Latvia has ordered 841 Russian citizens to leave the country by Oct. 13 after they failed to prove their Latvian language proficiency and to undergo mandatory security checks.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Latvia amended its Immigration Law later that year — and further tightened it in 2024 — making the rules stricter for Russian nationals who want to stay in the Baltic country.
The amendments require Russian citizens to apply for EU long-term resident status, demonstrate A2-level Latvian language skills, and pass security and background checks by June 30, 2025 to remain legally in the country.
Around 30,000 Russian citizens were affected by the new rules. While most managed to comply, about 2,600 have voluntarily left Latvia.
However, 841 Russian citizens failed to submit the required documents in time.
They have now been notified to leave by Oct. 13, Madara Puķe, head of public relations at Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA), told POLITICO.
But it seems that there are people who were unaware of the changes.
“Only when they are no longer paid a pension do they realize that something is wrong,” Maira Roze, the head of OCMA, told Latvian Television’s “De facto” program. “Then they call. Why am I not being paid my pension? We tell them: You have no residence permit. They ask: Where is my residence permit? We say: You should comply with the law,” she said.
The stay in Latvia after Oct. 13 for such individual becomes “unlawful,” Puķe said in a written response, adding that access to social services will be withdrawn. Persistent non-compliance without justification could lead to forced deportation by the State Border Guard.
There have been more recent moves to double down on national security in Latvia amid growing tensions with Moscow.
In May, Foreign Minister Baiba Braže urged EU countries to halt visa issuance to Russian citizens, citing security concerns. In June, the parliament banned Russian and Belarusian citizens from working in critical infrastructure and from buying real estate in Latvia.
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