At its meeting Tuesday, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to extend restrictions on the entry of the citizens of the Russian Federation until March 4, 2025, in well over a year's time.
The current restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens remain in place without any new additions or relaxations. Restrictions on entry will still apply to Russian citizens who wish to cross the external border of the EU for the purposes of tourism and leisure, so weekend breaks in Rīga or country house rentals remain off-limits well into next year.
However, a few categories of Russian citizens will be permitted to enter Latvia by crossing its external border: holders of a residence permit of the Republic of Latvia, another member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area, or the Swiss Confederation; holders of a long-stay visa of a Schengen Agreement member state; holders of a short-stay visa of a Schengen Agreement member state who are family members of nationals of the Republic of Latvia, the European Union, a European Economic Area member state, or the Swiss Confederation; and persons whose entry is related to humanitarian considerations (such as political dissidents), plus employees of freight and passenger transport service providers going about their work.
In September 2022, the Baltic States and Poland made an agreement on a joint regional solution to restrict the flow of the citizens of Russia and prevent security risks, and each introduced similar measures.
As recently reported by LSM other restrictions also apply to Russian-registered cars using Latvia's road network, and they may even be subject to confiscation when caught.
