🇱🇻 Country guide · updated 2026-09
Drone laws in Latvia
Latvia is the eleventh country on this site where we had missed a national insurance duty, and it is not a small one.
At a glance
- Registration
- €5 per year
- Registration portal
- CAA Latvia e-services
- Maximum height
- 120 m above ground level in the Open category.
- Insurance
- Required, except drones under 250 g
- Authority
- Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia
Latvia is the eleventh country on this site where we had missed a national insurance duty, and it is not a small one. Since July 2021 every drone flight in Latvian airspace has needed third-party liability cover, with only the very lightest drones exempt — so the hobby pilot with a 900-gram camera drone who reads that «EU law only requires insurance above 20 kg» is flying uninsured and illegally. The rest of Latvia is orderly: registration costs exactly five euros a year, the air navigation provider runs a live zone map it describes as the only official source, and since February 2026 the fines are published. The eastern border is the other thing to read before you go. A 50 km strip along Russia and Belarus was closed to all flying in September 2025, then narrowed to the night hours, and we cannot tell you from an official source what shape it is in today.
Country-specific decision path
Before you choose a launch point in Latvia
- Confirm your operator paperwork Registration required — €5 per year. In the EU. One EU/EEA operator registration covers this country. Open CAA Latvia e-services
- Check the exact route on the official map eUARV drone map is the national starting point; read every condition covering the complete route, not only the launch pin. Open eUARV drone map
- Apply the local layer EU registrations valid. Review the Latvia zone and nature checks
Registration in Latvia
Latvia fully implements EU Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945. Registration and geographic zones managed by CAA Latvia.
The agency states the fee exactly — five euros for one year — so we have dropped the «around» we used to print. Registration happens at e.caa.gov.lv, the agency's e-services portal; droni.caa.gov.lv is its Latvian-language information site, not the portal. An operator cannot be registered in two EU states at once, and a number from another member state is valid here.
What it costs: €5 per year — One year, renewed annually.
In the EU. One EU/EEA operator registration covers this country.
How to register
- If you hold an EU or EEA operator registration, it is valid in Latvia — do not register again
- Otherwise register at e.caa.gov.lv for €5, valid one year
- Arrange third-party insurance first — Latvia requires it for practically every drone over 250 g, and the minimum for A1 and A2 is €50,000
- Take the A1/A3 online training and test if your drone needs it
- Open the eUARV map at airspace.lv/drones before every flight — it is the only official zone source
- Check the eastern border position separately if you are heading to Latgale
You register as an operator — not the drone. Registration is required from 250 g, or below 250 g if the drone can transfer more than 80 J of energy, or if it carries a sensor able to capture personal data. CE-marked toys are exempt. Put your operator number on every drone you fly and set it in Remote ID.
Flight rules
- Maximum height
- 120 m above ground level in the Open category.
- Line of sight
- Visual line of sight required.
- Weight classes
- Standard EU weight classifications.
- Night flying
- Night flying is allowed in the Open category. A drone with a class mark must show a flashing green light so it stays visible. You still have to keep it in sight, which is harder after dark, and national geographical zones apply exactly as they do in daylight.
- Weather
- Good weather required. Baltic weather can be changeable.
Class marks C0–C6 have been mandatory since 1 January 2024. The transition period is over: a drone without a class mark may only be flown in A1 (under 250 g) or A3 (under 25 kg).
Where you may not fly
There is no single EU-wide distance from airports. Each country publishes its own UAS geographical zones, so check the national map or app before every flight.
Airports and controlled airspace
Riga, Liepāja and the military airfield at Lielvārde have their own procedures, published on the air navigation provider's drone pages. The zones themselves are in eUARV at airspace.lv/drones, which the provider describes as the only official source; it also publishes the data as an ED-269 JSON file for class-marked drones' geo-awareness.
Towns and cities
Flying in Riga is governed by a Cabinet regulation on UAS procedures in the city — No. 737, under Article 47 of the Law on Aviation — which is broader than an Old Town rule. Check the exact spot in eUARV rather than assuming the historic centre is the only sensitive area.
Protected nature
The Nature Conservation Agency has warned publicly that careless drone use disturbs animals and birds, and protected areas carry their own protection rules. We could not read a drone clause in the Gauja National Park regulations directly, so we are not going to tell you the park bans drones. Ask the agency, and check eUARV.
Government and military sites
Government buildings in Riga. Military installations, including the airfield at Lielvārde, which has its own drone procedure.
Border and military restricted areas
On 11 September 2025 the aviation agency and the armed forces closed a 50 km-wide strip along the entire border with Russia and Belarus to all flying, from the ground to flight level 195, by NOTAM A4196/25. The reason given was Russian drones violating NATO airspace, and the closure coincided with the Namejs exercise and NATO's Eastern Sentry mission. From 18 September it was narrowed to the night hours, 20:00 to 07:00, and from 8 October it was extended in that form «until further decisions».
We previously wrote that the restriction was introduced after an incident near Rēzekne. That got the order of events backwards. The Rēzekne incident — a drone striking an empty oil tank — happened on 7 May 2026, eight months later, and what it triggered was a one-day activation of a restricted zone over the Balvi, Ludza and Rēzekne districts, described by the authorities as a previously established zone being switched on. Through the summer of 2026 the pattern has been the same: alerts and short activations when drones are detected, rather than one continuous rule.
What we cannot tell you is whether the nightly closure is still in force as you read this. We found no official statement either continuing or ending it, and the summer's incident-by-incident activations suggest the regime may have shifted to a zone that is switched on when needed. Treat Latgale as airspace that can close at short notice, check NOTAMs and eUARV on the day, and do not fly at night near the border on the strength of anything written here.
Other restrictions in Latvia
- NATO exercise areas are activated as temporary zones and appear in eUARV when live
- We previously listed the Ādaži base and Jūrmala beach as drone restrictions. We could find neither in any official source, and have removed them
- The eastern border strip — see below
Insurance
Latvia requires third-party liability insurance for drone flights in its airspace under Article 117.10 of the Law on Aviation, implemented by Cabinet Regulation No. 447 of 29 June 2021: «to operate unmanned aircraft in the airspace of the Republic of Latvia, the UAS operator or the aircraft's owner shall insure their general civil liability». The exemption is narrow — drones under 250 g that also cannot exceed 19 m/s — and the minimum cover for open-category A1 and A2 flying is €50,000. Above 20 kg the EU minimums take over. We previously wrote that Latvia had no national requirement below 20 kg. That was wrong, and it has been wrong since 2021.
Penalties
Latvia publishes a range rather than a tariff, and it is recent: the framework took effect on 18 February 2026. We have the range from the Ministry of Transport but could not pin the exact statutory article, so we print the figures and not a section number. For colour, the agency logged 123 administrative cases in 2025 against 73 the year before, and the police 768 against 330. It is being enforced.
| Breach | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Drone offences, from 18 February 2026 | From a warning up to €1,000 for individuals, and up to €5,000 for legal entities | Published by the Ministry of Transport when the framework took effect. Enforcement sits with the aviation agency, the State Police, the Military Police, municipal police and the Border Guard. |
Whatever the amount, the pattern across Europe is the same: paperwork failures are handled administratively, while flying near aircraft, over crowds, or inside a protected zone is what turns a case into a prosecution.
Visiting Latvia with a drone
EU registrations valid. Latvia offers good value and interesting landscapes. Riga has restrictions but the countryside is accessible. The coast offers excellent photography.
Commercial work
Specific-category authorisations are applied for through the agency's UAS information system at e.caa.gov.lv. We did not find a published fee for the authorisation itself.
Location planning
These are well-known photographic subjects to research, not recommended launch points or proof that a flight is allowed. Check the exact route against official airspace, nature, land-manager and people restrictions.
- Gauja National Park sandstone formations
- Kurzeme coastline beaches
- Cape Kolka (where Baltic Sea meets Gulf of Riga)
- Sigulda castle area (check restrictions)
- Latgale Lake District
- Abava Valley
Apps and official maps
- eUARV (airspace.lv/drones) — the air navigation provider's interactive map of active UAS zones, refreshed every five minutes, with a JSON dataset
- e.caa.gov.lv — the civil aviation agency's e-services portal, where registration actually happens. droni.caa.gov.lv is the information site, not the portal
Practical tips
- Insurance is compulsory for practically every drone over 250 g — minimum €50,000 for A1 and A2. Most guides, and until now this one, say otherwise
- Registration is exactly €5 a year at e.caa.gov.lv; droni.caa.gov.lv is the information site
- eUARV at airspace.lv/drones is the only official zone map. Open it before every flight
- Fines have been published since February 2026: up to €1,000 for individuals, €5,000 for companies
- The 50 km border strip with Russia and Belarus closed in September 2025 and went to night-time only. We cannot confirm its current status — check NOTAMs on the day
- Lielvārde, not Ādaži, is the military airfield with a published drone procedure
- Riga has a city-wide UAS regulation, not just an Old Town one
Questions about flying in Latvia
Do I need to register to fly a drone in Latvia?
Registration required — €5 per year. In the EU. One EU/EEA operator registration covers this country.
How high can I fly in Latvia?
120 m above ground level in the Open category.
Do I need drone insurance in Latvia?
Latvia requires third-party liability insurance for drone flights in its airspace under Article 117.10 of the Law on Aviation, implemented by Cabinet Regulation No. 447 of 29 June 2021: «to operate unmanned aircraft in the airspace of the Republic of Latvia, the UAS operator or the aircraft's owner shall insure their general civil liability». The exemption is narrow — drones under 250 g that also cannot exceed 19 m/s — and the minimum cover for open-category A1 and A2 flying is €50,000. Above 20 kg the EU minimums take over. We previously wrote that Latvia had no national requirement below 20 kg. That was wrong, and it has been wrong since 2021.
Can I fly a drone at night in Latvia?
Night flying is allowed in the Open category. A drone with a class mark must show a flashing green light so it stays visible. You still have to keep it in sight, which is harder after dark, and national geographical zones apply exactly as they do in daylight.
What are the penalties for breaking drone rules in Latvia?
Latvia publishes a range rather than a tariff, and it is recent: the framework took effect on 18 February 2026. We have the range from the Ministry of Transport but could not pin the exact statutory article, so we print the figures and not a section number. For colour, the agency logged 123 administrative cases in 2025 against 73 the year before, and the police 768 against 330. It is being enforced.
Official sources
Primary sources used for this guide, checked September 2026. Open the live national source again before flying; geographical zones and temporary restrictions can change between reviews.
- National authority Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia — official drone information
- Registration CAA Latvia e-services
- Official zones and map eUARV drone map — LGS
- European framework Regulation (EU) 2019/947 — rules and procedures for operating unmanned aircraft
- Official maps directory EASA — national aviation authorities and geographical-zone sources
Rules change, and national authorities publish the current position. Before you fly, check Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia — it is linked at the top of this page too.