As of Monday, September 1, new rules for entry and transit through Latvia come into force for citizens of third countries, including the Republic of Moldova, who do not hold a visa or residence permit issued by the Latvian authorities. Therefore, Moldovans who intend to enter or transit Latvia will be obliged to inform the authorities in Riga, through a government platform, at least 48 hours in advance, IPN reports.
Among the information that foreign citizens will have to communicate to the Latvian authorities are: place of accommodation, duration, purpose and route of the trip, contact details and whether they hold any elective position, status as a state or municipal official, and membership in the armed forces, special services, justice or diplomacy.
The procedure for submitting data will be carried out on the portal eta.gov.lv. Subsequently, the citizen will receive an automatic confirmation by e-mail. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chisinau warns that in order to enter Latvia, a person does not have to wait for the issuance of a separate permit.
Failure to comply with obligations or providing false or incomplete data may result in administrative sanctions. At the same time, if the authorities in Riga identify a risk case, entry to Latvia will be denied.
Exceptions to the new rule in Latvia are citizens of EU, NATO, OECD, Switzerland and Brazil states. Persons with diplomatic immunities and privileges, and those on short-term official or technical missions are exempt.
The new rule was introduced as a result of the intensification of security risks to Latvia, generated by the war in Ukraine, in order to strengthen and improve the efficiency of state border monitoring.
