Safety in Latvia: what overland travellers should know
Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 18 August 2026.
Safety
- Emergency at the borders — Because the Ukraine crisis continues, Latvia has declared a state of emergency in the territories bordering Russia and Belarus and at port, airport and rail border points, where police checks are more frequent than elsewhere. The Pededze and Silene crossings have been closed.
- Border queues — With controls tightened, long waits have been reported at the land crossings to and from Belarus and Russia, particularly for vehicles, with queues passing 24 hours at busy times, and customs inspections of freight are very thorough. Long truck queues build at Terehova and Grebneva, for Russia, and at Silene, for Belarus, sometimes for whole days. The Latvian tax authority publishes the state of these borders in English, updated twice a day.
- Entering by land — Entry into Latvia overland is only possible at authorised crossings and with valid travel documents, including a visa for non-EU citizens. Check the Latvian border guard website regularly, above all for entry and transit rules for third-country nationals.
- Riga and petty crime — The overall level of security presents no particular problems. In Riga take care around the nightspots of the old town, where robberies and assaults have happened in the past. Pickpocketing targeting foreigners is a risk at the central station and the central market, day as well as night, and car theft is reported, so park in well-lit places and leave nothing visible inside.
Before you rely on this
This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 18 August 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Latvia before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.
Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 18 August 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.