Customs and daily life

Daily life

• Languages. The State Language Law makes Latvian (latviešu valoda) the language of the State; any other language, except Livonian (lībiešu valoda, an indigenous language), is legally a foreign language, Russian included. EURES cites English, German, the Scandinavian languages and Russian as assets on the labour market.
• Learning Latvian. The Latvian Language Agency offers online resources (maciunmacies.valoda.lv); you can ask your municipality whether it organises courses, and, if you are registered as unemployed, ask the Employment Agency (NVA) whether it offers you a place in a Latvian course.
• Social codes. Latvians are described as "reserved, self-reliant, independent and tenacious" (EURES). Giving flowers is a common gesture, and many people celebrate their name day (vārda diena), in addition to their birthday.
• At work. Interviews are formal, with business dress in banks, administration and offices. Be punctual, and let the employer offer their hand first. Work culture favours negotiation and compromise. An employer generally replies within two weeks after an interview.
• Paying. The euro has been the currency since 1 January 2014. Bank cards are accepted in most restaurants, shops, petrol stations and hotels; on buses, you often pay the driver in cash, or buy your ticket before boarding. Prices are higher in Riga's old town.
• Tips, shop opening hours, Sunday opening: here is what the texts say. Alcohol: in shops, sale is prohibited before 10:00 and after 20:00 from Monday to Saturday, and after 18:00 on Sunday (Law on the Circulation of Alcoholic Beverages). For other products, the official sources consulted set no general hours. Tips: the official sources consulted impose nothing, it is a custom left to your discretion.
• Traditions. At Jāņi, people stay up all through the shortest night, often in the countryside, around a fire, with songs, flower wreaths (of oak leaves for men), caraway cheese (Jāņu siers) and beer. The Latvian sauna (pirts) is a tradition in its own right. The Song and Dance Festival, inscribed by UNESCO, brings together thousands of choir singers and dancers. On 18 November, the day of the proclamation of the Republic, the anthem is sung at 21:00; on 11 November (Lāčplēša diena), candles are lit in memory of the fighters.

Public holidays 2026

• 1 January (New Year's Day).
• 3 April (Good Friday), 5 April (Easter) and 6 April (Easter Monday).
• 1 May (Labour Day and Constituent Assembly Convocation Day).
• 4 May (Restoration of Independence).
• 10 May (Mother's Day, second Sunday in May) and 24 May (Pentecost), two Sundays.
• 23 June (Līgo) and 24 June (Jāņi).
• 18 November (proclamation of the Republic).
• 24, 25 and 26 December (Christmas) and 31 December (New Year's Eve).
• In years with a Song and Dance Festival, the closing day is also a public holiday.
• If 4 May, 18 November or the closing day of the Festival falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the next working day is a day off.
• Orthodox Christians, Old Believers and other denominations celebrate Easter, Pentecost and Christmas on their own dates.

Common pitfalls

• Speaking Russian by default. You will hear Russian, but it is legally a foreign language: start instead in Latvian (even one word) or in English.
• Handing over untranslated papers. The authorities work in Latvian: a foreign document that you submit must in principle be translated (article LV-ADMINISTRATIONS-TOUS-001).
• Mistaking reserve for coldness. EURES warns that it takes time to earn trust and friendship: do not force it.
• Forgetting Jāņi. On 23 and 24 June, many people leave the city and many services close.
• Mixing up the emergency numbers. 112: rescue and fire brigade; 113: urgent medical help (both from a mobile or a landline). For medical advice outside the family doctor's hours: +371 66016001 (on weekdays from 17:00 to 8:00, 24 hours a day at weekends and on public holidays), in Latvian, Russian or English.
• Arriving without preparing for winter. Temperatures, length of day and compulsory equipment (winter tyres, for example): for winter tyres, the CSDD requires from 1 December to 1 March tyres marked with the "mountain and snowflake" symbol with at least 4 mm of tread; for the rest, see the local weather and the national weather service.

What changes by country of origin

• Everyone: the same codes apply to all newcomers.
• British citizens (Scots included): English is very useful at work, but the administration remains in Latvian.
• French speakers (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg): French is not among the languages useful at work cited by EURES; rely on English or German, then Latvian.