🇱🇻Latvia

The Schengen arithmetic

• 90 days in any rolling 180. Not 90 days per visit and not 90 days per country. Every day anywhere in the Schengen area counts against the same allowance.
• Latvia is a full Schengen member. Arriving from Estonia or Lithuania involves no passport check at all.
• The Baltic states are one trip for most visitors and they share your 90 days between them.
• The passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and be valid for 3 months beyond your intended departure.

The eastern borders

• Latvia's border with Belarus is under enhanced protection, extended repeatedly in response to organised irregular crossings, and the regime remains in force through 2026.
• Neither the Belarusian nor the Russian border is a practical route in or out of the country. Do not build an itinerary that assumes an overland crossing.
• Check current advice before travelling to the border regions - Latgale in the east is perfectly safe to visit, but the crossings themselves are not routine.

EES: no more stamps

• The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026.
• Your face and fingerprints are registered on first entry at a Schengen external border, and reused on later trips.
• No stamp goes in your passport. The system computes your 90/180 balance itself.

ETIAS: not yet, and no date

• ETIAS has not launched and there is no announced launch date.
• Applications are not open. Any website selling you an ETIAS today is a scam.
• When it comes, the fee is EUR 20, free for under-18s and over-70s.

Where your nationality lands

• The Schengen short stay visa fee is EUR 90, EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11.

• Between EU countries there is no duty-free limit. Goods bought tax-paid in another member state travel with you; customs may only ask what a very large quantity is for, against indicative figures of 800 cigarettes and 10 litres of spirits.
• The tobacco allowance is the lower one for land and sea arrivals: 40 cigarettes rather than 200. The rest of the allowance is the EU standard - 1 litre of spirits over 22 % (or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine), 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer.
• Other goods are capped by value - EUR 430 arriving by air or sea, EUR 300 by land - and the allowance cannot be pooled between travellers for a single item.
• Cash of EUR 10,000 or more must be declared, counting notes, coins, cheques and prepaid cards together. The money is seized for not declaring it, not for carrying it.
• The Russian and Belarusian borders are external EU borders with restricted crossing, and the tobacco limit there is the lower one.

Cover

• EU and EEA visitors: carry your EHIC. UK visitors: the GHIC does the same job. Neither is travel insurance.
• Latvia's state system involves co-payments that you will be asked for at the point of care, even with an EHIC.
• Travel insurance still matters for repatriation and private clinics, and Riga has good private care that is quick and reasonably priced.

Ticks

• Latvia is one of Europe's higher-risk countries for tick-borne encephalitis. The season runs roughly April to October.
• The vaccine is worth discussing with a travel clinic, especially for hiking, camping or any time in the forests - which is most of Latvia.
• Lyme disease is the commoner infection. Cover up in long grass and woodland, use repellent, check yourself daily.
• Remove a tick promptly with fine tweezers, straight out, without twisting.

Everyday health

• Tap water is safe to drink in Riga and the main towns. In very rural areas with private wells, ask.
• Pharmacies (aptieka) are well stocked and pharmacists advise on minor problems.
• Care is good in Riga, more limited elsewhere - the major hospitals are in the capital.
• Bring enough prescription medicine for the trip plus a margin, in original packaging with a copy of the prescription.

Riga

• The old town is central and inexpensive by western European standards, and it is the noisiest place in the country at weekends.
• The Quiet Centre (Klusais centrs) is the alternative, a short walk away, full of the art nouveau architecture Riga is actually famous for, and considerably calmer.
• Riga has a stag-party reputation and some old town apartments sit above bars. Read the reviews for the word "noise" before booking.

Jurmala and the coast

• Jurmala is a summer town. In July and August it fills and prices double; out of season much of it closes.
• Book ahead for the season, and remember the car entry fee if you are driving.
• The rest of the coast is emptier and cheaper - Liepaja and Ventspils in the west are real towns rather than resorts.

Practicalities

• You will be asked for your passport at check-in.
• Rural guesthouses and manor houses are a genuine category and often excellent value, though many are seasonal.
• Winter is very cheap and very cold, and Riga's Christmas market is the exception that fills the city.

If you have an EU plan, stop reading

• Roam-like-at-home applies. A SIM from any EU or EEA country works in Latvia at your domestic rates.
• UK plans are not covered any more. Check whether your network reintroduced EU roaming charges.

Local prepaid SIM

• Three networks: LMT, Tele2 and Bite. Coverage is good across the country including the coast and the forests.
• LMT has the broadest rural reach, which matters in Latgale and the national parks.
• Prepaid starter packs are sold in Narvesen kiosks, supermarkets and operator shops and are inexpensive.
• Bring your passport. Registration requirements apply to prepaid SIMs.

eSIM

• All three networks support eSIM and so does every international provider.
• It is the sensible option for a short city break, live before you land.

Practical points

• Free wi-fi is widespread in cafes, hotels and public transport.
• Keep your home number reachable for two-factor codes.
• Coverage drops in the deep forest and the bogs, which is worth knowing before you rely on your phone for navigation - and see the safety section on why you should not rely on it anyway.

Sockets in Latvia are Type C and F at 230 V, 50 Hz - the Schuko outlet used across continental Europe.

• A Europlug fits every socket in the country.
• Estonia, Lithuania and Poland's Schuko outlets all match for anything with a two-pin plug.
• British, American and Australian plugs need an adapter.
• Older Riga apartment buildings have unearthed sockets that take the same plugs with nothing behind the clips.
• 230 V, so only American 120 V-only appliances need a converter.
• Type F is the earthed version of the same outlet. A Europlug fits both, and the clips only matter for metal-cased appliances.

Power

• 230 V, 50 Hz, sockets type F (Schuko). The same round two-pin plugs as Germany and most of continental Europe.
• UK, US, Irish and Australian plugs need an adapter.

Language

• Latvian is a Baltic language, related to Lithuanian and to nothing else living. It is not Slavic and not related to Estonian.
• Russian is very widely spoken, particularly in Riga and the east, and is a live political question - English is the neutral choice for a visitor.
• English is common among younger people and throughout the tourist economy.
• "Sveiki" is hello, "paldies" is thank you. Both are appreciated.

Practicalities

• Shops open late and on Sundays in Riga; smaller towns keep shorter hours.
• Riga Central Market is worth a visit - five zeppelin hangars full of food - and is also the city's pickpocketing hotspot, so go with your bag closed.
• The sauna (pirts) is a real tradition here as elsewhere in the region, and being invited is a compliment.

Manners

• Latvians are reserved with strangers. Quiet is normal; enthusiasm is not expected.
• Take your shoes off indoors in someone's home.
• Song is a serious national matter - the Song and Dance Festival is a defining cultural institution, not a folk display for tourists.
• Do not make jokes about the Soviet period. The occupation is living memory and it is not funny here.

The currency

• Latvia uses the euro and has since 2014. The lats is long gone.

Cards and cash

• Cards work nearly everywhere and contactless is standard.
• Carry a card specifically for the airport bus - see the airport section, where cash is refused.
• Some cash is still worth having for markets, small rural shops and the occasional bus outside Riga.

The bar bill problem

• Riga has a persistent problem with inflated bills in old town bars, aimed at stag groups and tourists. It is the single most common complaint from visitors.
• Read the menu prices before ordering, and be wary of anywhere that promotes itself with a person on the street.
• Never leave a card behind a bar to run a tab.
• Check the bill line by line. Disputing it politely at the table works far better than after paying.

ATMs

• Always refuse the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency. Dynamic currency conversion costs several per cent every time.
• Use bank ATMs - Swedbank, SEB, Citadele - rather than independent machines in tourist areas.

Tipping

• Around ten per cent in a restaurant for good service; rounding up elsewhere. Service is not usually added.

Buses

• The intercity bus network is comprehensive and runs from Riga's coach terminal next to the central market.
• Ecolines and Lux Express run the international routes to Tallinn, Vilnius, Warsaw and St Petersburg-bound services where they still operate.
• Riga to Tallinn or Vilnius is around four hours and the coaches are comfortable and cheap.

Trains

• Pasazieru vilciens runs the trains and the network is limited but genuinely useful.
• Riga to Jurmala takes about half an hour and is the standard way to reach the beach - far better than driving, because Jurmala charges vehicles to enter in summer.
• Buy at the station or on board. No reservations needed.

Driving

• Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March.
• Headlights on at all times, all year.
• The drink-drive limit is very low and enforced hard.
• Gravel roads are normal outside the main network. A rental car booked for a route through the national parks will spend time on unsealed surfaces, which affects speed, insurance excess and windscreens.
• Jurmala charges a daily entry fee for cars in the resort zone during the season. Pay it or you will be fined; the train avoids it entirely.

Getting around Riga

• Trams, trolleybuses and buses are all Rigas satiksme, one ticket system.
• The old town is small and walkable and the rest of the centre is flat.

Free for cars, compulsory winter tyres, and a lot of gravel once you leave the main routes.

• There is no vignette for cars - the Latvian road charge applies to trucks.
• Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March.
• Gravel roads are normal away from the A-roads, and a hire agreement may treat windscreen damage on them as your problem.
• The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.2 g/l for drivers with less than two years' experience.
• Dipped headlights are compulsory day and night, all year.
• Riga to Jurmala carries a daily entry charge for the resort town in summer, paid at a machine before the barrier.

GPS interference

• Satellite navigation is unreliable across the region. Persistent GNSS jamming affects Latvia along with Estonia, Lithuania, Finland and the Baltic Sea.
• It affects your phone, not just aircraft. Map apps can misplace you or fail to lock on, especially near the coast and in the east.
• Download offline maps before you travel.
• Do not rely on GPS for a route through the forests or bogs. Latvia is more than half woodland and the terrain looks identical in every direction.

Bar scams and nightlife

• This is Riga's characteristic problem - inflated bills, drinks that cost several times the menu price, and touts steering visitors into particular bars.
• Check prices before ordering, and check the bill afterwards.
• Never hand over your passport as a deposit.
• Do not accept an invitation from a stranger on the street to a bar you have not heard of. It is the standard opening.

Crime

• Latvia is a low-crime country and violent crime against visitors is rare.
• Pickpocketing happens in the old town, the central market and on public transport. The central market is the specific hotspot.
• Taxi overcharging is common enough to plan around - use Bolt.

Nature

• Ticks are a real risk - see the health section. Latvia is heavily forested and the tick season runs spring to autumn.
• Winter cold is serious. Weeks below freezing are normal and the wind off the Baltic makes it worse.
• The Baltic is cold and has rip currents on the open coast. Beaches are flagged; take the flags seriously.

The eastern border

• Latvia's border with Belarus is under enhanced protection and there is a heavy security presence. The eastern regions are safe to visit; the crossings are not routine.

The numbers

• 112 works from any phone, free, with no credit and no SIM, and operators handle English.
• 113 reaches an ambulance directly and is marginally faster for a purely medical emergency.
• 110 is the police if the matter is only a police matter.

Say where you are

• GPS interference is a live problem in Latvia - see the safety section - so do not assume your phone can report your position.
• Note your accommodation's address and the nearest junction. Latvian street names are hard to relay by phone if you have not written them down.

If you need help

• Report a theft to the police and get a written record. Your insurer will require it, and for the bar-bill disputes Riga is known for, a report is the only thing that carries weight afterwards.
• A lost passport means the police first, then your embassy.
• Your embassy cannot pay your bills or get you out of jail, but it can issue emergency travel documents and provide lists of lawyers and doctors.
• Several countries cover Latvia from another Baltic capital rather than having an embassy in Riga - check before you need to know.