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Latvia: why confirm a former employee's job?

Every Latvian employer must, at the employee's written request, issue a certificate of the length of the employment relationship, the work done and the profession. Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.

Law as of 26 October 2026 · Darba likums (Labour Law of 20 June 2001), version in force from 22 October 2024

In short

  • The facts are already on paper. At the employee's written request, every employer must issue a certificate of how long the employment relationship lasted and the work done (Section 129 of the Labour Law), and of the length of employment and the profession (Section 64). Those are the facts we ask about.
  • It helps the person who worked for you. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
  • certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The GDPR lets an employer disclose personal data with the consent of the person it concerns (Art. 6(1)(a)). The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
  • You do not have to answer. No Latvian law obliges an employer to answer certo. Declining is fine.

The Labour Law

Darba likums, the Labour Law of 20 June 2001. Quoted from the official consolidated text on likumi.lv, the version in force from 22 October 2024.

Section 129: the certificate of work

Darba devējam ir pienākums pēc darbinieka rakstveida pieprasījuma … triju darba dienu laikā izsniegt rakstveida izziņu par darba devēja un darbinieka darba tiesisko attiecību ilgumu, darbinieka veikto darbu, …

In English: at the employee's written request, the employer must issue within three working days a written certificate of the length of the employment relationship and the work the employee did. The same certificate also covers earnings, taxes and the ground for termination, which certo never asks about.

Izziņā norāda pieprasītās ziņas, kuras darba devējs var pamatot ar lietvedībā vai arhīvā esošiem dokumentiem.

In English: the certificate states the requested information that the employer can substantiate with documents in its records or archive. Answer certo the same way: confirm only what your records show.

Section 64: the length of employment and the profession

Darba devējs pēc darbinieka rakstveida pieprasījuma piecu darba dienu laikā izsniedz šim darbiniekam izziņu par viņa darba samaksu, valsts sociālās apdrošināšanas obligāto iemaksu veikšanu, darba tiesisko attiecību ilgumu un profesiju.

In English: at the employee's written request, the employer issues within five working days a certificate of their pay, social insurance contributions, the length of the employment relationship and their profession. certo asks only about the length and the profession, never about pay.

Section 38(1): a rule for applicants, not for former employees

Minētās ziņas un dokumentus drīkst darīt zināmus trešajām personām tikai ar pretendenta piekrišanu.

In English: information and documents about a job applicant may be disclosed to third parties only with the applicant's consent. We found no provision of the Labour Law that sets a rule like this for a former employee; that question is answered by the GDPR, below, and the answer is the same: consent.

Section 33(2): what is never asked

A job interview may not include questions unrelated to the work or to the applicant's suitability, nor discriminatory ones, in particular about pregnancy, family or marital status, previous convictions (unless they matter for the work), religion, membership of a party, trade union or other organisation, national or ethnic origin, or languages the work does not need. certo never asks you about any of these.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Latvia; the Personal Data Processing Law (Fizisko personu datu apstrādes likums) supplements it.

  • Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer.
  • Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
  • Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.

What this means for your answer

  • Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
  • Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
  • Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.