Exporting to Latvia: Customs Guide for Foreign Businesses
You sell goods from outside the European Union, and your customers or your stock are headed for Latvia. Between your loading dock and the delivery address stands one fixed step: EU customs clearance.
The good news first. If you ship from another EU country, there is no customs clearance at all, goods move freely. This guide is for everyone else: exporters in the UK, China, the US, Turkey and other non-EU countries.
Three things decide how smoothly your first shipment goes: an EORI number, correct paperwork, and a customs declaration filed in Latvia. EORI is a single registration number for dealing with EU customs, valid in every member state. If your company has no EU presence, your Latvian customs broker will help you work out where and how to register one.
For a standard import your broker needs the air waybill (AWB) or CMR, the commercial invoice, a packing list, and a power of attorney authorising them to act on your behalf. Depending on the goods, you may also need a certificate of origin, an import licence or product-specific permits.
The declaration itself is filed through the Latvian electronic customs system (EDS). Every product gets an HS code, which sets the duty rate, the VAT treatment and whether special permits apply. A wrong code means wrong taxes and a possible inspection. This is the core of customs clearance in Latvia.
When goods enter the EU through Latvia, customs duties and import VAT must be paid before the cargo is released. For a foreign company with no EU bank account or entity, that means prepaying taxes from abroad, and it slows down every single shipment.
The fix is fiscal representation. LETT 2000 acts as your fiscal representative and pays customs duties and import VAT on your behalf under a financial guarantee to Latvian customs of up to 1,000,000 EUR. Your cargo clears immediately, and you settle the deferred amount later on a schedule agreed before the import, with a commission agreed in advance. The service is open to foreign businesses importing into the EU through Latvia.
LETT 2000 has operated at Riga Airport since 2000, has held AEO status since December 2010, and has cleared shipments for more than 5,000 businesses. The team works in English, Latvian and Russian, so you will not be managing a Latvian-language process from abroad. Send your shipment details through our contact form and we will map out the clearance steps before your cargo ships.
Do I need a company in Latvia to import goods there?
No. A foreign business can import into the EU through Latvia without a local entity. With fiscal representation, LETT 2000 acts on your behalf in tax matters and pays customs duties and import VAT at clearance under a financial guarantee of up to 1,000,000 EUR. You settle the deferred amount later on a schedule agreed before the import.
How long does customs clearance take when exporting to Latvia?
With complete documents, a standard declaration at Riga Airport is processed in 2 to 4 hours. Shipments handled under AEO simplified procedures are often cleared in under 1 hour. Missing paperwork is the main reason clearance stretches into days, so send documents to your broker before the cargo departs.
What documents does my Latvian customs broker need?
For a standard import: the air waybill or CMR, commercial invoice, packing list and a power of attorney authorising the broker to act for you. Depending on the goods you may also need a certificate of origin, an import licence or product-specific permits. LETT 2000 reviews the full set before submission to catch errors that would trigger delays.
