Registering and paying for the A2 language check
6 min read
Registering for the Latvian state language proficiency check is an administrative process built around several deadlines, and the deadlines are what usually catch people out. This article sets out how far in advance you must apply, the four ways of applying, what the application has to state, how the state fee works, and when the result becomes available. The procedure is laid down in Cabinet Regulation No. 157.
How far in advance you must register
You must register no later than seven working days before the check. If you send the application by post, the deadline is longer: the postmark must be at least ten working days before the check.
Working days are not calendar days — public holidays and weekends do not count. In practice this means that applying a week before your chosen date is already too late, and anything sent by post needs a fortnight of slack.
Four ways to apply
The regulation provides four equally valid routes:
- Through the e-service on the latvija.gov.lv state services portal — the fastest option if you have internet banking or eID authentication.
- By an electronically signed document sent to the official electronic address of the authority that administers the check.
- In person at a unified state and local government customer service centre — the route for people without an electronic signature.
- By post, subject to the ten-working-day postmark rule above.
None of these routes gives you priority over the venue or the date. They differ only in convenience and in the deadline that applies.
What the application must state
Among other things, the application states the level and degree of Latvian language proficiency in which the person will sit the check.
That matters more than it looks. You register for a specific level; you do not sit some general test and then get "placed" on whatever level your score turns out to match. If you apply for basic level, second degree (A2), you sit the A2 material, and the outcome is either a pass at A2 or no pass at all. There is no consolation level awarded on a lower score.
So it is worth confirming, before you apply, that the level you are choosing is the one your situation actually requires — and that you are among the people who have to sit the check at all, since some are exempt or can submit a different qualifying document instead. That is covered in who is exempt from the A2 check.
When and where the check takes place
The time and place of the check are published at least two months in advance, on the website and in the information system. That publication rule is the only scheduling guarantee the regulation gives, and it is what you can plan around: the schedule appears at least two months before the date concerned.
Regular schedules are run in Rīga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Rēzekne and Ventspils. The 2023 open data also records sittings in Jelgava, Jēkabpils, Jūrmala, Krāslava, Ludza, Bauska, Tukums and Valmiera, as well as in the USA and Canada. So the set of venues can be wider than the five standing-schedule cities — but the current dates and places are always the ones in the published schedule.
If you sit the check abroad
If you intend to sit the check outside Latvia, you must make contact with the administering authority at least three months in advance to agree a place and a time. That is a longer lead time than ordinary registration, and applying seven working days beforehand does not substitute for it.
The state fee — 52 EUR, and who does not pay it
The state fee for the state language proficiency check is 52 EUR.
The fee is not paid by:
- Latvian citizens;
- Latvian non-citizens (nepilsoņi);
- citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
In addition, the fee is not applied to people holding low-income (trūcīgas) or needy-person (maznodrošinātas) status, on production of the document confirming that status.
A point on terminology: this is an exemption from the payment, not a statement about who has to sit the check. "Do I have to pay?" and "do I have to sit this at all?" are two different questions, answered by different provisions of the regulation.
When the fee has to be paid
The fee must be paid no later than seven working days before the check — the same deadline as the application, which is why the two are usually dealt with together.
The consequence is concrete: if the fee has not been paid and no document confirming low-income or needy-person status is produced, the person is not admitted to the check. Turning up in good faith with the fee unpaid does not help.
If you fail, or do not turn up
The fee is not refunded if the check is not passed, and it is not refunded if the person fails to attend without a valid reason. An excuse may be submitted within one month. The fee is likewise not refunded where a person is removed from the check for breaking the rules.
A no-show is not a postponement. It means registering again for another sitting, subject to the same deadlines.
Results
The result is available in the e-service on the latvija.gov.lv portal from the seventh working day. Having a paper document sent by post is a paid service, so unless a particular institution requires a paper copy, the electronic route is both faster and cheaper.
If the result appears unfounded, the regulation provides a challenge procedure: the submission is examined by an appeal commission, and beyond that the matter follows administrative procedure.
On the day itself
Bring your identity document, and expect to show it again for the speaking part, which each candidate takes individually. For the written parts there are no more than ten candidates in a room; phones and smartwatches go in your bag, and the writing sheets must be completed with a blue or black pen. No aids are permitted. Breaking the rules can mean removal from the check — and in that case the fee is not refunded either.
Deadlines at a glance
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Publication of the schedule (time and place) | at least 2 months in advance |
| Arranging to sit the check abroad | at least 3 months in advance |
| Application (e-service, e-address, in person) | no later than 7 working days before |
| Application by post (postmark date) | at least 10 working days before |
| Payment of the state fee | no later than 7 working days before |
| Result in the e-service | from the 7th working day after the check |
Before you pay
The fee is not refunded, so the cheapest moment to find out what the check actually looks like is before you register. On this site you can try all four parts free of charge in the check's own format, and the article on why people fail the A2 check explains where candidates most often lose points. Other common questions are collected in the FAQ.
This article is not legal advice. Requirements, deadlines and fees can change — before registering, confirm the current position in the in-force text of Cabinet Regulation No. 157 and in the official state information sources, including the latvija.gov.lv portal.