Road carriage licence in Latvia

Road licenses and regulations

Road Transport Administration is entitled to issue road carriage licences in Latvia.

The costs of the Road Transport Administration services:

issuance of a certificate for own-account carriage of passengers by bus and freight by heavy goods vehicles (for a period of one month) – LVL 2.20;
drafting of a certificate of professional competence for a road manager (the responsible person), preparation of the test and its administration – LVL 26.00;
repeated preparation of the test for a road manager (the responsible person) to obtain a certificate of professional competence and its administration – LVL 15.00.

Cargo transport is permitted only if the road manager has obtained a certificate of professional competence in the relevant field of carriage.
The carrier shall have obtained a special permit (licence) issued by the Road Transport Administration.
The licence gives the right to carry out freight transport by using the vehicles in the carrier’s possession or road vehicles owned by other persons (according to the procedure stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers).
A carrier using heavy goods vehicles to carry out freight transport in Latvia the total weight of which does not exceed 3.5 tonnes, excluding trailers, shall obtain a licence card valid for a period up to one year for each of the vehicles.

Carriage of passengers may be performed under the following conditions:

a road manager has obtained a certificate of professional competence in the relevant field of carriage;
a carrier has obtained a licence for carriage within the borders of the state issued by the Road Transport Administration or a licence for carriage within the borders of the administrative territory of the relevant city of the Republic issued by the local government of this city;
the licence gives the right to perform carriage of passengers by using only the vehicles in the carrier’s possession or road vehicles owned by other persons (according to the procedure stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers);
a licence card is issued for a period up to one year, and it gives the right to perform carriage of passengers by bus within the territory of Latvia.

Carriage of passengers by taxis may be performed under the following conditions:

a road manager has obtained a certificate of professional competence in the relevant field of carriage;
a carrier has obtained a licence for carriage within the borders of the state issued by the Road Transport Administration or a licence for carriage within the borders of the administrative territory of the relevant city of the Republic issued by the local government of this city;
the licence gives the right to perform carriage of passengers by using only the vehicles in the carrier’s possession or road vehicles owned by other persons (according to the procedure stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers);
a licence card is issued for a period up to one year, and it gives the right to perform carriage of passengers by bus within the territory of Latvia.

The Ministry of Transport shall issue a certificate to a person who has successfully passed the test.
In order to obtain the certificate, a person needs to possess knowledge and skills in the following fields: laws and regulations governing carriage by road in Latvia, as well as international and European Union legislation concerning this area, business and financial management, transport logistics, the obligations and responsibility of a merchant.
Training courses to acquire this knowledge – at least 50 academic hours.
After successful completion of training courses, a person receives a certificate confirming this fact.
After completing the courses, a person must pass the relevant test which is monitored by an examination commission established by the Ministry of Transport. The test is in written form.
The Road Transport Administration maintains a database of the persons who have received certificates.

application including information on the type of carriage of goods by road, the type and name of the merchant, its registered address, the number of the registration certificate issued by the Register of Enterprises or the number of the registration certificate and date of registration of the branch of a foreign undertaking. The application shall be signed by the person submitting the request;
written confirmation of compliance with the requirements of the Cabinet of Ministers;
confirmation of the carrier’s financial status;
document certifying payment of the state fee;
the Road Transport Administration itself obtains the following information: copy of the registration certificate issued by the Register of Enterprises, copy of the registration certificate of a merchant issued by the Register of Enterprises or copy of the registration certificate of the branch of a foreign undertaking;
statement of the State Revenue Service confirming that a merchant has been registered as a taxpayer and it has no tax arrears. The statement is valid for 30 days after its issuance;
certificate of professional competence. A licence applicant has the right to obtain and submit the above-mentioned information also by him or herself. - A decision is made within 30 days after submission of all documents. - If issuance of a licence is refused, then the application can be re-submitted after the necessary improvements have been made.