The Latvian Foreign Ministry has informed that the bilateral agreement between Latvia and Georgia, which allowed the visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and service passports, has been suspended.
According to a press release issued by the authority, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided on a partial suspension of the agreement with Georgia, but ordinary passport holders will not be affected by the new changes, meaning that holders of Georgian passports may continue to enter the Schengen zone without visas, Schengen.News reports.
On June 17, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a decision to suspend the bilateral agreement between Latvia and Georgia on the exemption of holders of diplomatic and service passports from the visa requirement, thereby reinstating the visa requirement for Georgian officials–holders of diplomatic and service passports to enter Latvia.
Latvia follows a long list of other Schengen countries that have or plan to implement similar measures against Georgian diplomatic and service passport holders – Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, and Sweden, namely.
EU Ambassador Says Georgians’ Visa-Free Entry to Schengen Is Not at Risk
Although member states want to restrict the movement of Georgian diplomatic passport holders, this does not apply to ordinary citizens.
The EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, confirmed for journalists that most of the member states are not considering such restrictions against Georgians.
The same pointed out that member states do not want to impose restrictions on Georgian because ordinary citizens because of the actions of the government.
I would say that the majority of member states are against it for a very simple reason: we don’t want to make ordinary people pay for the decisions, actions, and legislation that have been enacted in Georgia by the authorities.
Ambassador Herczynski said that, unlike Ukraine and Moldova, which are making serious progress towards reaching their EU aspirations, Georgia risks losing the opportunity to integrate with the EU. According to him, the process of the EU with Georgia has stalled, and the Ambassador fears “Georgia may lose its historic chance to join the European Union.”
While many countries want to keep Georgians’ rights of visa-free entry to the EU intact, Poland is pushing for tighter restrictions against this country. Previously, the Polish Prime Minister told his government that visa-free travel for Georgian citizens should come to an end.
It is not just about Georgia, I apologise to Georgians who may feel offended, but in general, I am a strong advocate of restricting visa-free travel from countries which, as in the case of Georgia, no longer respect either the standards regarding authoritarian authorities or from which migration poses a direct threat to law and order in our country or in Europe.
The Polish PM noted that he supports tighter measures for countries that represent a direct threat to national and European security and that Georgia is not the only country that might have their visa liberalisation withdrawn, as this is being discussed in a broader context.