VISA REGIME
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For holders of diplomatic and official passports: |
Visa is not required for a stay of up to 90 days for a period of six months*. |
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For holders of national passports and other travel documents: |
Visa is not required for a stay of up to 90 days for a period of six months*. |
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Note: |
*Visa-free regime does not apply to holders of passports issued by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia – The Coordination Directorate. The holder of an emergency travel document in transit requires a visa. |
ENTERING AND LEAVING THE COUNTRY
The condition for entry of citizens of the Republic of Serbia to Latvia, as well as to other EU member states, is to have a travel document issued in the last ten years and which must be valid for at least three months after the planned date for leaving Latvia. Passengers who do not meet these criteria will be returned from the border.
Holders of biometric passports of the Republic of Serbia do not need a visa to enter and stay up to 90 days in a period of 180 days. The visa-free regime does not apply to holders of travel documents issued by the Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia, in which case a visa application for Latvia can be submitted to the German Embassy in Belgrade (Latvian Embassy in Athens, Greece, covers Serbia on a non-residential basis).
Travel health insurance is mandatory for a stay in Latvia.
SOCIAL SECURITY AGREEMENT
No social security agreement has been concluded.
USEFUL INFORMATION
HEALTH SITUATION – If necessary, medical assistance can be obtained at any health institution. The service is paid. The use of bottled water is recommended.
In the summer months, there are many insects in Latvia, especially mosquitoes, which are not carriers of the disease, but also ticks, whose bites can carry the risk of Lyme disease and encephalitis. In case of a dog and cat bite, you should immediately seek medical help because of the risk of rabies. Snakes in Latvia are not poisonous, except for the common European adder, whose bite can be deadly if therapy is not received within a few hours.
TRANSPORT – The most important airport is Riga International Airport - www.riga-airport.com (about 25 km away from Riga), from where international and domestic flights are operated. The airport is open 24 hours.
There is also Liepaja International Airport, located 210 km from Riga and from where planes fly to Riga, Hamburg and Copenhagen - www.liepaja-airport.lv.
Railway traffic is performed by Latvian Railways - www.ldz.lv.
Road traffic – The international road "Via Baltica" connects Warsaw (Poland), Kaunas (Lithuania), passes through Riga (Latvia) and leads to Tallinn (Estonia). While driving, the lights are on and seat belts are fastened.
The interior of Latvia is well connected by bus lines. There are express lines between major cities. The timetable is available on the internet address Rigas Autoosta www.autoosta.lv.
Important bus lines:
• Eurolines (www.eurolines.lv) which performs transport from European countries. Tickets can be purchased at European Eurolines agencies, and online booking is also possible.
• Ecolines (www.ecolines.net) - departures from European countries, and tickets can be booked online.
A list of car rental companies can be found on the Riga International Airport website - www.riga-airport.com.
In Latvia, a motor vehicle may be driven only by a person who owns:
a) a driving license issued by an EU Member State or a Member State of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA);
b) a driving license indicating the categories to which the license is valid, in accordance with the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic;
c) driving license which does not specify the categories of drivers in accordance with the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic. With such a driver's license, the driver may drive only motor vehicles that correspond to category B, provided that in the country in which it is issued, such a license allows driving a car. If the category for which the license is valid is not written in Latin letters in the driver's license, the driver is obliged to show a translation of the license in the Latvian language, certified by a notary public or to have an international license.
A driver who comes to Latvia from abroad and stays for more than a year is obliged to exchange his driver's license in accordance with the above procedures, unless it is a driver's license issued by an EU member state or an EFTA member state, or it is a person who enjoys diplomatic-consular immunities and privileges.
More detailed information on the toll can be found at: http://lvvignette.eu.
OTHER INFORMATION – The currency of Latvia is the euro.
ATMs are widely used in Latvia, even in smaller cities. Almost all major hotels and restaurants accept payment cards, and most banks accept traveller's checks for a fee.
The emergency telephone number is 112 (firefighters, police, ambulance).
The Latvian Police has a website with tips for travellers (Police of Latvia www.vp.gov.lv ― Feel safe in Latvia)
Latvian is spoken in Latvia. About 50% of the population also speaks Russian. The younger population speaks English or German.
Useful link: http://www.am.gov.lv/en/service/entry-into-latvia/for-visitors/.
Contact information
During your stay in Latvia for consular assistance and protection, you can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Stockholm (Sweden), which covers Latvia on a non-residential basis, address: Hantverkargatan 26/III, 112 21 Stockholm, through the following telephone numbers: 00 46 8 21 84 36; 00 46 8 24 77 48; 00 46 8 21 84 82; 00 46 8 21 84 85, and e-mail addresses: serbiaemb@telia.com; konzul.rs@telia.com or serbiaemb.consular1@telia.com.