Latvia orders more than 800 Russian citizens to leave the country by October 13

Latvia has ordered 841 Russian citizens to leave the country by October 13 because they failed to prove their Latvian language skills and pass a mandatory security check. This is reported by Politico, citing information from the head of the public relations department of the Latvian Citizenship and Migration Board, Madara Puke.

By June 30, 2025, Russians had to apply for permanent EU resident status, demonstrate A2 proficiency in the state language, and undergo security and biographical checks.

The new rules affected about 30,000 Russian citizens. Most of them managed to comply with them, but about 2,600 people voluntarily left Latvia, and another 841 people failed to submit documents on time.

Now they are obliged to leave the country by October 13. After this date, staying in Latvia is considered illegal and access to social services will be terminated. Failure to comply with the rules on a regular basis without a valid reason can lead to forced deportation, Puke said .

It is known that Latvia amended its immigration law in 2022 and 2024, tightening the rules for Russian citizens who want to stay in the country.

• on June 12, Latvia banned civil servants from traveling to Russia and Belarus – the Saeima supported the law. In case of violation, the employee may be terminated.
• On October 7, it was reported that Latvia will not open the airspace near the border with Belarus and Russia for the time being. How long this will last is unknown.
• Latvia has also banned irregular bus transportation to Russia and Belarus for a year due to security risks.