Latvia is a country of long straight roads through pine forest, a coastline that begs for a weekend drive and winters that test every tyre. For most newcomers, driving in Latvia is easy to start: your licence works. The paperwork starts when you bring a car.
This guide covers the licence, the car, the taxes and the winter rules, as told by the road safety directorate (Ceļu satiksmes drošības direkcija, CSDD).
Is your licence valid for driving in Latvia?
If it comes from an EU or EFTA country (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or from the UK, yes. The CSDD says you can drive on it without exchanging it, even after living in Latvia for more than a year. A licence from other countries is a different story: after one year of residence, exchange becomes compulsory and goes through the category B practical exam.
You must exchange a European licence only in specific situations: if it is lost, stolen, damaged or expired, or after an offence in Latvia. Otherwise it is your choice. You cannot hold two European licences, because an exchange replaces the old one. After a change of name, a Latvian licence must be exchanged within 30 days.
How do you exchange a licence at the CSDD?
You go in person to a CSDD centre, with no appointment needed for a Latvian licence, and you need a valid medical certificate from a family doctor or a medical commission. The fee quoted by the CSDD is 22.41 euros: 16.99 euros for the card including VAT and 5.42 euros for processing. A licence from outside the EU or EEA may require a notarised translation unless it is in an EU or EEA language or Russian.
Older paper European licences will have to be replaced by 2033 under EU rules, according to Your Europe.
Not sure whether your licence needs exchanging, or which documents the CSDD wants for your car? Moovy can build the checklist for your country and car, and draft a short message to the CSDD. The CSDD takes the decisions and does the inspection.
How do you register a car when driving in Latvia long term?
Registration depends on your status. A Latvian resident registers within 5 days of buying or importing a car. A foreign owner registers after more than three months in Latvia. If you are neither a Latvian citizen nor a holder of a Latvian residence document, the car is registered with a certificate valid for six months, and a temporary registration for the duration of your stay, up to three years, is possible. Driving a vehicle not registered under the rules brings a fine of 55 to 140 euros.
Steps, as the CSDD describes them:
- Buy compulsory liability insurance (OCTA). It is a condition for driving, and the register checks it before each inspection.
- Pay the annual operating tax (transportlīdzekļa ekspluatācijas nodoklis), which must be paid before registration and before the technical inspection. In the year of registration it is pro rata.
- Register in one of the CSDD's 26 centres, in the name of the owner on the ownership document. On first registration in Latvia, the CSDD also mentions a natural resources tax, which stands at 110 euros for a car registered for the first time from 1 January 2024.
- Pass the technical inspection (tehniskā apskate). For a car from another EU country with a valid certificate checkable on the European platform, a visual check can be enough; otherwise a full inspection applies.
Documents include your ID, the foreign registration document, the ownership document (invoice or purchase contract), the insurance certificate and proof of paid taxes, plus a certificate of conformity for many cars.
How much does it cost to drive a car in Latvia?
The taxes and fees to expect:
- Operating tax for a car first registered after 31 December 2020: based on WLTP CO2, from 0 euros up to 50 g/km, 39 euros for 96 to 115 g/km, to 834 euros from 401 g/km. For a car registered after 2008, it is based on NEDC CO2, from 15 to 831 euros. Older cars are taxed by weight, engine size and power, or a flat rate by weight (42 euros up to 1,500 kg). An extra 330 euros applies above 3,500 cm³ in some cases. Electric cars are exempt.
- Inspection: 36.95 euros for a car and 21.39 euros for a re-inspection (CSDD tariff of 1 March 2025). A new car's first inspection is due within 36 months, then at 24-month intervals, then annually; a car already registered abroad is inspected within 5 days of Latvian registration and then every year.
- Registration and plates: 41.88 euros for a car with two plates and 19.25 euros for comparing numbers, plus 1.20 euros per tax paid at the counter.
A resident who drives a foreign-registered car in Latvia owes operating tax pro rata, paid through the CSDD's electronic system. EURES also reminds buyers that VAT on a car bought in another EU country is in principle paid in the country of purchase, with exceptions such as new cars, so check before buying.
What are the winter tyre rules?
From 1 December to 1 March, a car under 3.5 tonnes must have winter tyres marked with the "mountain and snowflake" symbol, with at least 4 mm tread. Tyres marked only M+S no longer count, and winter tyres must not be mixed with studded tyres. That is the CSDD's rule since late 2024. Snow tends to arrive before December, so put them on early.
What traps catch newcomers driving in Latvia?
- Keeping foreign plates for months after becoming resident. The deadline is five days, and the operating tax is due even if you keep the plates.
- Skipping tax or insurance before the inspection. The inspection is refused if taxes are unpaid or the insurance is not in force.
- Importing from the UK. A car from the UK is a non-EU import: full inspection and customs paperwork.
- Forgetting the rest of the paperwork. Declaring your home, your code and your bank all feed into the process; see the step-by-step guide to moving to Latvia and moving to Latvia from the UK.
What documents do you need to register a car in Latvia?
The CSDD's list, as relayed in our fact sheet: a document of vehicle comparison (a check of the chassis and engine numbers); the foreign registration document; proof of ownership unless you bought from a Latvian dealer, at a notarised sale or are already named on the foreign document; your identity document; a certificate of conformity, except for cars from before 2001 or registered in many EU and EFTA countries and the UK; and proof of customs clearance if the last registration was outside the EU. The CSDD informs the former country of registration within two months.
A car imported from another EU country cannot be resold before it is registered in Latvia. Keep every document of the purchase in the car's folder.
How much does driving in Latvia cost each year?
Add three items: the operating tax, compulsory liability insurance (OCTA) and the annual inspection. The operating tax depends on your car (see the bands above), and the inspection costs 36.95 euros for a car under the CSDD's March 2025 tariff. Insurance prices depend on your profile and the insurer, so ask for quotes. A resident who drives a foreign-registered car owes operating tax pro rata, paid through the CSDD's electronic system.
What are the main road rules for driving in Latvia?
We stay with what the CSDD publishes and what newcomers meet first. Winter tyres are compulsory between 1 December and 1 March. Compulsory insurance is checked at inspection. A fine of 55 to 140 euros applies for driving an unregistered vehicle. The emergency number is 112. For everything else, such as speed limits and drink-driving limits, read the CSDD's English pages and the local traffic law before you drive, because we have not checked those figures in our fact sheet and do not quote them here.
Is a car necessary when driving in Latvia is optional?
In Riga, many people live without one, using public transport and taxis. Outside the capital, a car becomes close to a necessity, especially in winter and in the countryside. Consider renting for the first months before you import a car: you avoid registration and tax while you learn the roads.