If we exclude Russia and Belarus, to which Latvia has a special relationship, the visa policy of our country is changing according to the whims of the breeze in Brussels. They said: this country is "good" — so it shall be. And it doesn’t matter that the National Alliance protests against migrants in the cold outside the Cabinet of Ministers!
Security Services Did Not See Risks
This week, the Cabinet of Ministers made amendments to the Rules regarding countries whose citizens undergo additional checks when applying for a visa or residence permit.
The European Union, in July 2025, adopted more favorable Schengen conditions for citizens of Indonesia — they will be able to apply for multiple-entry visas starting from their second entry.
"The decision was related to the results of the migration assessment conducted by the European Commission, indicating a low visa refusal rate, a relatively low number of illegal stays, as well as the geopolitical dimension — the need to promote economic and cultural relations, including tourism," the document signed by Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) states.
"The State Security Service and the Satversme Protection Bureau also have no information indicating significant risks associated with the entry of citizens of Indonesia into the Republic of Latvia. Considering this, there are grounds to exclude Indonesia from the list."
"Do Not Pose Terrorism Risks"
Additionally, Brussels applied a particularly favorable "visa cascade" principle to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, specifically,
- The Kingdom of Bahrain,
- The State of Qatar,
- The State of Kuwait,
- The Sultanate of Oman
and began negotiations on the possibilities of establishing a visa-free entry regime.
Heads of EU embassies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, together with EU delegations in these countries, developed relevant reports in June-July 2025, emphasizing that they "do not pose risks of terrorism or migration for the Schengen area." A similar conclusion was reached by Latvian security services!
After examining data from 2023-2025 regarding citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, security officials also concluded: "no significant risks were identified." "In the context of more detailed information, the State Security Service should also conclude that the risks associated with Nigerian citizens have decreased in recent years and are currently low, therefore the need for additional checks is not relevant now."
A Rare Tajik Will Fly to the Middle of the Daugava
"At the same time, compared to the situation when the list was last revised, increased terrorism risks have been identified in the Republic of Tajikistan, caused by the activity and influence of the terrorist organization 'Islamic State Khorasan Province,'" warns the Latvian ministry.
"Citizens of this state are at high risk of radicalization, with potential opportunities for involvement in terrorist activities, as evidenced by cases identified in other European countries," the document from the Ministry of the Interior notes.
Something Doesn’t Add Up
Meanwhile, as statistics show, in the first half of 2025, at least 2,266 people were killed in Nigeria as a result of attacks by militants and bandits, which is more than for the entire year of 2024. This was reported by Reuters, citing a report from the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria.
The terrorism index in Indonesia also rose to 4.17 points in 2024 from 3.99 points in 2023.
As for Qatar, this small, wealthy country remains a global center for the radical current of Islam — Wahhabism, from which the so-called "Arab Spring" emerged.
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