On the night from 31 January to 1 February, the United Kingdom (UK) will leave the European Union (EU). The State Agency “Civil Aviation Agency” (CAA) informs that passengers will not face any major changes when travelling to and from the UK.
Passengers at Riga International Airport will not face any changes in airport procedures following the UK's exit from the EU. The UK is not among the Schengen countries, which means that passengers already are subject to border control, while the security requirements are set by international laws that are the same for Latvia and the UK. No airline has informed the airport about any changes in their flight schedules.
AirBaltic will operate flights from both Riga and Tallinn to and from the UK just like before Brexit. Major changes will not affect passengers travelling on direct flights to and from the UK.
During the transition period from 1 February 2020; 01:00 Latvian time until 31 December 2020, UK citizens will have the same right of free movement, border control procedures and residence conditions as before.
The procedure for children (who are Latvian residents) travelling to the UK will remain unchanged, namely, they will not have to present any other documents mentioned in Cabinet Regulation No. 721 of 3 August 2010 “Procedures by which Children Cross the State Border” in addition to their travel documents.
According to the most recent information, both passports and identity cards will still be accepted for entry into the UK during the transitional period; however, passengers are advised to use their passports for future flights to the UK.
Until 31 December 2020, passengers travelling from the UK to Latvia will not face any changes in the customs procedures.