Latvia Tourist Visa Requirements for UK Citizens
Last checked: 19 March 2026
Planning a holiday to Latvia with a full British citizen passport?
This guide explains the current tourist entry rules for UK travellers, including whether you need a visa, how long you can stay, passport validity rules, what Latvian border officers may ask to see, electronic systems now in use or coming soon, costs, and the official government links to check before travel.
This article is restricted to tourist entry for UK citizens. It does not cover work, study, residence permits, or long-stay immigration routes except where needed to explain what does not apply to a normal holiday.
Latvia is part of the Schengen area and uses the euro (€).
Index
- 1. Quick answer
- 2. Passport and stay rules
- 3. What Latvian border control may ask for
- 4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
- 5. Costs for UK tourist entry
- 6. Official UK and Latvian government links
- 7. Frequently asked questions
1. Quick answer
No tourist visa is required for a UK citizen visiting Latvia for a short holiday.
For most British tourists, the key points are:
- You can visit Latvia without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Latvia is in the Schengen area, so time spent in other Schengen countries counts towards the same 90-day limit.
- Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years.
- Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- Until EES is fully rolled out, you should make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
- There is no Latvia-only tourist eVisa or Latvia-only tourist ETA identified in the official sources reviewed for a normal visa-free UK tourist trip.
In simple terms, most UK holidaymakers can travel to Latvia without applying for a tourist visa, provided the trip stays within the Schengen short-stay limit and the passport rules are met.
2. Passport and stay rules
If you are travelling to Latvia as a tourist on a full British citizen passport, your passport should meet these conditions:
- It must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive.
- It must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- You can be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or if you try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
UK citizens can stay in Latvia for tourism for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
This is a Schengen-wide allowance, not a Latvia-only allowance. If you also travel to Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Croatia, or any other Schengen country, those days count towards the same limit.
If you overstay the 90-day visa-free limit, you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days, that moves outside normal tourist entry. At that point you need to check the relevant Latvian residence permit or long-stay route before travel.
3. What Latvian border control may ask for
Even though UK tourists do not need a visa for a short holiday, Latvian border officers may still ask for supporting documents.
- Proof of accommodation, for example a hotel booking confirmation or proof of address for a second home
- Proof of travel insurance, including health cover and medical repatriation
- A GHIC card, where appropriate
- A return or onward ticket
- Proof that you have enough money for your stay
- Proof of the purpose of your travel
The UK Government says the amount of money you may need to show varies depending on your accommodation. Latvia’s official visa-document page also publishes a reference amount of no less than €14 per day if the intended stay does not exceed 30 days.
In practice, it is sensible to keep your accommodation details, travel insurance or GHIC details, and return or onward travel plans easy to show, even though a normal UK tourist does not need to apply for a visa in advance.
Until EES is fully rolled out, you should also make sure your passport is stamped on both entry and exit. If a stamp is missing, keep evidence such as boarding passes or tickets and ask border officials to add the date and location to your passport.
4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
Latvia does not currently require a separate Latvia-only tourist eVisa or a Latvia-only tourist ETA for a visa-free UK holiday visit.
However, there are three systems worth knowing about:
Latvia’s online visa application form
Latvia has an official online visa application form for travellers who need a visa. In the UK, visa applications are submitted through VFS Global. This route is relevant only for travellers who actually need a visa. A normal visa-free UK tourist would not usually need to use it.
Entry-Exit System (EES)
The European Union’s Entry-Exit System (EES) is being rolled out in phases, with full operation expected from 10 April 2026.
For short-stay UK travellers, EES means you may need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and a photo when entering the Schengen area. You do not need to do anything before arriving at the border, and there is no fee for EES registration.
Until EES is fully rolled out, your passport should still be stamped on entry and exit. Once EES is fully in place, it will replace the current manual passport-stamping system for most affected travellers.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
ETIAS is not live yet. The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
When ETIAS starts, UK passport holders travelling visa-free to Latvia and other Schengen countries will generally need to apply online before travel unless exempt. The official ETIAS fee is €20 (about £17.28).
So the current position for UK tourists is:
- No Latvia-only tourist eVisa requirement identified
- No Latvia-only tourist ETA requirement identified right now
- Latvia does have an official online visa application form and VFS Global route for travellers who need a visa
- EES is being phased in now
- ETIAS is expected later, in the last quarter of 2026
5. Costs for UK tourist entry
Latvia uses the euro (€). For a normal UK tourist visit, the official entry costs are simple because no tourist visa is required.
Approximate pound conversions below use the European Central Bank reference rate of €1 = £0.86408, checked for 16 March 2026.
| Item | Does it apply to a normal UK tourist? | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Latvia tourist visa | No | €0 (£0) |
| Latvia-only tourist eVisa | No official system identified for UK tourists | €0 (£0) |
| Latvia-only tourist ETA / pre-travel authorisation | No official system identified at present | €0 (£0) |
| Entry-Exit System registration | Yes, this may apply at the Schengen border during rollout | €0 (£0) |
| ETIAS, once launched | Not in force yet, but expected later in 2026 | €20 (about £17.28) |
| Latvia reference funds amount, if stay does not exceed 30 days | Financial evidence, not a fee | €14 per day (about £12.10) |
Only if you fall outside the normal visa-free UK tourist route, Latvia currently publishes a standard short-stay visa fee of €90 (£77.77).
Important: that short-stay visa fee is not part of the normal short tourist route for a full British citizen passport holder. For most UK holidaymakers, the tourist visa cost remains €0 (£0).
6. Official UK and Latvian government links
Use these official pages before booking, before travel, and again shortly before departure:
- UK Government travel advice for Latvia
- UK Government Latvia entry requirements
- UK Government foreign travel checklist
- UK Government Entry-Exit System guidance
- Embassy of Latvia in the UK, information for UK nationals
- Embassy of Latvia in the UK, entry into Latvia
- Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, documents required to apply for a visa
- Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa application fees
- Official EU ETIAS information
If your circumstances are unusual, for example dual nationality, a passport close to expiry, non-standard UK travel documents, or an intended stay beyond 90 days, rely on the official pages above rather than third-party websites.
7. Frequently asked questions
Do UK citizens need a visa for Latvia?
No. UK citizens travelling on a full British citizen passport do not need a tourist visa for short visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
How long can a British tourist stay in Latvia without a visa?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.
How long must my passport be valid for Latvia?
Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
Can Latvian border officers ask for proof of money or onward travel?
Yes. UK Government guidance says border officers may ask for accommodation details, travel insurance, a return or onward ticket, and proof that you have enough money for your stay.
Can I use a GHIC card for Latvia travel?
Latvia’s UK-facing official guidance says UK citizens should be able to produce evidence of appropriate travel medical insurance or the GHIC card during border procedures.
How much money might I need to show for Latvia?
Latvia’s official visa-document page publishes a reference amount of no less than €14 per day if the intended stay does not exceed 30 days.
Does Latvia have a tourist eVisa for UK citizens?
I did not identify a separate Latvia-only tourist eVisa system for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
Does Latvia have a tourist ETA right now?
I did not identify a Latvia-only tourist ETA or other pre-travel online authorisation for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
Does Latvia have any online visa system?
Yes. Latvia has an official online visa application form, and UK-based applicants who need a visa are directed to VFS Global for submission.
What is EES and does it affect Latvia travel?
EES is the EU’s Entry-Exit System for short-stay travellers entering the Schengen area. It affects Latvia travel because Latvia is part of Schengen. During rollout, you may need to register fingerprints and a photo at the border.
When is ETIAS expected to start?
The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
How much will ETIAS cost?
The official ETIAS fee is €20, which is about £17.28 using the exchange rate used in this article.
Final check before travel
For most UK holidaymakers, Latvia is straightforward: no tourist visa is required for a short stay. The main things to get right are your Schengen day count, your passport issue date and expiry date, your supporting documents at the border, and keeping an eye on the continuing Entry-Exit System rollout and the future ETIAS launch.
