Passenger carriers will be prohibited from carrying out irregular international transport by buses across the Latvian-Belarusian and Latvian-Russian borders, the government has ruled.
The resolution obliges the State Border Guard from November 1, 2025, to October 31, 2026, to prevent irregular international passenger transport by buses across the border at the Paternieki, Grebnevo, and Terekhovo border crossing points.
As stated by the Ministry of Transport, monitoring of the situation and statistical data indicate an increase in irregular transport to Belarus and Russia, which poses a threat of illegal immigration and security, including risks of recruitment of residents of Latvia and other EU countries. Cheap trips to these countries offered by travel companies pose a threat to travelers and national security, and organizing such excursions under the current geopolitical conditions is irresponsible.
These circumstances make it necessary to impose restrictions on crossing the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian borders.
The ministry added that it is essential to ensure minimal and regulated opportunities for movement across the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian borders. One such opportunity is regular bus transport, where a person is required to provide data in advance when purchasing a ticket, and the carrier is obliged to check for a valid travel document.
Regular passenger bus transport to non-EU countries is organized based on bilateral intergovernmental agreements and in accordance with Latvian legislation. Such transport is permitted if the carrier has received authorization to operate on a specific route. When issuing permits for regular transport to Belarus and Russia, the Road Transport Administration carefully assesses the companies, and considering all potential security risks and the geopolitical situation, issues permits for no more than one year. Currently, there are three regular routes to Belarus and six routes to Russia.
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