Setting up a road haulage company in Latvia from outside the EU
You run a haulage business outside the EU, or plan one, and want a Latvian company that holds its own EU licence. Latvia requires hauliers to hold an ATD licence for goods vehicles over 2.5 t, domestic work included. The company also needs premises in Latvia and a transport manager permanently resident in the EU, and if it applies within 3 months of registration, share capital of at least the required amount is accepted as proof of financial standing.
What a new haulier needs in Latvia
Eight obligations, who carries them and when they apply.
| Obligation | Rule | Who | When or how long | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier licence | Required for category N goods vehicles over 2.5 t, domestic haulage included, with one licence card per vehicle | The Latvian company | Before operating; valid 10 years | ATD, Cabinet Regulation No. 194 |
| State fee | EUR 22.00 | The applicant | Licence issued electronically within 30 days of paying the invoice | ATD, Cabinet Regulation No. 146 |
| Transport manager | Permanently resident in the EU | A natural person who runs the transport activity | Licence condition | ATD |
| CPC exam | Written exam at the ATD: theory of at least 45 questions in 2 hours, practice of at least 5 questions in 2 hours | The future transport manager | Exam invoice prepaid no later than 3 working days before | ATD exam page |
| Premises | Premises in Latvia | The company | Licence condition | ATD |
| Financial standing | EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle, EUR 5,000 per extra vehicle over 3.5 t, EUR 900 per extra vehicle of 2.5 to 3.5 t; light vehicles only: EUR 1,800, then EUR 900 | The company | Share capital accepted as proof if the application is filed within 3 months of registration | ATD |
| Community licence | For international haulage: vehicles over 3.5 t, over 2.5 t in international carriage; driver attestation available | The Latvian company | Up to 10 years, never beyond the Latvian licence | ATD, Cabinet Regulation No. 122 |
| Minimum wage | EUR 780 gross per month | Employers of drivers working in Latvia, posted drivers included | Figure at 1 January and 1 July 2026 | Eurostat |
The sections below take each line in turn. Figures are those published in the official sources on 6 November 2026.
The Latvian carrier licence
Issued by the ATD from 2.5 t, for domestic haulage too.
The licensing authority is the Autotransporta direkcija (ATD), which publishes its procedure in English. The state fee is EUR 22.00. The ATD issues the licence electronically in its database of carriers "within 30 days of the payment of invoice", and the licence is valid for 10 years (Cabinet Regulation No. 146 of 6 March 2018).
The Latvian licence
Required for goods vehicles of category N over 2.5 t, including vehicles that never leave the country. Each vehicle gets its own licence card (Road Transport Law and Cabinet Regulation No. 194 of 7 April 2020).
The Community licence
For international haulage, the ATD issues a Community licence for vehicles over 3.5 t, and over 2.5 t in international carriage. It lasts up to 10 years, never beyond the end of the Latvian licence. The ATD also issues the driver attestation that each driver from a non-EU country needs (Cabinet Regulation No. 122, Regulation 1072/2009 art. 5).
Financial standing and the 3-month window
The amounts are the EU ones. The timing rule is Latvian.
The ATD applies the EU amounts: EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle, EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle over 3.5 t and EUR 900 for each additional vehicle of 2.5 to 3.5 t. A company that runs only light vehicles of 2.5 to 3.5 t needs EUR 1,800 for the first one and EUR 900 for each additional one (ATD, Regulation 1071/2009 art. 7).
Apply within 3 months of registering the company
If the licence application is filed within 3 months of the company's registration, share capital at least equal to the required amount is accepted as proof of financial standing (ATD, Cabinet Regulation No. 194). A company starting with three lorries over 3.5 t counts EUR 9,000 for the first and EUR 5,000 for each of the other two. Line up the transport manager, the premises and the vehicles before the SIA is registered, so the 3 months go into the application rather than into finding them.
Outside that window, the EU regulation still allows a bank guarantee, and a new company with no accounts yet may prove its standing by other means (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 7). Which of these the ATD accepts in that case is a point to confirm with it before you register.
Transport manager, CPC exam and premises
The conditions that decide who runs the company and where it really sits.
The ATD requires a transport manager who is permanently resident in the EU (ATD). Under the EU rule, the manager is a natural person who effectively runs the company's transport activity (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 4). For a founder living in Turkey, the Gulf or Central Asia, this is the condition to solve first.
You as transport manager
Open to you once you pass the CPC exam, provided you are permanently resident in the EU. A founder who keeps living outside the EU does not meet the residence condition (ATD).
An appointed manager
A qualified manager permanently resident in the EU takes the role. The EU rule allows an external manager to work for at most 4 companies and 50 vehicles, and lets each state set lower limits (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 4).
The CPC exam at the ATD
The ATD holds the written exam for transport managers. The theory part has at least 45 questions in 2 hours and the practical part at least 5 questions in 2 hours. The exam invoice has to be prepaid no later than 3 working days before the exam, and training beforehand is optional (ATD exam page).
Premises in Latvia
Premises in Latvia are a licence condition (ATD). The EU text says what they must show: the company keeps its main documents there (accounts, staff records, driving times, cabotage), its vehicles are registered in Latvia, its activity is actually run from there, and it has a suitable operating centre (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 5).
Cabotage, posted drivers and wages from a Latvian base
What changes when Latvian trucks work abroad, and when foreign trucks work in Latvia.
Trips to and from Latvia
A trip between Latvia and another country is not a posting (Directive 2020/1057). The driver stays on Latvian terms, where the monthly gross minimum wage is EUR 780 in 2026 (Eurostat).
Jobs inside or between other countries
Cabotage in another EU country, or a load between two countries other than Latvia, makes the driver a posted worker. The company files the declaration on the EU's IMI public interface at the latest when the posting starts, sends documents within 8 weeks of a request, and pays at least the host country's minimum wage, for example EUR 2,343 a month in Germany (Directive 2020/1057, Eurostat).
It works the same way in reverse. A carrier from another member state doing cabotage in Latvia posts its drivers to Latvia, and EUR 780 a month is then the floor for that work (Eurostat).
An outdated line on the ATD page
The ATD's English licence page still mentions the duty to bring each vehicle back to the operating centre every 8 weeks (ATD). The Court of Justice of the EU annulled that duty on 4 October 2024. The rest of what it reviewed stands: the ban on taking the regular weekly rest in the cab, the driver's return every 3 or 4 weeks, the 4-day cabotage cooling-off period and the treatment of cabotage and cross-trade as postings (CJEU, cases C-541/20 to C-555/20).
Road charges
No official guidance on road charges for lorries in Latvia could be read for this page, so it gives no rates. Check the current amounts with the Latvian authorities before the first trip.
The EU rules under the Latvian licence
Two EU regulations set the frame.
Latvia applies Regulation 1071/2009, which sets four conditions for every haulier in the EU (effective and stable establishment, good repute, financial standing, professional competence) and gives authorities up to 3 months from a complete file to decide, extendable by 1 month (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 3 and 11). Regulation 1072/2009 allows up to 3 cabotage operations after an incoming international trip, with the last unloading within 7 days, then 4 days without cabotage in that country with the same vehicle (Regulation 1072/2009 art. 8). For the full EU rules and the other countries, see our Transport in Europe guide.
From plan to first licensed truck
In the order a newcomer meets them. Deadlines are the official ones.
Settle the transport manager
A qualified manager permanently resident in the EU, who can be you if you live in the EU and pass the CPC exam. The exam invoice is prepaid no later than 3 working days before the exam.
Find premises and plan the fleet
Premises in Latvia and vehicles registered there are licence conditions. The number and size of the vehicles set the financial standing amount.
Register the SIA with enough share capital
Share capital at least equal to the financial standing for your fleet. The 3-month window starts with the registration.
Apply to the ATD for the licence
Filing in this window lets the share capital count as proof of financial standing.
Pay the EUR 22.00 fee and receive the licence
Issued electronically in the ATD's database of carriers, with a licence card for each vehicle over 2.5 t, valid 10 years.
Community licence and driver attestations
The Community licence for haulage across borders, and an attestation for each driver from a non-EU country.
Posting declarations for cabotage and cross-trade
Filed through IMI. Documents are sent within 8 weeks of a request.
What the official sources do not settle
Three points stay open. We found no official figures for the road charge on lorries in Latvia, and none for the real cost of the CPC exam or how long you wait for a session. The sources we read also do not say which proof of financial standing the ATD accepts once the 3-month window has passed. Confirm each of these with the ATD or a licensed adviser before you fix a timetable or a budget.
What Balt Partners coordinates
We are based in Riga. The Latvian side is handled from here, and regulated advice comes from licensed advisers.
Licence map and calendar
The ATD conditions for your fleet, the 3-month window, the CPC exam and the Community licence, with each deadline in one calendar.
SIA, bank account and accounting
We form the Latvian SIA with share capital sized to the financial standing your fleet requires, and coordinate its bank account and accounting set-up from Riga.
Coordination with the ATD
We prepare the licence file with you and coordinate it with the ATD from Riga, from the first application to the Community licence.
Licensed advice where it is required
Driver contracts, posting abroad and tax questions go to a licensed adviser we bring in. FPFM SIA does not give legal or tax advice.
If you are still choosing a base, our page on forming an EU company as a non-resident explains the Latvian route. For haulage rules in the other countries on your routes, start from our overview of road transport companies in Europe.
Questions about a haulage company in Latvia
Yes. Latvia requires a licence for goods vehicles of category N over 2.5 t, including vehicles used only inside Latvia. The ATD issues a licence card for each vehicle.
The state fee is EUR 22.00. The ATD issues the licence electronically within 30 days of the invoice being paid, and it is valid for 10 years. Separately, the company must show financial standing of EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle and EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle over 3.5 t.
No. The ATD requires a transport manager who is permanently resident in the EU. A founder living outside the EU either becomes permanently resident in the EU or appoints a qualified manager who is. Under the EU rules, an external manager can work for at most 4 companies and 50 vehicles.
Yes, if the licence application is filed within 3 months of the company's registration. Share capital at least equal to the required amount is then accepted as proof. After that window, check with the ATD which evidence it accepts.
It is a written exam held at the ATD. The theory part has at least 45 questions in 2 hours and the practical part at least 5 questions in 2 hours. The exam invoice must be prepaid no later than 3 working days before, and training is optional.
The monthly gross minimum wage in Latvia is EUR 780 at 1 January and 1 July 2026, according to Eurostat. When a Latvian carrier's drivers do cabotage or cross-trade in another EU country, they are posted there and that country's minimum wage applies, for example EUR 2,343 a month in Germany.
Yes, for international haulage for hire or reward. The ATD issues it for up to 10 years, never beyond the expiry of the Latvian licence, and also issues driver attestations for drivers from non-EU countries.