Third-country nationals who do not hold a visa or residence permit issued in Latvia will be required to submit specific personal information about themselves, their relatives, and the purpose of their travel before entering Latvia. These changes to the Immigration Law and the amendments to the State Border Law were adopted by the Saeima in the final reading on Thursday, 3 April. The changes are necessary to strengthen national security and enhance the effectiveness of border protection.
The amendments stipulate that third-country nationals without a visa or residence permit issued in Latvia must, 48 hours prior to entering the country, indicate the purpose of their travel, planned length of stay, location, travel route, and contact information. They must also provide information on whether they or their relatives hold elected positions, are running for election, have current or former status as state or local government officials, or have served in the armed forces, special services, border guard, customs, or in the interior, justice, or foreign (including diplomatic) services. This obligation will come into effect in September this year. Failure to provide this information or the provision of false information may result in a fine of up to EUR 2,000.
The amendments also provide that national security authorities will assess the necessity, impact, and continued relevance of this requirement at least once a year and will submit a report to the Saeima. These changes will not apply to persons with diplomatic immunity or those undertaking short-term visits to perform official functions or provide technical support, as stipulated in the amendments.
Furthermore, in future, third-country nationals will only be issued a permit to access the border area if approval has been granted by the State Security Service. Any fixed-term permits already issued and currently in force will remain valid for no more than two months from the date the legislative amendments enter into force. The authors of the amendments have noted that, during the ongoing construction of border infrastructure, the risk to national security is heightened. Therefore, this special permit verification procedure for the border area should remain in place until the end of 2027. The State Border Law stipulates that persons aged 15 and over require either a permanent or fixed-term special permit issued by the Border Guard to enter the border area.
The amendments were submitted to the Saeima by the National Security Committee of the Parliament, emphasising that Russia and Belarus will not refrain from using citizens of friendly or sympathetic countries to carry out intelligence or other subversive activities against European Union and NATO member states.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is also supported by Belarus, the region has seen an increase in intelligence and hybrid threat risks. To prevent the entry of individuals associated with the special services of these countries, Latvia has reinforced migration controls since February 2022.
Saeima Press Service