Source: European Union/Re-open EU
26.01.2021
From an EU Member State or Schengen Associated Country, may I enter this country without being subject to extraordinary restrictions?
No
Latvia adopts its own national classification of risk areas, hence travel restrictions for Latvia are not based on the common "EU Traffic Lights" map.
Is a coronavirus test required?
YES. All international travellers arriving by passenger carrier or by private transport are required to present a negative PCR test.
Travel by a passenger carrier: the test has to be presented to the carrier prior to boarding the vehicle.
Travel by private transport: a negative test must be indicated on the Covidpass form. This will be checked by the State Border Guard and the State Police.
Provisions for vaccinated people
Travellers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 are exempted from providing a negative COVID-19 test (a certificate of vaccination is needed).
Coronavirus test details
Only PCR tests are accepted.
- The test must be performed no earlier than 72 hours before boarding the carrier’s vehicle, or crossing the Latvian border individually;
- The test must be recognised in the country of departure;
- In case a negative test is not provided to the carrier (either printed form or in electronic format), boarding will be denied;
- The test result or certificate may be written in English, French, German, Russian or, in the case of using a carrier service, also in the language of the country from where an individual travels to Latvia.
- If the certificate is presented to the State Border Guard or the State Police when entering Latvia from Estonia or Lithuania, it may also be provided in Lithuanian or Estonian.
Children under the age of 11, passenger carrier staff, sailors travelling for work, transit passengers who do not leave the airport control area, and members of the diplomatic corps are exempted from doing the test. Tests will not be required for those who live near the border and cross it daily for work or education.
Is a quarantine required?
YES for travellers, including citizens and permanent residents of Latvia, arriving from countries in which the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded the threshold rate of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Data on the incidence of COVID-19 cases in the EU and third countries is updated every Friday on the website of Latvia’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Quarantine duration
10 days. Particular groups of persons (for example, health and social workers, teachers) who intend to work in Latvia have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Other
People who have developed COVID-19 recently (up to three months) must show a medical certificate that they are no longer infectious.
Mandatory Travel Documentation
All travellers must fill in an electronic confirmation form on the Covidpass.lv website. Electronic confirmation must be completed no earlier than 48 hours before crossing the Latvian border.
What are the rules to enter this country from outside an EU Member State or Schengen Associated country?
Citizens from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, as well as people with permanent residence status in those countries, can travel to Latvia. The entry from other third-countries, China and administrative territories of Hong Kong and Macao is allowed only for essential purposes and exceptions.
All international travellers arriving by passenger carrier or by private transport are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to arriving in Latvia. When travelling to Latvia by passenger carrier, the test has to be presented to the carrier prior to boarding the vehicle. When travelling to Latvia by private transport, a negative test will have to be indicated with a special mark on the Covidpass form. This will be checked by the State Border Guard and the State Police.
Children under the age of 11, passenger carrier staff, sailors travelling for work, transit passengers who do not leave the airport control area, and members of the diplomatic corps are exempted from doing the test. Tests will also not be required for those who live near the border and cross it daily for work or education.
People who have developed COVID-19 recently (up to three months) will need to show a doctor’s certificate that they are not infectious.
Provisions for vaccinated people
Travellers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 are exempted from providing a negative PCR test (a certificate of vaccination is needed).
Mandatory Travel Documentation
Prior to the arrival in the Republic of Latvia, a person who enters the country by using services of international carriers must confirm in writing that, upon arrival in Latvia, the epidemiological safety measures established in the country will be observed. In the statement, the person must indicate his or her name, surname, personal identification code, contact telephone number and the address of the actual place of residence where the person can be reached, as well as the countries and dates of departure in which the person has stayed during the last 14 days before the arrival in Latvia.
Electronic questionnaires are accessible from any smart device and it is possible to complete them on a special website covidpass.lv/en.
After filling in the form, the traveller will receive a QR code which is assigned to them personally and which also confirms that the information they submitted on the electronic questionnaire was received. In case the QR code is lost, the traveller can go back to the website and retrieve their QR code again by clicking on the “Receive QR Code” function and entering their e-mail address.
The data indicated in the questionnaire is automatically transferred to law enforcement authorities – the State Police (VP), the State Border Guard (VRS) – and the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC). Personal data will be stored for 30 days for the sake of epidemiological safety and so that travellers can be contacted. After 30 days, personal data will be automatically deleted.
May I transit this country?
Yes
Entry is allowed to foreigners transiting through the territory of Latvia on their return to their country of residence. Quarantine does not apply to persons who cross the territory in transit.
Find out more:
Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
covid19.gov.lv
Latvia Travel
Documents you need to travel in Europe
A curfew is in place from 22:00 to 5:00 during the weekends (the night hours from 22.00 to 5.00 from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday). For urgent reasons to move, the ID card or passport and a specific form must be presented to controlling authorities.
During the weekends, the working hours of shops and services is limited to 21:00.
Find out more: https://covid19.gov.lv/en/majsede
Health cover for temporary stays
Use of facemasks
It is mandatory to wear a face mask:
- in all indoor spaces where there is more than 1 person, except within households;
- in public transport (the only exceptions are children under the age of 7 and disabled people (with movement disorders or mental health problems impeding to wear the mask)
Physical Distancing
People must respect 2 metres physical distancing (applies to both public indoor and public outdoor spaces). Physical distancing is not applied to family members and members living in the same household.
15.12.2020
From an EU Member State or Schengen Associated Country, may I enter this country without being subject to extraordinary restrictions?
PARTIALLY
Entry Restrictions
Citizens from EU Member States plus Schengen Associated countries, as well as people with permanent residence status in those countries, can enter Latvia withour additional restrictions, if the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants is below 50.
Epidemiological data is updated every Friday on the website of Latvia's Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. If the country is marked in red or yellow, all travellers, including citizens and permanent residents of Latvia, who have arrived from these countries, must quarantine for a period of 10 days.
If the 14-day cumulative incidence rate of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants exceeds twice the average value for the EU/EEA and the UK, all direct international passenger transport is prohibited and non-essential travel not recommended.
Mandatory Travel Documentation
Prior to the arrival in the Republic of Latvia, a person who enters the country by using services of international carriers must confirm in writing that, upon arrival in Latvia, the epidemiological safety measures established in the country will be observed. In the statement the person must indicate his or her name, surname, personal identification code, contact telephone number and the address of the actual place of residence where the person can be reached, as well as the countries and dates of departure in which the person has stayed during the last 14 days before the arrival in Latvia.
Electronic questionnaires are accessible from any smart device and it is possible to complete them on a special website covidpass.lv/en.
After filling in the form, the traveller will receive a QR code which is assigned to them personally and which also confirms that the information they submitted on the electronic questionnaire was received. In case the QR code is lost, the traveller can go back to the website and retrieve their QR code again by clicking on the “Receive QR Code” function and entering their e-mail address.
The data indicated in the questionnaire is automatically transferred to law enforcement authorities – the State Police (VP), the State Border Guard (VRS) – and the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC). Personal data will be stored for 30 days for the sake of epidemiological safety and so that travellers can be contacted. After 30 days, personal data will be automatically deleted.
What are the rules to enter this country from outside an EU Member State or Schengen Associated country?
Entry Restrictions
Citizens from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, as well as people with permanent residence status in those countries, can travel to Latvia. The entry from other third-countries, China and administrative territories of Hong Kong and Macao is allowed only for essential purposes and exceptions.
Mandatory Travel Documentation
Prior to the arrival in the Republic of Latvia, a person who enters the country by using services of international carriers must confirm in writing that, upon arrival in Latvia, the epidemiological safety measures established in the country will be observed. In the statement the person must indicate his or her name, surname, personal identification code, contact telephone number and the address of the actual place of residence where the person can be reached, as well as the countries and dates of departure in which the person has stayed during the last 14 days before the arrival in Latvia.
Electronic questionnaires are accessible from any smart device and it is possible to complete them on a special website covidpass.lv/en.
After filling in the form, the traveller will receive a QR code which is assigned to them personally and which also confirms that the information they submitted on the electronic questionnaire was received. In case the QR code is lost, the traveller can go back to the website and retrieve their QR code again by clicking on the “Receive QR Code” function and entering their e-mail address.
The data indicated in the questionnaire is automatically transferred to law enforcement authorities – the State Police (VP), the State Border Guard (VRS) – and the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC). Personal data will be stored for 30 days for the sake of epidemiological safety and so that travellers can be contacted. After 30 days, personal data will be automatically deleted.
May I transit this country?
YES
Entry is allowed to foreigners transiting through the territory of Latvia on their return to their country of residence. Quarantine does not apply to persons who cross the territory in transit.
Find out more:
Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
https://covid19.gov.lv/en
Documents you need to travel in Europe
15.09.2020
Travelling to Latvia
Entry is allowed to foreigners transiting through the territory of Latvia on their return to their country of residence. Self-isolation does not apply to persons who cross the territory in transit.
An updated list of countries for which entry to Latvia is restricted is available on the Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Countries marked as red or yellow have registered infections above the allowed threshold.
Travelling from Latvia or returning to Latvia
Travelling to countries with COVID-19 incidence rates above 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a 14-day cumulative period is not recommended.
You must self-isolate if you enter Latvia or return from a country which is subject to special precautionary and restrictive measures due to a high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The list of affected countries can be found on the website of the Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Rules and Exceptions
Citizens from EU+ and persons lawfully residing in these countries are allowed to enter Latvia, provided that the incidence of COVID-19 (coronavirus infection) in their country of origin has not exceeded 16 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.
A list of countries for mandatory 14-day isolation upon arrival is periodically updated.
All travellers, including citizens and permanent residents of Latvia, who have arrived from countries in which the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 16 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, must self-isolate for a 14-day period upon arrival in Latvia.
Mandatory Travel Documentation
Prior to the arrival in the Republic of Latvia, a person who enters the country by using services of international carriers must confirm in writing that, upon arrival in Latvia, the epidemiological safety measures established in the country will be observed. In the statement the person must indicate his or her name, surname, personal identification code, contact telephone number and the address of the actual place of residence where the person can be reached, as well as the countries and dates of departure in which the person has stayed during the last 14 days before the arrival in Latvia.
Links to national sources
Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
https://covid19.gov.lv/en
Driving abroad
Source: https://reopen.europa.eu/en/map/LVA
SOURCE: The SRS National Customs Board
21.04.2020
Emergency situation declared throughout national territory
Suspension of international transit of passengers through airports and ports, by bus and rail, except for the travel of passengers by State aircraft and military transport. Prohibition of the movement of passengers and vehicles through border crossing points at airports and ports, on road and railway lines at the external border of the European Union, as well as through the border crossing points intended for local border traffic, with the exception of the carriage of goods.
Start date: 17.03.2020
End date: 12.05.2020
Further information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet of Ministers.