Jurmala entrance toll to grow to EUR 3, will be charged year-round as of October 1

RIGA - As of October 1, the entrance fee Latvia's seaside resort city Jurmala charges on motor vehicles will increase to EUR 3 from EUR 2 and will be charged year-round, the city council decided Thursday. 

The meeting of Jurmala City Council approved regulations for motor vehicles' entry in the city's administrative territory, effective as of October 1, 2023.

The purpose of the new regulation is to reduce traffic intensity in Jurmala and to encourage the use of environmentally friendly means of transport. 

The rules also provide for the possibility to buy an entry pass for a longer period of time, e.g., a seven-day pass will cost EUR 10, a 30-day pass EUR 31, a full-year or 365 days pass EUR 180, and others.

Discounts in the range from 30 percent to 90 percent are available to employees of companies in certain sectors, large families, persons studying in Jurmala, employees of municipal institutions, and others.

According to the local government's data, last year the entry fee brought EUR 2.9 million into the city's budget, and EUR 1.5 million were collected in fines for entering Jurmala without the pass. 

The local government of Jurmala planned to raise the entrance fee to EUR 3 already in 2022, but Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Arturs Toms Pless (For/Development) issued a decree suspending the new regulation. 

Jurmala City Council appealed the minister's decree before the Constitutional Court.