Latvian entry rules change for third country nationals from September 1

Third-country nationals entering Latvia without a Latvian-issued residence permit will need to fill out an online form at least 48 hours before arrival from September.
The form can be filled out at eta.gov.lv.
A fine of up to €2,000 can be enforced if the document is not submitted.
The rules apply to travelers holding a Schengen visa or residence issued by another EU member state.
Exemptions are in place for citizens from:
- European Union and European Economic Area
- NATO
- OECD
- Swiss Confederation
- Federative Republic of Brazil
The list of countries with exemptions are: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Additionally, the rule does not apply to:
- People with diplomatic immunity
- persons who arrive for official functions or for the provision of technical support
- Estonia's grey passport holders (stateless)
There is no exemption for Ukrainians.
The Latvian border guard said the new scheme will "strengthen state security and improve the efficiency of state border guarding."
The following information will be requested:
- Purpose of travel (entry)
- Planned time and place of stay
- Travel route
- Contact information
- Elected positions held by one or his or her relative
- Election candidacy
- Status of an existing or former official of the State or local government
- Service in the Armed Forces, Special Service, border Guard, Customs or Interior, Justice or Foreign Affairs (also Diplomatic) Service
Persons who entered Latvia before September 1 and are present in the country are not obliged to submit the relevant information.
More information can be found here.
Random checks on Estonia's borders

Latvia's Minister of Interior Rihards Kozlovskis told Postimees that random checks will be carried out on the Estonian-Latvian border.
"This does not mean that border crossing queues will form at the Estonian-Latvian borders," he added.
"Individuals may be stopped at random and asked to present identification documents. Their information is then checked in the system, and if everything is in order, they are allowed to continue their movement within Latvia."
He said the reason for the increased security measures is Russian citizens in the European Union.
"The problem is that some EU countries have begun issuing an increasing number of tourist visas to Russian citizens. Latvia's policy on this matter is very strict: we do not allow it, as we consider it a risk to our national security. We have changed our border regime to prevent and mitigate threats associated with the movement of Russian citizens," Kozlovskis told the paper.
He said special attention is being paid to Russian and Belarusian citizens.
This article was updated to add comments from the Latvian minister and the exemption for gray passport holders.
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Editor: Helen Wright










