Latvia to ban bus service to Russia and Belarus starting January 2027
Latvian authorities plan to ban regular bus service to Russia and Belarus, including routes that transit through the country. The Transport Ministry has drafted the amendments and submitted them for the government’s consideration, the Latvian news outlet Delfi reported.
Currently, one regular bus route runs between Latvia and Russia, operated daily by the company Norma-A under the Ecolines brand. The permit for that route is valid until January 9, 2027, and there are no plans to extend it.
Latvian authorities banned irregular bus passenger transport to Russia and Belarus starting November 1, 2025. That ban runs through October 31, 2026, and officials plan to extend it for another year.
The Transport Ministry acknowledged that restricting regular routes from Latvia would have limited practical effect, since passengers can still travel via connecting routes through Estonia and Lithuania, or use minibus services that fall outside the rules governing bus transport.
The ministry stated that it “will continue assessing security aspects and economic and international obligations, in order to reach a coordinated decision at the level of the Baltic states and the European Union.”
Latvian authorities have repeatedly urged residents to refrain from traveling to Russia and Belarus, and the State Security Service has warned of recruitment risks.
In May 2026, when reports emerged of plans to ban regular bus service from Latvia to Russia, the carrier Ecolines estimated the direct damage from such a move at roughly four million euros a year, with additional losses from an idle bus fleet adding another roughly two million euros a year.
Regular bus routes are one of the cheapest ways to travel to Russia and Belarus from European countries. However, passengers on such buses often have to spend many hours at the border, including because of checks by Russian security services.
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