Travel & Hospitality Compliance in Latvia
How the foreign guest declaration, remote check-in by NFC chip or high-level eID, package travel licences and sanctions tests shape travel identity checks in Latvia.
Key takeaways
- Anyone who rents out accommodation in Latvia, including private hosts on booking platforms since 10 July 2026, must have every foreign guest fill in and sign a registration declaration and prove their identity with a valid travel document such as a passport.
- "Foreign guest" means anyone who is not a Latvian citizen or Latvian non-citizen, so guests from other EU countries are included. Check-in can be fully remote: the Ministry of Economics accepts trusted online methods such as passport chip reading or a high-assurance electronic ID, provided they are as reliable as showing the document in person.
- Tour operators and travel agents selling package holidays need a licence from the Consumer Rights Protection Centre. Since 1 July 2026 they must also show they are not under sanctions and not owned or controlled by Russian or Belarusian persons. The regulator fined an unlicensed online seller in September 2026.
- Hotels and travel firms are not covered by Latvia's anti-money laundering (AML) law just for selling travel. They would be covered by taking cash of EUR 10,000 or more, but in Latvia neither businesses nor private individuals may make cash payments above EUR 7,200. Exchanging currency for guests needs registration with Latvijas Banka (the central bank and financial supervisor).
- Selling online changes little for licensing: a website or social media account counts as a point of sale, and non-EU sellers targeting Latvian travellers must register. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully running since April 2026; the EU travel authorisation (ETIAS) is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026, with no exact date set.
Latvia's travel market is open to online sellers and platform-listed accommodation, with no separate online licence. Identity rules sit mainly in tourism and immigration law rather than financial crime law: the duty to register foreign guests under the Tourism Law, airline passenger data duties under the Aviation Passenger Data Processing Law, and carrier document checks under the Immigration Law.
The principal authorities are the Consumer Rights Protection Centre (licensing of package travel), the Ministry of Economics (guest declaration rules), the State Police and State Border Guard (enforcement and border control), the State Security Service (passenger data) and Latvijas Banka (currency exchange). For a digital-first accommodation business the main design task is a remote check-in whose document verification reaches the same level of assurance as an in-person inspection.
1. Who regulates this sector
| Authority | Remit in travel and hospitality | Level | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Rights Protection Centre (Patērētāju tiesību aizsardzības centrs, PTAC) | Licenses tour operators and travel agents, registers linked travel arrangement facilitators, supervises package travel rules | National | ptac.gov.lv |
| Ministry of Economics (Ekonomikas ministrija) | Lead authority for tourism policy, the Tourism Law and guest declaration guidance | National | em.gov.lv |
| State Police (Valsts policija) | Penalty proceedings for guest declaration and passenger data breaches; may request declarations | National | vp.gov.lv |
| State Border Guard (Valsts robežsardze) | Border checks, carrier document checks, may request guest declarations | National | rs.gov.lv |
| State Security Service (Valsts drošības dienests) | Runs the Passenger Information Unit and aviation passenger data register; may request guest declarations | National | vdd.gov.lv |
| Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia (Finanšu izlūkošanas dienests, FIU Latvia) | Receives suspicious transaction and sanctions reports from any person | National | fid.gov.lv |
| State Revenue Service (Valsts ieņēmumu dienests, VID) | AML supervisor of traders and service providers taking cash of EUR 10,000 or more; enforces cash limits | National | vid.gov.lv |
| Latvijas Banka | Registers and supervises currency trading companies | National | bank.lv |
| Data State Inspectorate (Datu valsts inspekcija) | Data protection supervisor | National | dvi.gov.lv |
| Municipalities (for example Riga, Kuldīga) | Local tourist fees and guest night reporting | Local | likumi.lv (binding regulations) |
2. Licensing and authorisation
Under Section 16(1) of the Tourism Law (Tūrisma likums), only a tour operator may organise package travel, and only a tour operator or travel agent may offer or sell it. Both need a special permit (licence) from the PTAC, issued for an unlimited period. A trader facilitating linked travel arrangements needs no licence but must register in the PTAC database and provide insolvency protection (Section 16(3)). Section 16.2 prohibits selling without the licence, the annual fee or the required security.
Licence conditions
Cabinet Regulation No. 380 of 26 June 2018 on package and linked travel arrangements sets the conditions in point 2, as amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 76 of 24 February 2026 [In force]. Existing licence holders had to meet the new sanctions and ownership conditions by 1 July 2026 (point 130.5).
| Requirement | Detail | Regulation No. 380 |
|---|---|---|
| Point of sale | At least one permanent point of sale, which may be a website or social media account | Point 2.10 |
| Sanctions | Applicant not subject to international or national sanctions | Point 2.11 |
| Russia and Belarus | No decisive influence or beneficial ownership by Russia, Belarus, their citizens or entities; no Russian or Belarusian board or council members | Points 2.12 to 2.14 |
| Financial standing | No tax debts over EUR 1,000; a licence may be refused where the liquidity ratio is below 1 | Points 2.4, 14.7 |
| Annual state fee | EUR 40 (agent), EUR 60 (operator selling only in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia), EUR 500 (other operators); next year's fee due by 30 November | Point 9 |
| Insolvency security for new operators | EUR 3,000 (Latvia only), EUR 5,000 (Baltics), EUR 15,000 (beyond the Baltics), EUR 30,000 (outside EU, EEA, Switzerland and UK), EUR 200,000 (charter flights) | Point 35 |
| Reporting | Operators and linked arrangement facilitators report advance payments quarterly and travellers served and turnover annually | Point 17 |
The differentiated fee was introduced by Cabinet Regulation No. 355 of 27 June 2026 [In force from 2 Jul 2026]. Established operators must also hold security covering all advance payments held (point 32).
Accommodation and currency exchange
Accommodation providers need no tourism licence, and certification is voluntary (Tourism Law, Section 16.1). Currency exchange for guests is separately regulated: apart from banks, only a capital company registered by Latvijas Banka as a currency trading company under Section 26.3 of the Law on Payment Services and Electronic Money may trade foreign currency cash, with its premises and any exchange machine checked under Latvijas Banka Regulation No. 221 of 3 October 2022.
3. Identity framework (AML rules do not apply)
Hotels, tour operators and travel agents are not obliged entities by activity: Section 3(1) of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism and Proliferation Financing (Noziedzīgi iegūtu līdzekļu legalizācijas un terorisma un proliferācijas finansēšanas novēršanas likums) does not list them, so the Tourism Law guest declaration governs identity in this sector. They become obliged entities under Section 3(1)(9) only when a customer pays, or deposits into the seller's account, cash of EUR 10,000 or more, in one or several linked operations. Customer due diligence then applies (Section 11(1)(3)), under VID supervision (Section 45(2)(5)).
In practice, Section 30 of the Law on Taxes and Fees (likums "Par nodokļiem un nodevām") bars both businesses (part 1) and private individuals (part 8) from cash transactions above EUR 7,200, single or split. Businesses also declare cash transactions with each other above EUR 1,500 monthly, and cash transactions with private individuals above EUR 3,000 in a single operation annually by 1 February (part 7). A travel business that respects the cash limit should therefore not reach the AML trigger.
Currency exchange
A currency trading company is a financial institution under Section 1(7)(e) of the AML law and is fully in scope. It applies customer due diligence to exchanges above EUR 1,500 or a lower amount set by its risk assessment (Section 11(1)(2)(c)), and files a weekly threshold declaration with FIU Latvia for each cash exchange of EUR 5,000 or more (Cabinet Regulation No. 550 of 17 August 2021, points 11 and 14.4). Non-residents attending in person are identified only with a document valid for entry into Latvia (Section 12(2)), checked against the Register of Invalid Documents (Section 12(3.1)). Records are kept for five years (Section 37(2)).
Duties that apply to everyone
Section 3.1 of the AML law requires any person, even one outside Section 3, to report every suspicious transaction to FIU Latvia. Under Section 5 of the Law on International Sanctions and National Sanctions of the Republic of Latvia, all persons must freeze funds and economic resources of persons under national financial restrictions and must not make them available; EU sanctions regulations apply directly.
4. Identity verification and onboarding
The foreign guest declaration
Section 11(7) of the Tourism Law, as amended with effect from 10 July 2026, requires any natural or legal person providing tourist accommodation to ensure that foreigners staying there personally fill in and sign a declaration form and prove their identity with a valid travel document. A foreigner is anyone who is not a Latvian citizen or Latvian non-citizen (Immigration Law, Section 1). Spouses, minor children and tourist group members do not complete their own form: one spouse completes it for both, a parent or accompanying adult for a minor, and the group leader for a group (Cabinet Regulation No. 226 of 3 April 2007, points 3 and 4).
Regulation No. 226, as amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 518 of 1 September 2026 [In force from 12 Sep 2026], sets the procedure:
Data captured
Surname, name, date of birth, nationality and its type, country of residence, travel document type, series and number, issuing state, issue and expiry dates, arrival and departure dates (point 7).
Check by the provider
The provider or staff check the declaration against the travel document; mismatches are corrected by the guest (point 9).
Signature
The guest signs; a paper form completed in person is countersigned by the provider (points 8 and 10). On an electronic form, an electronic signature replaces the handwritten one (annexes).
Retention and disclosure
Kept for one year from completion and handed over immediately when the State Security Service, State Police or State Border Guard requests it, in writing or orally (points 11 and 13.1).
Remote identity proofing
The Ministry of Economics' guidance (updated 1 September 2026), repeating the Cabinet's explanatory report on Regulation No. 518, states that a guest may present the travel document electronically, using recognised and trusted means as secure and authentic as physical presentation, so registration may be contactless or remote. It lists as recognised: NFC chip reading of passports and ID cards under ICAO Doc 9303; national eID at eIDAS "high" assurance level; European Digital Identity Wallets; and biometric verification with certified matching meeting EU or ICAO standards.
Other identity checks in the travel chain
Carriers must check each foreigner's travel document and visa or residence permit, and a travel authorisation once ETIAS operates (Immigration Law, Section 21). Air carriers send passenger name record data, including the tour operator and travel agent, to the State Security Service's register 48 to 24 hours before departure and at flight closure (Aviation Passenger Data Processing Law, Sections 4 and 5).
5. Digital channels: what's different
Bottom line: Latvian travel rules are largely channel-neutral; the main online difference is that remote document verification must match the assurance of an in-person inspection.
| Requirement | In person / desk | Online / remote | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package travel licence | PTAC licence | Same licence; website or social account is a point of sale | Same |
| Sellers outside the EU | Not applicable | Must register with PTAC and provide security if targeting Latvia | Differs |
| Guest declaration form | Paper, signed by guest and provider | Electronic form signed electronically; no provider countersignature | Differs |
| Travel document check | Physical inspection | NFC chip, high-assurance eID, digital identity wallet or certified biometrics | Differs |
| Who must register guests | Hotels, guesthouses, campsites | Includes platform-listed homes since 10 July 2026 | Differs |
| AML trigger | Cash of EUR 10,000 or more | Same test: cash of EUR 10,000 or more | Same |
| Sanctions duties | Apply to all persons | Apply to all persons | Same |
| Retention of declarations | One year | One year | Same |
Remote check-in
Regulation No. 226 allows an electronic declaration (point 5), countersigned by the provider only on paper (point 10). The regulation text still describes the document being presented "on arrival and registering" (point 2); the Ministry of Economics' guidance confirms that this presentation may be electronic, so long as the method is recognised and gives equivalent assurance.
Short-term rentals and platforms
The new definition of tourist accommodation in Section 1(1)(17) of the Tourism Law covers any publicly bookable dwelling where a natural or legal person provides overnight accommodation, which brings private short-term lets into the guest declaration duty. No host registration number was created. At EU level, Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has applied since 20 May 2026; according to the European Commission it works on an opt-in basis, so its host registration and platform data duties bite only where a Member State introduces registration or requests platform data.
Online sellers targeting Latvia
Section 16(7) of the Tourism Law requires tour operators, travel agents and linked arrangement facilitators established outside the EU that sell in Latvia, or direct their activity to Latvia by any means, to register in the PTAC database and provide insolvency security. Operators established elsewhere in the EU with home-country protection are exempt (Section 16(8)(4)).
Pending: ETIAS, passenger data and wallets
Once ETIAS launches [Adopted, start date not yet set], travel agents may apply on a client's behalf under a signed declaration of representation, one application per traveller, according to the official ETIAS site. Regulations (EU) 2025/12 and 2025/13 [Adopted, application date not yet set] will require air carriers to collect advance passenger information from the travel document's machine-readable data by automated means, including during online check-in; they apply two years after the central router starts, a date the Commission has not set; eu-LISA's 2026 to 2028 programming document plans the router for 2029. Under Article 5f(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, larger private relying parties in sectors including transport that must use strong user authentication will have to accept European Digital Identity Wallets within 36 months of the relevant implementing acts entering into force, which, counting from the acts that took effect in December 2024, points to December 2027.
6. Data protection and biometrics
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, supervised in Latvia by the Data State Inspectorate. Recording the guest declaration is processing needed to comply with a legal obligation (GDPR Article 6(1)(c)), the basis named in the Cabinet's explanatory report on Regulation No. 518, and Regulation No. 226 defines the data set. The Ministry of Economics' guidance asks providers to secure declarations, use processors under agreements, limit staff access and delete the data after one year.
Biometric data used to uniquely identify a person is special category data under GDPR Article 9. Biometric verification is one recognised remote option, not a requirement, so a provider using it needs a separate condition, typically explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)). Passenger name record data held by the State Security Service is depersonalised after six months and deleted after five years (Aviation Passenger Data Processing Law, Sections 7 and 8).
7. Sector-specific obligations
Package travel and traveller protection
Tour operators must keep their network of physical and online points of sale and contracted agents public and report new ones to the PTAC within 10 working days (Regulation No. 380, point 6.1, from 1 July 2026). Regulation No. 355 requires an operator to notify the PTAC before changing destinations and to increase its security or fee where needed (point 36.1).
Borders: EES and ETIAS
The Entry/Exit System began progressive operations on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. ETIAS is not yet operating; on 28 April 2026 the Commission said it is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026. Latvia's carrier duty to check travel authorisations applies six months after ETIAS starts, or three years for coach carriers (Immigration Law, transitional point 52).
Municipal tourist fees
Some municipalities charge a guest-night fee and require a guest register. Riga charges EUR 0.89 per night, capped at EUR 8.90 per continuous stay (Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. RD-22-173-sn); Kuldīga charges EUR 1.50 per night, capped at EUR 15.00, from 1 July 2026 (Kuldīga Municipality Binding Regulations No. 2/2026).
8. Risk indicators and red flags
Identity, fraud and sanctions indicators in Latvian travel and hospitality
- Document problems: no valid travel document, or uncorrected mismatches with it.
- Cash near the limit: cash payments approaching EUR 7,200, or split into several linked payments.
- Unusual currency exchange: exchange of third-country cash into euro, or into larger banknote denominations (FIU Latvia sanctions evasion indicators).
- Travel paid for officials: trips for public officials or their relatives paid by third parties, a form of bribe in FIU Latvia's typologies.
- Sanctions exposure: bookings for or paid by sanctioned persons, or requests to pay a Latvian business through accounts abroad.
- Shifting ownership: a travel partner whose sanctioned owner transferred shares to relatives or associates below 50%, or with an unjustifiably complex structure (FIU Latvia sanctions evasion indicators).
- Unlicensed sellers: package trips sold through social media or websites by a seller missing from the PTAC database.
9. Enforcement and penalties
One fine unit is EUR 5 (Law on Administrative Liability, Section 16(2)).
| Breach | Penalty | Basis | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest declaration: breach of checking, storage or handover rules | Warning, or fine up to 86 units (EUR 430) for an individual and up to 156 units (EUR 780) for a legal person | Tourism Law, Sections 19 and 20 | State Police (State Border Guard may investigate) |
| Selling package travel without a licence or security | Order to stop; fine up to 4% of annual turnover, capped at EUR 300,000 for practices only in Latvia | Unfair Commercial Practices Prohibition Law, Section 15.2 | PTAC |
| Missing reports, information or fees from licensed firms | Licence suspension up to six months, then revocation and removal from the database | Regulation No. 380, points 22 and 26 | PTAC |
| Breach committed through a website or app, where other measures fail | Orders to block access, redirect users, disable the domain or remove content | Consumer Rights Protection Law, Section 26.15(5) | PTAC |
| Failing to give, or giving false, information to an authority | Warning, or fine of 14 to 2,800 units (EUR 70 to EUR 14,000) for a legal person | Law on Administrative Penalties for Offences in Administration, Public Order and Use of the Official Language, Section 3(1) | PTAC and other authorities |
| Air carrier failing to send, or sending incomplete, passenger data | 620 to 1,020 units (EUR 3,100 to EUR 5,100) | Aviation Passenger Data Processing Law, Sections 23 and 24 | State Police |
| Carrying a third-country national without required entry documents | 600 to 1,000 units (EUR 3,000 to EUR 5,000) per person carried | Immigration Law, Sections 68.7 and 68.9 | State Border Guard |
| AML breaches by obliged entities (cash traders, currency exchanges) | Up to twice the profit gained or up to EUR 1,000,000; financial institutions up to 10% of annual turnover or EUR 5,000,000 | AML law, Section 78 | VID; Latvijas Banka |
By decision No. 17-pk of 5 September 2026 (announced 10 September), the PTAC fined SIA "D6 Group" EUR 6,000 under the Unfair Commercial Practices Prohibition Law for selling package trips through its website and social media without a licence or traveller protection, ordered it to stop and warned it could block the websites; the decision is open to appeal. In August 2026 the PTAC suspended the licence of tour operator Digitours after it filed for insolvency. Sanctions breaches are criminal offences under Section 84 of the Criminal Law; for breaches involving sanctioned goods and related services, liability is criminal from EUR 10,000 and administrative below it (Sanctions Law, Section 18).
10. Recent changes and what to watch
- 30 November 2026[In force]: deadline for licensed travel firms to pay the 2027 annual licence fee at the new differentiated rates.
- 12 September 2026[In force]: Regulation No. 518 updates the guest declaration procedure and adds the State Security Service as a requesting authority; Ministry guidance updated on 1 September confirms remote identity proofing with recognised methods.
- 5 September 2026[Decision issued]: PTAC fines an unlicensed online package seller EUR 6,000.
- 10 July 2026[In force]: Tourism Law amendments extend the declaration duty to every accommodation provider, including short-term lets, and require a valid travel document.
- 1 and 2 July 2026[In force]: sanctions and Russia/Belarus ownership conditions apply to all licensed travel firms; differentiated licence fees start.
- ETIAS and EU passenger information rules[Adopted, start dates not yet set]: ETIAS is planned for the last quarter of 2026; carriers' checks follow six months after launch.
- 10 July 2027[Adopted, applies 10 Jul 2027]: the EU AML Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 applies, with an EU-wide EUR 10,000 cash limit for traders (Article 80); Latvia's lower EUR 7,200 limit may continue.
11. What this means for identity verification
- Document types: require a valid travel document from every guest who is not a Latvian citizen or non-citizen, EU nationals included.
- Data set: capture exactly the point 7 fields, plus provider details, and compare them with the document before check-in completes.
- Remote methods: for contactless check-in, use a recognised method: NFC chip reading, high-assurance eID, a digital identity wallet or certified biometric verification.
- Document status: Latvian-issued documents can be checked free online in the Register of Invalid Documents maintained under the Ministry of the Interior (Cabinet Regulation No. 708 of 2012, point 22).
- Retention: one year for declarations, then delete; five years for AML records where currency exchange is involved.
- Business partners: screen suppliers and agents against sanctions lists and trace beneficial ownership for Russian or Belarusian control.
How Identomat helps
Identomat runs identity verification, screening and monitoring for regulated businesses on one platform, with workflows you configure for each market. For the requirements in this guide, that means:
- Guest check-in with ID document capture and verification, including NFC chip reading of passports and ID cards, to compare declaration data with the travel document.
- No-code workflow builder to prepare the foreigner declaration digitally before arrival and complete it with e-signatures.
- AML screening of guests, travel partners and their beneficial owners against sanctions and PEP lists, with KYB checks for agents and suppliers.
- Optional biometric liveness and face match, run on consent, with an audit trail for each check.
- Cloud, on-premises or hybrid deployment to fit retention and data protection requirements.
Launching in a new market?
Navigate local compliance requirements with confidence. Identomat helps you build verification workflows tailored to your business and the markets you operate in.
Frequrently asked questions
Yes. The Tourism Law requires accommodation providers to have every foreigner fill in and sign a declaration and prove identity with a valid travel document. A foreigner is anyone who is not a Latvian citizen or Latvian non-citizen, so citizens of other EU countries are included. Spouses, minor children and tourist group members are covered by one form completed by a spouse, parent or group leader. Declarations are kept for one year.
Yes, with the right method. Cabinet Regulation No. 226 allows an electronic declaration signed electronically, and the Ministry of Economics' guidance says the travel document may be presented remotely using recognised means that match the assurance of physical presentation: NFC reading of the passport or ID card chip, a high-assurance electronic ID, an EU Digital Identity Wallet, or certified biometric verification. The provider must still compare the declaration with the document data.
Not by default. Travel agencies, tour operators and hotels become obliged entities under Latvia's AML law only if they receive cash of EUR 10,000 or more for a transaction, and Latvian law bars cash transactions above EUR 7,200 for businesses and private individuals alike. Currency exchange is different: it requires registration with Latvijas Banka and full AML compliance. Every business must still report suspicious transactions to the Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia and respect sanctions.
Get the PDF guide
Enter your details and the download button will switch on.