Latvia
Latvia permits street photography, but Section 25 of its Copyright Law limits public-space works to personal, news, and non-commercial uses, so commercial sale of copyrighted landmarks needs permission.
Guidance, not legal advice
Drone Authority
Check the flight side
Photography access and drone permission are separate questions. Drone Authority covers the flight-law side for this country.
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Riga City Council or site manager for commercial productions; no permit for personal street photography
Cost: No permit for personal photography; commercial crews and managed sites need authorization
Personal photography needs no permit. Commercial productions on Riga streets and at managed monuments should clear access with the municipality or site manager; the Riga Film Fund and national co-financing scheme handle incoming productions.
Drone / airspace
Governed by EU EASA rules via the Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia; register as a UAS operator under the Open or Specific category
For category detail, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes to photograph; GDPR and Latvian privacy law apply to publishing identifiable people
Personal-use shooting is covered by the GDPR household exemption. Publication, and especially commercial use, of a recognizable person without consent carries risk; journalism and public events have exceptions.
Freedom of panorama
Non-commercial only
Section 25 of the Copyright Law allows images of works of architecture and art permanently displayed in public places for personal use, news reporting, and inclusion in non-commercial works. It expressly does not apply to commercial use of the image. Riga's Art Nouveau facades are old enough to be out of copyright; modern buildings and public art are the live issue.
Practical notes
- Riga's UNESCO-listed centre (Old Town and the Art Nouveau district) is largely pre-1920s architecture, so copyright rarely blocks selling those images; the Section 25 limit matters for modern landmarks like the National Library.
- Border areas with Russia and Belarus are sensitive; do not photograph border infrastructure or crossings.
- Riga Central Market and churches set their own interior photography rules.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: