What do you need to rent a car in Riga?
The CSDD's page on foreign licences lists licences from the EU, EFTA and the United Kingdom, plus licences that comply with the 1968 Vienna Convention. A licence not written in Latin letters needs a notarised translation into Latvian.
Rental companies can be stricter. Avis Latvia's terms ask for an International Driving Permit from drivers with licences from the USA, Canada, Japan, China and Australia. They also require:
- a licence held for at least one year
- a minimum age of 19 for group B cars, 21 for mid-size groups and 25 for the largest
- EUR 10 a day for drivers under 25, charged for at most 10 days
| Charge or rule | Avis Latvia terms | What it means for your trip |
|---|---|---|
| Winter tyres | EUR 4.25 a day from 15 October to 14 May; all groups fitted | A 5-day trip in late October adds EUR 21.25 |
| Fine handling | EUR 35 per traffic or parking fine | Paid on top of every fine or parking charge that reaches Avis |
| Leaving the Baltic states | Restricted; EUR 515 if done without written permission | A drive into Poland needs approval before you set off |
| Estonia and Lithuania | Within the Baltic area | A Tallinn–Riga–Vilnius loop fits one rental |
Other companies set their own fees. Ask for the fine handling charge before signing, because on small fines it is often larger than the fine.
Road rules that catch visitors
- Limits: 50 km/h in towns and 90 km/h outside them, according to the CSDD's rules for drivers. The EU's Latvia page gives 80 km/h on gravel roads.
- Lights: daytime running lights or dipped headlights are compulsory in daylight. Under Section 64 of the Road Traffic Law, driving without them brings a warning or a EUR 10 fine.
- Alcohol: 0.5 per mille, or 0.2 for drivers with less than two years' experience.
- Winter tyres: compulsory from 1 December to 1 March on cars up to 3.5 tonnes. Studded tyres are banned from 1 May to 1 October.
- Phones: hands-free only.
How do speed cameras and fines work in Latvia?
The CSDD's speed camera page says every fixed camera location is published on its map. Each one is announced by a speed limit sign with an extra plate saying a camera is in use.
Average-speed cameras are newer. The state road operator, Latvijas Valsts ceļi, announced that the first average-speed section would start on 14 August 2023 on the Riga bypass (A5), between Stūnīši and Jaunmārupe (km 23.1 to 28.6). By July 2023 it had installed equipment on all 16 planned sections, on the A1, A2, A3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10 and A13 and on the P30 Cēsis–Vecpiebalga–Madona road, with sections switched on one by one after verification. Your average speed between two points is what counts, so slowing down only at the camera does not help.
What speeding costs
Section 55 of the Road Traffic Law sets penalties in fine units. Section 16 of the Law on Administrative Liability fixes one unit at EUR 5. For cars:
| Over the limit | Outside a built-up area | Built-up area or residential zone |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 km/h | Warning | Warning |
| 11–20 km/h | Warning or EUR 20 | Warning or EUR 40 |
| 21–30 km/h | EUR 40 | EUR 80 |
| 31–40 km/h | EUR 80 | EUR 160 |
| 41–50 km/h | EUR 160–220 | EUR 240–320 |
| 51–60 km/h | EUR 240–320 and a 3-month driving ban | EUR 360–460 and a 6-month driving ban |
The built-up area column applies wherever the town entry sign or the residential zone sign is posted. Once the excess passes 50 km/h, the penalty includes a ban on driving. From 61 km/h over, the licence is withdrawn.
How a camera fine finds a renter
Under Section 162 of the Law on Administrative Liability, a camera fine is imposed on the vehicle's registered keeper, or on the owner if no keeper is registered. For a rental car, that is the company. The owner escapes the fine by naming the person who was driving and giving evidence. The rental agreement does exactly that, so the fine is reissued to you and the handling fee is added to your card. The CSDD says fines must be paid within 30 working days. It adds that fines left unpaid for a year lead to a driving ban until they are settled.
Section 49 of the Road Traffic Law also sets up EU cross-border exchange of vehicle data for speeding, seatbelt, red-light, drink-driving, lane and phone offences. A notice sent to your home abroad is therefore possible as well.
Worked example: a Riga to Jūrmala day
A summer day trip from central Riga to the beach at Majori:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Jūrmala entry pass, bought in an app | EUR 5 |
| Zone A parking in Riga, 3 hours before leaving | EUR 2.50 + 3.00 + 3.00 = EUR 8.50 |
| Camera on the way back: 15 km/h over on the open road | Warning or EUR 20 |
| Avis handling fee if that fine becomes a charge | EUR 35 |
Paying the entry pass and parking correctly costs EUR 13.50. A single small camera fine through the rental company costs EUR 55. The same 15 km/h inside a town sign costs EUR 40 plus the fee, or EUR 75.
How do you pay the Jūrmala entry fee in a rental car?
Jūrmala charges vehicles to enter its special regime zone all year. Since 1 January 2026 the day pass has cost EUR 5. According to Visit Jūrmala, it must be bought by 23:59 on the day of entry, before or after you drive in. Longer passes cost EUR 20 for 7 days and EUR 60 for 30 days. Since 1 January 2026 the pass machines no longer take cash.
The additional information page says plates are recognised automatically at the entry points. It does not state the fine for not paying, and neither do the other official pages checked; it refers penalty questions to the municipality. For a rental car, any penalty goes to the registered owner first and comes back to you with the company's fee. Electric vehicles and registered disability-adapted vehicles are exempt, but check that your specific rental car is recognised as exempt before relying on it.
How much does parking cost in Riga?
Municipal street parking is run by Rīgas satiksme in six tariff zones. The rates below are from the Latvian tourism board's parking guide:
| Zone | First hour | Each further hour | When you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| R (Old Riga) | EUR 5.00 | EUR 8.00 | Every day from 6:00 |
| A (city centre) | EUR 2.50 | EUR 3.00 | Weekdays 8:00–20:00, Saturdays 9:00–17:00 |
| B | EUR 2.00 | EUR 2.50 | As zone A |
| C | EUR 1.50 | EUR 2.00 | As zone A |
| D | EUR 1.00 | EUR 1.50 (EUR 5 a day maximum) | As zone A |
| V (Vecāķi beach) | EUR 2.00 a day | — | 1 May to 30 September, 8:00–20:00 |
Pay at a machine, by text message or in the Mobilly or EuroPark app. If you park without paying, Rīgas satiksme issues a post-payment notice. It costs EUR 53 in zone R, EUR 20.50 in zone A, EUR 17 in B, EUR 13.50 in C and EUR 10 in D. The charge falls by 20% if you pay within 10 days and the car was not clamped.
For getting into the city without a car on arrival day, see Riga airport buses and tickets. A Baltic loop continues north in renting a car in Tallinn and winter driving and south in renting a car in Vilnius and Lithuanian road rules.