Latvia plans to fully halt passenger bus travel to Russia and Belarus from 2027
Latvia's Transport Ministry has drafted amendments banning all regular and irregular international passenger bus services to Russia and Belarus, as well as transit through Latvia to these countries. The only currently permitted regular route, Riga–Moscow, has its permit expiring on 9 January 2027 and will not be renewed.
Latvia's Ministry of Transport (SM) has prepared legislative amendments that would ban all international regular and irregular passenger bus services to Russia and Belarus, as well as transit travel through Latvian territory toward these countries.
Currently, under an international agreement, one regular bus route from Latvia to Russia still operates. The daily service to Moscow is run by SIA "Norma-A" under the "Ecolines" brand. The route's permit is valid until 9 January 2027, and the ministry does not plan to extend it.
Report prepared for government
The ministry has also prepared an informative report on the future organization of international road transport with Russia and improvements to the regulatory framework. The report analyzes the exchange of transport permits between Latvia and Russia from 2022 to 2026, assesses the impact on the economy and employment, and summarizes the current state of passenger transport. The document is set to be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for review.
Previous restrictions
Last year, on 7 October, the Cabinet already approved the ministry's proposal to ban irregular passenger bus services crossing the Latvia–Russia and Latvia–Belarus borders from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026. The ministry is now preparing an order to extend this ban for another year.
The ministry acknowledges that restricting regular routes from Latvia has limited real effect, since passengers can use connecting routes through Estonia and Lithuania, as well as minibus services, which fall outside the scope of bus transport regulations. The ministry will therefore continue assessing security, economic and international-obligation aspects while seeking a coordinated solution at the Baltic and EU level.
The National Alliance (NA) party has previously called for a complete halt to passenger transport with Russia and urged the ministry not to renew carrier licenses for regular services to the country. According to NA data, 9,079 passengers were transported on the Riga–Moscow route in the first half of 2026, with demand rising by more than a quarter in June compared to January, alongside growing security risks.
