Latvia Economy and Communication

ECONOMY

Business etiquette

Business cards are usually exchanged and appointments should be made in advance. According to areacodesexplorer, business in Latvia is done in a formal manner. A business outfit is expected. A suit for men, a costume for women. Modern companies prefer a more casual outfit. At the beginning of the meeting people shake hands, presents are welcome, especially watches or whiskey.

Opening hours

Business hours: Mon-Fri 8.30 a.m.-5.30 p.m.

Economy

German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce
Vilandes iela 1, LV-1010 Riga
Tel: 732 07 18.
Internet: www.ahk-balt.org

Swiss Baltic Chamber of Commerce (SBCC)
c / o Elizabetes Str. 2, LV-1340 Riga
Tel: 733 83 52 and 733 83 53.
Internet: www.swissbalticchamber.com

Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
Kr.Valdemara Street 35, LV-1010 Riga
Tel: 722 55 95.
Internet: www.chamber.lv

Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIDA)
Perses iela 2, LV-1442 Riga
Tel: 703 94 21.
Internet: www.liaa.gov.lv

Business contacts

German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce
Vilandes iela 1, LV-1010 Riga
Tel: 732 07 18.
Internet: www.ahk-balt.org

Swiss Baltic Chamber of Commerce (SBCC)
c / o Elizabetes Str. 2, LV-1340 Riga
Tel: 733 83 52 and 733 83 53.
Internet: www.swissbalticchamber.com

Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)
Kr.Valdemara Street 35, LV-1010 Riga
Tel: 722 55 95.
Internet: www.chamber.lv

Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIDA)
Perses iela 2, LV-1442 Riga
Tel: 703 94 21.
Internet: www.liaa.gov.lv

COMMUNICATION

Phone

The country code is 00371. Public telephones are used with calling cards that can be purchased from kiosks, post offices and some shops. There are also combined phone booths that can be used with coins, phone cards and credit cards. The English language information can be reached at 118. Public telephones can be called. The respective number is on the phone.

Cellphone

GSM 900 and GSM 1800. Network operators are Amigo, Bite, LMT.lv (Internet: www.lmt.lv) and Tele2 (Internet: www.tele2.lv). International roaming agreements exist.

International roaming can be used within the EU at the Euro tariff. Customers of all European mobile network operators automatically make all calls in and from other EU countries at the Euro rate. However, the Euro tariff does not apply to other mobile communications services such as SMS, MMS and data transmission.

The use of prepaid cards, which are available in many shops, petrol stations and kiosks, is usually cheap. The set with the prepaid card includes a SIM card, the credit of which can be used up and recharged with prepaid cards, as well as a telephone number with which you can send SMS and make calls.
The operating instructions are included in Latvian and mostly also in English and Russian. The menu navigation can also usually be switched to English. The use of a cell phone while driving is prohibited except with a hands-free system.

Internet

4,500 WiFi hot spots across Latvia provide free internet access in parks and other public places such as cafes, hotels, business centers, shopping malls, bus stations and airports. These places are often indicated by Wi-Fi stickers. More info at www.wifi.lv.

Post Office

The main post offices (headquarters: Boulevard 19) in Riga are open until 8 p.m. and sometimes until 10 p.m. Mailboxes are yellow. Letters to Western Europe are on the way for 5-7 days. General opening times of the post offices: Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Post offices outside of Riga are open Mon-Fri from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Postage stamps are available from post offices and kiosks.

Radio

Since the use of shortwave frequencies changes several times over the course of a year, it is advisable to contact Deutsche Welle customer service directly (Tel: (+49) (0228) 429 32 08. Internet: www.dw-world.de) to request.

LANGUAGE

Overview

The official language is Latvian. Russian is widely spoken. Sometimes English or German is also understood, especially by younger Latvians.

Latvian belongs to the Indo-European language family and is closely related to Lithuanian. The two languages are written similarly and can be understood in part, but spoken they differ so much that Latvians and Lithuanians cannot understand each other.

It is written in Latin letters. Diacritical marks give an indication of the correct pronunciation of certain letters, e.g. an overline indicates a long vowel. There are no articles in the Latvian language. It is also typical to add -s / -is to masculine nouns or -a / -e to feminine nouns; this also applies to foreign proper names, which are always given phonologically in Latvian spelling (e.g. Viljams Šekspīrs for William Shakespeare or Gerhard Šreders for Gerhard Schröder).