funeral expenses.

The burial benefit is provided if the deceased's last place of residence was in the Jurmala municipality.

To receive the burial benefit, the person responsible for organizing the deceased’s funeral must submit an application to the Social Welfare Department and provide:

A certificate from the State Social Insurance Agency confirming that the burial benefit has not been paid, or indicating the amount of the burial benefit paid; Documents confirming the funeral expenses of the deceased. The burial benefit is paid according to the actual funeral expenses but does not exceed the total amount of the state and municipal benefits, which is 350 euros.

The burial benefit is transferred to the person specified in the application or to the funeral service provider named in the application.

The burial benefit can be requested within three months from the date of the issuance of the deceased's death certificate.

Data edited on: 02. December 2024.