Latvia visa and entry requirements

Latvia's State Border Guard says a third-country national's travel document is valid for crossing the Schengen external borders if its validity extends at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States and it was issued within the previous 10 years.

No official source we read lists a vaccination certificate required for entry.

The Visa Code requires applicants for a uniform visa for one or two entries to prove that they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance, valid throughout the territory of the Member States for the entire intended stay, with minimum coverage of €30,000. Latvia's Foreign Ministry says that at the Schengen external border persons may be requested to present additional proof that they fulfil the entry conditions, e.g. a travel insurance policy.

No official source we could read makes a return or onward ticket a condition of entry. Latvia's Foreign Ministry says that at the Schengen external border persons may be requested to present additional proof that they fulfil the entry conditions, e.g. a return ticket or a hotel reservation.

Latvia's Foreign Ministry sets adequate means of subsistence for a foreign national entering Latvia with or without a visa at no less than €14 for each day of stay if the intended stay in Latvia does not exceed 30 days, and not less than €780 (the minimum monthly wage in Latvia) if it exceeds 30 days.

• EES — Entry/Exit System (biometric registration) — The EU's Travel to Europe site says that the first time you arrive at a border crossing point since the EES started, passport control officers will take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints, and that this can be quicker if you register some of your data in advance, using the self-service system if available at your border crossing point and/or a mobile application if the country of arrival or departure makes one available. The UK government tells British travellers that they do not need to take any action before arriving at the border on entry to the Schengen area, and that there is no cost for EES registration. (at the border on first entry) travel-europe.europa.eu ↗(opens in a new tab)
• ETIAS — European Travel Information and Authorization System — ETIAS is the new travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers to enter 30 European countries, Latvia among them. It is currently not in operation and no applications are being collected; the EU will announce the start date several months before launch. (before travel, once etias starts) travel-europe.europa.eu ↗(opens in a new tab)

Staying in Latvia without a valid travel document, visa, residence permit, travel authorisation or other required document, or otherwise breaching the conditions of stay, is punished by a warning or a fine of up to seventy fine units. One fine unit is five euro. A foreigner found staying unlawfully is issued a departure order, except in cases set in the law, with 7 to 30 days to comply. Breaching the entry and stay rules in Latvia or another Schengen state within the last year is one of the grounds listed for inclusion in the entry-ban list; the entry ban is then set at 30 days to three years.

• Riga municipal fee for accommodating holidaymakers and tourists (pašvaldības nodeva par atpūtnieku un tūristu uzņemšanu) — 0.89 EUR per person per night. Paid at the accommodation.

  In Riga the fee is 0.89 euro for each night a holidaymaker or tourist spends in tourist accommodation, but no more than 8.90 euro for one continuous stay. Stays of under-18s are not charged. The payer of the fee is the person who accommodates holidaymakers and tourists for payment. From 1 January 2027 the rate is 1.78 euro per night, up to 17.80 euro per continuous stay.

  Exemptions: Stays of tourists or holidaymakers under 18 are not charged.

• Kuldīga municipal fee for accommodating holidaymakers and tourists — 1.5 EUR per person per night. Paid at the accommodation.

  In Kuldīga the fee is EUR 1.50 per night spent in tourist accommodation, excluding VAT, but no more than EUR 15.00 excluding VAT per continuous stay. Stays of under-18s are not charged.

  Exemptions: Stays of tourists or holidaymakers under 18 are not charged.

  Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: likumi.lv (opens in a new tab) · Kuldīgas novada saistošie noteikumi Nr. 2/2026

If you enter or leave the EU with €10,000 in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies), you must declare it to the customs authorities in the EU country you are entering or leaving, using the EU cash declaration form.

• Entering the EU from a non-EU country, the EU's Your Europe portal lists duty-free allowances of 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, plus 1 litre of spirits over 22% vol. or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine, and other goods up to €300 per traveller or €430 for travellers by air and sea. For tobacco it lists Latvia among the countries that apply the lower limit to land and sea travellers: 40 cigarettes or 20 cigarillos or 10 cigars or 50 g tobacco (the higher limit is 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco).
• Travelling between EU countries, the EU's Your Europe portal says no further payments are due on alcohol and tobacco bought for your own use and not for resale, as taxes are included in the price in the country where you bought them. Each EU country sets guideline quantities, which may not be lower than, for example, 800 cigarettes or 10 litres of spirits; if customs suspect that goods are not for your own use, you may be asked to prove that they are.