Latvia has banned citizens of Russia and Belarus from buying real estate. But there are exceptions
In Latvia, citizens of Russia and Belarus have been banned from buying real estate – the Saeima has supported a law restricting transactions that threaten national security. This was reported by LSM.
69 MPs supported the decision, while eight voted against it.
In addition to citizens, the ban will also apply to legal entities registered in these two countries. Also, Russians or Belarusians who own at least 25% of the shares in the authorized capital of these legal entities will not be able to purchase real estate.
The ban will apply to transactions concluded after the law enters into force.
However, there are exceptions: if the property is inherited by relatives or is recognized as the property of a citizen of the Russian Federation or Belarus by a court verdict. Also, the law does not apply if the buyer of the property has a permanent residence permit in Latvia issued before the law came into force, or if the person has since obtained the status of a permanent resident of the European Union.
The authors of the law noted that in parallel with the hostilities in Ukraine, Russia is waging a hybrid war against other countries that condemn its full-scale war. Latvia is among these countries. The authors call indirect acquisition of real estate in these countries part of the hybrid war.
They noted that Russia had used the presence of its citizens in another country as a pretext for starting a war, justifying the invasion by "defense".
"The Saeima has previously emphasized that the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine requires special attention to the national security of Latvia and new measures to protect it," the document says .
- on May 26, Latvia called on to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens in the EU.
- On June 2, it became known that Latvia blocks entry to Russians, who own real estate near strategically important objects.
- On June 12, Latvia banned civil servants from traveling to Russia and Belarus. The Saeima supported the law.
- On June 16, a Latvian MP who defended the Russian language in the Seimas, complained about searches. He was detained.
