Getting in and visas for Latvia

Latvia has joined the Schengen agreement, which means that you can enter on a European Union Schengen visa and there are no longer any ID/passport controls on the EU borders.

Visas

For those permitted for visa free entry

• Citizens of many countries, including Australia, Canada, United States, Mexico, New Zealand, do not need a visa to enter Latvia for up to 90 days. (Full list of countries)
• Health or travel insurance must be presented at border crossing points. (More Information)

If you need a visa, getting it is tricky. Visa costs are on the high side considering size of the country - 20LVL for single or 35LVL for multple entry. Applications will take 7 days to process, or can take as long as 30 days if additional information is needed. To apply, submit to the Latvian embassy or consulate:

• passport with two blank pages
• application form
• 2 photos
• invitation (actually, number of invitation, which could only be obtainable by someone else by going to Latvian Immigration Office in Latvia. It costs an additional 5 LVL for single entry and 10 LVL for multiple entry visa. It is valid for 3 months)
• travel insurance and payment

By plane

Riga airport: RIX To Riga International Airport, you can arrive from various European (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Barcelona, etc) cities, Middle East (Tel Aviv, Dubai), CIS (Moscow, Kiev, Minsk) as well as North America New York City. Inexpensive national airline: Air Baltic. There are also other low-cost carriers Ryanairand EasyJet. There are bus (0.40 LVL) and taxi (<10 LVL) connections to city centre. Only one cab company operates from airport, so look for red taxis on the ground floor near the parking lot. Journey times depend on traffic. Airport operates 24h hours. On departure hall help yourself with booklets about Riga. If departing in morning allow yourself plenty of time to proceed through passport control as it can get crowded.

By train

SJSC Latvian Railways, 7216664, 7233397.

• Trains to Riga terminal are available from:
  • Moscow or Saint Petersburg, Russia, daily overnight, stops at Rezekne
  • Minsk, Belarus, semidaily overnight, stops at Daugavpils
  • Vilnius, Lithuania, semidaily overnight, train from Ukraine
  • Lviv, Ukraine, semidaily overnight, stops at Vilnius (Lithuania), Jelgava

• Train to Daugavpils and Rezekne are available from:
  • Saint Petersburg, Russia, semidaily overnight Saint Petersburg - Vilnius service
  • Vilnius, Lithuania, semidaily Vilnius - Saint Petersburg service

By car

Non-residents can use their cars up to 3 months without registration. After 3 months the car must be registered. If you have a driver's licence issued by another country of the European Union, you can use it continuosly. Residents of other countries have to obtain a Latvian licence after 6 months, however it involves only a theoretical exam, which can be taken in English, Russian, French and German.

By bus

• Eurolines, ph 371 7214080, fax 7503134, from Europe and CIS, online ticket reservation, booking through Eurolines agencies in Europe and CIS.
• Ecolines from Europe and CIS, online booking.

SIA Liepezers. Bus and minibus rental in Latvia. Transfers. Coaches. Rent a bus in Latvia Bus rental in Latvia

By boat

• Tallink, [3]. A ferry line between Stockholm (Sweden) and Riga.
• WM H. Muller Baltic, [4]. Ferry between Karlshamn in Sweden and Ventspils.
• DFDS Tor Line,[5]. Ferry between Lübeck in Germany and Riga twice a week.