REPUBLIC OF LATVIA 1991-



TRANSITION : 1990

The Declaration on the Restauration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia is adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR on 4 May 1990. Then follows an transition period, also postally.

In October 1990 is issued a postal stationary without value indication. It is issued as commemoration of the Declaration on the Restauration of Independence on 4 May 1990.


In the Michel Ganszsachen-Katalog Europa Ost 2004/05 this issue is number U 1.

Post with this cover abroad must have an additional franking with (Soviet) postage stamps.
The rates between 4 May 1990 - 1 January 1991:

  • inland letter, also other Baltic states and Soviet Union: letter till 20 gr. the rate was 5 kopecks
  • inland postcard: 4 kopecks
  • registered inland letter: 10 kopecks
  • international letter: 30 kopecks (airmail 50 kopecks)



Extented Information about the rates in Lavia in this period you can find on the site of Sijtze Reurich







On December 24, 1990, this new postal stationary is issued by the Latvian post. It was more a souvenir: 50.000 covers, the price for a cover was 80 kopecks. The cover, in the Michel number U 2, has as no value indication, but the rate for an inland letter was 5 kopecks at that time. After January 1 it was 15 kopecks.




The letter is sent from Liepāja 5 to Liepāja 1. The date in the postmark is not clear, but must be 26 May 1991. The arrival postmark is clear: 28 May 1991.



The stamp, with a banner in the national colors.



On the backside the arrival postmark. At the top is printed a message in Latvian, the (translated) text:
'Without further costs for correspondence valid in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.'


Mr. Jākimovs desribes in his article the start of the sale of the covers: in the morning many collectors together in the 50th post-district of Riga, 2 covers a person, together 700 covers. After some hours: sold out.

At the bottom are mentioned some printing data: Latvian Republic Ministry of Communications / Designer Gunārs Kirke / Sturm Druck, Bremen, BDR, 1990.