Selection for Professional Military Service and Studies at the National Defence Academy

1.1. Criminal record check 

After receiving the candidate's application form, data on the candidate's criminal record will be checked in the Criminal Register.

1.2. Preparation and submission of documents 

The candidate will receive information about the arrival at the National Defence Academy of Latvia at the e-mail address indicated in the application form to complete the pre-selection. You must arrive at Riga, Ezermalas Street 8B on the specified date and time, taking the following documents with you:

1. identity card (electronic identification card (eID)), or a valid citizen's passport,
2. a short curriculum vitae (CV),
3. originals of documents certifying civil education and, if served, military education,
4. if served, documents certifying previous service length (years of service),
5. if service, including specialty, ranks that have been assigned, documents certifying this,
6. a document certifying the level of proficiency in the official language (C1) unless the candidate has graduated from a Latvian language school or a dual-language school in the Latvian stream.

After receiving and checking the documents, the National Defence Academy will send the candidate, indicating the date and time, to the basic selection tests - medical and physical fitness tests, as well as to psychological research (assessment).

Basic selection tests in two days 

A candidate who lives in a region or abroad further away from Riga is offered to undergo the selection in two days, if necessary, providing free accommodation in military barracks in Riga. You don't have to worry about food either - free meals are provided in the two-day selection.

2.1. Medical examination

Medical information 

Medical information should only be started when received from the National Defence Academy, as medical information is valid for one month.

When visiting your family doctor, the candidate must receive an extract from the outpatient card (form 027u), which also indicates the blood group and Rh factor, and for women - also the results of gynecological examinations. You should also check that the necessary entries have been made in the Vaccination Passport.

Health survey form 

The health survey form must be downloaded and saved on a computer, where it must also be completed, but then printed and signed. It will be needed when undergoing a medical examination.

If there are uncertainties about filling in the data requested in the health survey form, we encourage you to take the form with you when visiting your family doctor and fill it out together with him.

Outpatient medical commission 

The National Defence Academy will send the candidate to the Outpatient Medical Commission of the Medical Support Center, which will assess the suitability of the health status for service and studies.

The candidate must arrive for a medical examination, taking with him the previously prepared originals of the medical certificate, as well as a completed health survey form.

The medical examination will be performed by a surgeon, primary health care physician, neurologist, otorhinolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, dermatologist, dentist, psychiatrist, narcologist (for women - a gynecologist), and if necessary, other specialists. The examination will include blood and urine tests, an ECG, a chest X-ray, determining height, physical strength and exercise capacity, visual acuity, hearing and noise sensitivity capacity, and color vision.

In case the doctor of the medical commission has sent you for an additional examination, the candidate must inform the National Defence Academy about it. After the additional examination, the candidate, taking the examination results with him, must repeatedly appear at the Medical Support Center to complete the medical examination.

After the examination, the medical commission will decide on the suitability for the service. The commission's opinion is valid for six months.

2.2. Physical fitness test

The candidate must arrive at the specified date, time, and place for the test, taking with him sports clothes and shoes appropriate to the weather conditions, as well as an identity document.

The candidate must receive at least a “Satisfactory” assessment in the test according to the regulations set for the gender and age group. If the result is lower, specialists from the National Defence Academy have prepared a plan on how to improve it.

Men

Women

2.3. Psychological research (assessment)

On the specified date, taking an identity document with you, you must arrive for psychological research (assessment). In the process, using cognitive ability and personality research methods, a partially structured interview and observations will reveal the candidate's stress resistance, self-control of behavior, communication skills, and ability to work in a team, as well as adaptation skills and cognitive and intellectual development abilities.

3.1. Selection committee decision 

The National Defence Academy will inform the candidate of the selection committee's decision.

If the candidate has not passed the selection, the National Defence Academy will notify the candidate about it, indicating the grounds for refusal and informing about the possibility of appealing the commission's decision to the Minister of Defence within one month.

The National Defence Academy will send an e-mail to the candidate who has passed the selection, informing them about the arrival date at the National Defence Academy and the conclusion of the contract, as well as information about the start of training.