Additional national service application window opened

From March 13th to April 13th, the Ministry of Defence has opened an additional application period for July conscription to the national defence service.

Latvian citizens aged 18 to 27 are invited to voluntarily apply for both 11-month military service and the alternative part-time five-year National Guard service, which will begin on July 17th of this year.

Although the initial application for the 2026 summer draft closed on January 14th, the ministry said it still regularly receives letters and calls from young people and their parents about their desire to complete national defense service this summer, even though they missed the application deadline for various reasons.

By voluntarily applying for the July draft this year, citizens are not subject to further random selection for future drafts. Soldiers who volunteer also receive a monthly compensation of 600 euros – double the amount of those who don't volunteer.

Also, after successfully completing their service, volunteer soldiers of the national defense service can apply for paid-for places at universities and colleges in full-time and part-time study programmes, subject to certain conditions.

It has already been reported that by January 14th, the largest number of volunteers to date – 1,560 Latvian citizens – had applied for the July 2026 draft of the National Defense Service. This is almost twice as many as the year before. However, medical and other checks significantly reduce the number eventually accepted into the service.