Latvia Travel Guide
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Guide
Latvia has one road crossing with Belarus, Pāternieki, and as of early August 2026 it was not operating. Latvia closed the Silene crossing in 2023, which left Pāternieki as the only official land crossing, and on 31 July 2026 technical failures in the checkpoint's information systems meant border checks could not be carried out. The Interior Ministry then proposed suspending the crossing altogether, which would mean residents and lorries could no longer travel from Latvia to Belarus, citing illegal crossings and what it calls Belarus facilitating them. The proposal was waiting on the Cabinet of Ministers, so check the current position.
The Russian frontier is restricted too. Since 19 March 2025, Latvia has limited the Pāternieki, Terehova, and Grebneva border control posts to crossings by motor vehicle only, over security and hybrid threat concerns, and on 1 July 2026 Russia closed seven railway border crossings with Estonia, Latvia, and Finland, including Pytalovo on the Latvian border.
Border crossings
- Pāternieki, the Belarus crossing that may be closed for good
The only official land crossing with Belarus after Silene closed in 2023. It was non-operational at the start of August 2026, with no estimated date for fixing the systems, and a formal suspension awaited a cabinet decision.
- Terehova and Grebneva, the Russian road crossing
Crossing here has been limited to motor vehicles since March 2025, so do not plan to arrive on foot. Latvia's Baltic neighbor Estonia has its own restrictions at its Russian border, described in this site's Estonia guide.
- Pytalovo and the rail links
Russia's closure of seven railway crossings on 1 July 2026 includes the one with Latvia, so a train into Russia is not a realistic plan.
Transit routes
- Use another route if you were headed to Belarus
The interior minister urged travelers to use alternative routes when the crossing failed. Lithuania's Belarus crossings are described in this site's Lithuania guide.
- Driving to Russia means a car, not a bus on foot
The motor vehicle only limit means the way in is through a vehicle, and Estonia advises against traveling to Russia at all.
Entry point notes
- Schengen entry rules apply
For most visa exempt visitors, that is 90 days in any 180 day period, with the EES recording arrivals at the external border.
- Read the date on any Belarus or Russia information
Latvia's decisions changed several times in 2025 and 2026, and an article a few months old may already be out of date.