Latvia

Latvia Driving Advice and Car Hire Info

Driving In Latvia

Latvia drives on the right and you can use the photo licence of any country to drive here, providing it’s written in Roman alphabet. Drivers from other countries need their own licence plus an international driving permit. Speed limits range from 100/110kmh on dual carriageways to 90kmh on other roads and 50kmh in urban areas. All vehicles must carry a warning triangle, first aid kit, fire exinguisher and a reflective vest for all occupants. Dipped headlights must be used at all times.

Of the 15,000km of roads in Latvia, only 1600km are classed as highways, prefixed with an ‘A’, and beyond the capital Riga, none of those are multi lane roads. Routes classed as highways are –

A1 Rīga – Sigulda – Ainaži Estonia Border

A2 Rīga – Inčukalns – Sigulda -Veclaicene Estonia Border

A3 Inčukalns – Valmiera – Valka Estonia border

A4 Rīga Ring Road: Baltezers – Saulkalne

A5 Rīga Ring Road: Salaspils – Babīte

A6 Rīga – Rīga – Daugavpils – Krāslava – Pāternieki Belarus Border

A7 Rīga – Bauska – Grenctāle Lithuania Border

A8 Rīga – Jelgava – Meitene  Lithuania border

A10 Rīga – Ventspils

A11 -Liepāja – Rucava Lithuania border

A12- Jēkabpils – Rēzekne – Ludza – Terehova Russia border

A13 – Grebņeva Russia border – Rēzekne – Daugavpils – Medumi Lithuania border

A14 Daugavpils ring road

A15 Rēzekne ring road

Highways are generally in good condition, but lesser routes may be in a worse state of repair, especially in winter. Driving standards are  lower than in most western European cities – Latvia has one of the highest road accident and fatality rates in Europe. This is probably not helped by the country’s severe winter weather. If you visit in winter take extreme care if you aren’t used to driving in snow, ice and fog. Expect some drivers to overtake recklessly and at high speed, especially around Riga. The police are very keen on applying drink driving laws -the legal limit is 0.05%. Expect a heavy fine or even a jail sentence if you’re caught drinking and driving.

Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.

Latvia Car Rental –
Sixt , Hertz, Europcar, Alamo, National,Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Dollar, have branches here. Also usually features on Car rental broker sites.

We currently have no local car rental partners in Latvia. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com

Latvia Self Drive Rules-
You’ll generally be able to take the car to most mainland European countries including UK. There may be restrictions on taking the car to some Eastern European locations. One way rentals should be available to Estonia and Lithuania for an additional charge (Sixt charge 100 euros)

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