Latvia
Importing a car into Latvia
From the single market, bringing a car into Latvia is informal, and nearly everything runs through a single body: CSDD, which keeps the register, carries out the technical inspection and issues the plates. The order is still strict — the operation tax comes before the inspection, not after it.
- Registration authority
- Ceļu satiksmes drošības direkcija (CSDD)
- Customs
- Valsts ieņēmumu dienests (VID)
- Technical inspection
- Tehniskā apskate
- Last reviewed
Where the car comes from decides the effort
From an EU state
From an EU state there is no customs declaration, and no import VAT on a used car. What remains is the operation tax, due before the inspection, the compulsory OCTA insurance and — for a fiscally new car — Latvian VAT.
From a third country
From Switzerland or Liechtenstein it is an import declared to VID, with duty and import VAT. Only with the assessment does the CSDD route begin. Without European type approval, compliance with the requirements in force here has to be evidenced as well.
The process, in order
The order is not arbitrary. Pull a step forward and you usually end up repeating it.
01Check papers and title
Registration document, COC and a purchase contract showing seller and price. A lien registered abroad or a lease blocks the entry — that belongs before the purchase, not at the counter.
02Pay the operation tax
The transportlīdzekļa ekspluatācijas nodoklis has to be paid before the technical inspection. Without payment CSDD will not take the car for the test, and without the test there is no entry — this order is the most common reason for a wasted appointment.
Handled by: CSDD
03Technical inspection
The inspection takes place at a CSDD test hall. For an imported car, identity and agreement with the papers are established as well; differences between the COC and the car are settled here, not later.
Handled by: CSDD
04Take out OCTA
The obligātā civiltiesiskās atbildības apdrošināšana is the compulsory cover. It is recorded electronically and checked at registration; without it the car may not be used on the road.
05Registration and plates
With the tax paid, the inspection passed and insurance in place, CSDD registers the car and issues the plates. There is a short deadline for registering after the import, and it starts with the acquisition, not with the arrival.
Handled by: CSDD
06Deregister in the country of sale
Deregistration and returning the plates happen where the car was registered. Leave them undone and tax and insurance obligations keep running there.
What gets added
Without amounts, and deliberately so: official rates change, and a stale figure is worse than none. What is here is the basis of assessment — enough to calculate with, once the current rate is known.
- Vehicle operation tax
- Assessed on: Recurring, payable annually before the inspection. Assessed, depending on the date of first registration, either on CO₂ output or on gross mass, engine capacity and power — on an older, heavy car the second basis produces a different figure from the first.
- Company car tax
- Assessed on: The uzņēmumu vieglo transportlīdzekļu nodoklis applies to passenger cars held by a business, assessed on engine capacity or, for electric cars, on power output.
- Does not apply: Does not arise for a car held by a private individual.
- VAT
- Assessed on: On imports from outside the single market, on customs value plus duty; within the EU only for a fiscally new car. It is declared to VID.
- Does not apply: Does not apply to a used car from an EU state.
- Customs duty
- Assessed on: Only on import from outside the single market, on the customs value. VID states the rate.
- Inspection, entry and plates
- Assessed on: CSDD fees, graded by vehicle category and scope of service; personalised plates cost extra.
- OCTA
- Assessed on: The insurer's premium, by car, keeper and claims history.
The papers
Miss one of these and the appointment is wasted.
- Foreign registration document, parts I and II or the equivalent.
- Certificate of conformity (COC) or an equivalent confirmation from the manufacturer.
- Purchase contract or invoice showing seller and price.
- Proof of deregistration in the country of sale and of freedom from encumbrances.
- The keeper's ID; for residents the personas kods, for companies the registry number.
- Proof that the operation tax is paid and OCTA is in force.
Where the sum tips
- The reversed order. The operation tax has to be paid before the technical inspection. Booking the test first and sorting the tax afterwards means driving there twice.
- The basis that follows first registration. Whether the operation tax is computed on CO₂ or on mass, capacity and power hangs on that date — and on an older, large-engined car the difference is not a detail. CSDD gives the figure from the vehicle data before the purchase.
- The encumbered car. A lien registered abroad or a running lease blocks the entry, and the purchase contract alone says nothing about it.
- The tyres. Latvia requires winter tyres within a defined period, and studded tyres have a period of their own. Tread depth is checked at the inspection — a set that just passed further south does not necessarily pass here.
How long it takes
As an order of magnitude: one to two weeks from arrival with complete papers. Without a COC, or where an additional assessment is needed, rather four to eight weeks.
The technical inspection
Tehniskā apskate
The technical inspection is the tehniskā apskate and CSDD carries it out itself. For an imported car an identity check is added. It only happens once the operation tax is paid; afterwards it falls due annually, with variations by vehicle category and age.
Common questions
Why must the tax be paid before the inspection?
Because CSDD ties the two together: the inspection is only carried out once the operation tax for the current period has been paid. That is not a formality but the order the system imposes — and the reason an appointment without prior payment achieves nothing.
Is the inspection from the country of origin recognised?
Not for the entry: an imported car also has its identity established, and no foreign document substitutes for that. Afterwards the car runs on the Latvian interval.
What does the operation tax cost for my car?
It depends on when the car was first registered, and from there either on CO₂ output or on gross mass, engine capacity and power. CSDD computes it from the vehicle data; an amount quoted in a guide would be wrong at the next legislative change.
How long may I drive on foreign plates?
For the transfer, on the selling country's temporary or export plates with valid insurance. Anyone resident in Latvia has to register the car here within the period set after acquisition; that period starts with the purchase, not with entering the country.
This overview is not a substitute for information from the competent authority. Rates, fees and deadlines change; the office that registers the car is always the binding source.