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.
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
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.
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