Latvia tightens entry regulations for travelers from Kazakhstan.

According to the publication, the Saeima (the parliament of Latvia) National Security Commission has developed amendments to the law on the state border, which stipulate that citizens of CIS countries will only be granted permission to stay in Latvia's border zone with the approval of the State Security Service.

"The law on the state border provides for a special admission regime to control the presence of individuals in the border zone. Persons aged 15 and older must have a permanent or temporary pass issued by the state border guard to stay in the border zone.

A permanent pass is issued to individuals who own real estate in the border zone, while a pass for up to one year is granted to those planning to stay in the border area. Employers can request temporary passes for their employees if their presence in the border zone is related to work duties," the publication states.

It is reported that after the changes, citizens of CIS countries will only receive such passes with written consent from the SNB, if the stay of a specific individual in this zone is necessary to exercise fundamental rights and does not pose a threat to national security.

The reasons for these restrictions are outlined in the project's annotation. It states that CIS countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) closely cooperate in the areas of security, economy, and culture, and "Russia uses this cooperation to obtain information of interest to it."

Notably, at the end of last year, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Russia warned about new rules for staying in the neighboring country. The duration of stay for foreigners in Russia has been reduced to a total of 90 days within a calendar year—previously, Kazakhs could stay in Russia for no more than 90 days within 180 days.

Recall that in September of last year, new rules for the stay of foreigners, including Kazakhs, came into effect in Kyrgyzstan.

Additionally, in 2023, the government of Kazakhstan made amendments to the rules for the entry and stay of immigrants in the country, which will limit the duration of foreigners' stay in Kazakhstan. Later, the Committee of the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan commented on the new regulations regarding the stay of foreigners in our country.