# Credit institution licence (bank) (Latvia)

Source page: https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/latvia/

The Credit institution licence (bank) is issued by Latvijas Banka (LB) under Law on Latvijas Banka. It can be passported to the other EU/EEA states by notification. The official register lists 10 current holders. The legal decision period is 1 month completeness check, followed by 3 to 12 months decision period in conjunction with the ECB. The application fee is EUR 0 (free of charge). Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.

## At a glance

| Official name | Credit institution licence (bank) [1] |
| --- | --- |
| Issued by | [Latvijas Banka](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/latvijas-banka/) |
| Jurisdiction | [Latvia](https://protegra.io/licensing/jurisdictions/latvia/) |
| Licence family | [Bank / credit institution](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/bank/) |
| Legal basis | Law on Latvijas Banka [2]; Credit Institution Law [3]; Directive 2013/36/EU on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms (CRD IV) [4] |
| Passporting | EU/EEA passport available |
| Application fee | EUR 0 (free of charge) [1] |
| Statutory decision time | 1 month completeness check, followed by 3 to 12 months decision period in conjunction with the ECB [1] |
| Public register | [official register](https://www.bank.lv/en/financial-market-participant-register/market-participants?segments=42-banks) [5] |
| Current holders | 10 [5] |

## What it lets you do

- [Taking deposits from the public](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/deposit-taking/)
- [Lending](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/credit-granting/)
- [Execution of payment transactions](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/payment-execution/)

- **Taking deposits from the public.** Accepting deposits or other repayable funds from the public, the activity reserved to credit institutions.
- **Lending.** Granting loans, including consumer credit, mortgage credit, factoring and financing of commercial transactions.
- **Execution of payment transactions.** Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account.

## Where it is valid

_Issued in Latvia (gold); can be passported to the other EU/EEA states (blue) by notification._

## How long it takes

Statutory: 1 month completeness check, followed by 3 to 12 months decision period in conjunction with the ECB [1]. Observed: not published. The statutory clock usually starts only when the regulator treats the application as complete, and pauses while it waits for answers to its questions.

## Buying a company that already holds it

**Prior approval required.** Acquiring or increasing a qualifying holding reaching or crossing 10%, 20%, 33%, or 50% of capital or voting rights, or causing the entity to become a subsidiary, requires prior notification and approval from Latvijas Banka. Under Latvijas Banka Regulation No. 241 and the Credit Institution Law, the assessment period is 60 working days from receipt of a complete notification, interruptible once by up to 20 or 30 working days to request supplementary documents; Latvijas Banka evaluates reputation, financial soundness, and AML/CFT compliance before issuing approval. [6]

## Laws behind it

- [Capital Requirements Directive](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/eu-crd-2013-36/): Directive 2013/36/EU
- [Capital Requirements Regulation](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/eu-crr-575-2013/): Regulation (EU) No 575/2013

## Sources

1. [bank.lv: how to obtain authorisation](https://www.bank.lv/en/operational-areas/licensing/credit-institution/how-to-obtain-authorisation): retrieved 2026-09-24
2. [likumi.lv: 326575](https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/326575): retrieved 2026-09-24
3. [likumi.lv: 37426](https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/37426): retrieved 2026-09-24
4. [eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32013L0036)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013L0036): retrieved 2026-09-24
5. [bank.lv: market participants](https://www.bank.lv/en/financial-market-participant-register/market-participants?segments=42-banks): retrieved 2026-09-24
6. [bank.lv: procedure for the evaluation of qualifying holding](https://www.bank.lv/en/operational-areas/licensing/credit-institution/procedure-for-the-evaluation-of-qualifying-holding): retrieved 2026-09-24

Last verified 2026-09-24 · Author: Danil Marmysh · Reviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova · © Protegra. Data: CC BY 4.0, cite "Protegra Licensing Atlas". Not legal advice.