Amendments to Article 4.⁴ of the Immigration Law are coming into force on 1 September 2025. According to the amendments, third-country nationals who do not have a visa or residence permit issued by Latvia are obliged, before entering Latvia, to submit the Electronic Travel Declaration (Declaration) about themselves and the purpose of their travel to the State Threat Prevention Information System at eta.gov.lv.
The aim of the amendments is to strengthen national security and improve the efficiency of state border protection in order to prevent threats to national security in its various manifestations through identifying risks. Thereby, obtaining information before persons enter the Republic of Latvia will contribute to the ability of the state to predict and respond appropriately to threats to national security.
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Persons exempt from the obligation to submit the Declaration:
- citizens of 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, United States of America;
- other third-country citizens who have visas and residence permits issued by Latvia;
- persons with diplomatic immunity, persons who arrive for a short period of time to perform official functions (including in transit) or to provide technical support to a Latvian or foreign diplomatic or consular mission or international organization;
- stateless persons who have been granted this status by one of the countries mentioned in the provisions of Section 4.⁴, Part One of the Immigration Law;
- a non-citizens of the Republic of Estonia (but it is mandatory for Russian citizens, even if they have been issued a residence permit or EU long-term resident status in Estonia).
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The Declaration must be submitted:
- by all foreign nationals who do not fall under the above-listed categories.
The Declaration must be submitted at least 48 hours before arrival in Latvia, including if a foreign national intend to cross Latvia in transit. Information has to be submitted on the website at eta.gov.lv. The person using the system will receive an automatic notification via email 48 hours after submitting their information on the website, and there is no further need to wait for a separate permit. If a traveler’s plans change before the trip, the form must be completed again. The 48-hour submission requirement does not apply to the resubmitted form.
Information must be submitted by the traveller themselves and not on behalf of another person, except in cases where the form is filled out for minor children – in such cases, it is completed by parents or guardians.
Information to be provided:
- purpose of travel (entry);
- planned time and place of stay;
- travel route;
- contact information;
- any elected positions held by the applicant and their relatives;
- any record of running for election;
- current or former status as a central or local government official;
- service in the armed forces, special services, border guard, customs, or in the interior, justice, or foreign (including diplomatic) services.
A foreign national is subject to administrative liability for failure to submit the required information and for providing incomplete or false information.
For information on border crossing, please contact the State Border Guard via the website: rs.gov.lv or by phone: +371 67075616.
When encountering technical problems with filling out the Declaration in the ETA system at eta.gov.lv please contact the Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior via e-mail to: pd@ic.iem.gov.lv.
Persons who entered Latvia before 1 September 2025 and are present in the country, are not obliged to submit the Declaration.