Category B in Latvia: what you can actually drive
"I have category B — so that's just a regular car, right?" I hear this from students all the time, and it usually arrives with a bundle of myths: the trailer "only up to 750 kg", mopeds that "need a separate licence", vans that "need a truck category". Let's sort out what category B in Latvia actually covers — by the law and by CSDD (Latvia's Road Traffic Safety Directorate), not by hearsay.
The baseline: 3,500 kg and 8 seats
Category B is a vehicle whose full (maximum authorised) mass does not exceed 3,500 kg and which has no more than eight seats besides the driver's.
Notice what the definition does not say: "passenger car". Under 3.5 tonnes you'll find an SUV, an eight-passenger minibus and the kind of cargo van people rent for moving day. Don't judge by size — check two numbers in the registration certificate: full mass and seat count.
You can start driving lessons at 16; the CSDD exams and the licence itself come at 18. The paperwork and checks you need before the exam are covered in a separate article.
Myth one: "trailers only up to 750 kg"
The most stubborn confusion of them all. Here's the actual rule:
- A trailer with a full mass up to 750 kg is always allowed. The whole combination may weigh up to 4,250 kg (3,500 + 750) — still plain category B.
- A trailer heavier than 750 kg is also possible on plain B, but two conditions must hold at once: the full mass of the combination (car + trailer) does not exceed 3,500 kg, and the trailer's full mass does not exceed the towing car's kerb weight.
And one detail that catches people at roadside checks: what counts is the trailer's full mass in its registration certificate, not what it happens to weigh. An empty two-tonne trailer is legally still a two-tonne trailer.
Myth two: "any heavy trailer means a whole BE category"
Not any. Between plain B and BE there's a middle step — code 96.
- Code 96 is for when a combination with a trailer over 750 kg weighs more than 3,500 kg but no more than 4,250 kg. It's not a new category: you pass an additional CSDD driving exam (the requirements are the same as for the BE exam), and the mark 96 appears on your licence.
- Category BE is for when even that isn't enough: it allows a trailer or semi-trailer with a full mass up to 3,500 kg, with the combination up to 7,000 kg. Available from age 18.
A rough guide: a light garden trailer — plain B; a heavy loaded trailer behind an SUV — do the maths, you may need code 96; a horse trailer or a large caravan — almost certainly BE.
Myth three: "a moped needs its own licence"
Not if you already hold category B. In Latvia, a B licence also lets you ride:
- AM-category mopeds — up to 50 cm³ and 45 km/h, including scooters and light quadricycles;
- B1-category quadricycles;
- A1-category light motorcycles — up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW, but only within Latvia: this is a national rule and it does not travel abroad with you;
- A-category tricycles — from age 21.
What category B does not cover are A and A2 motorcycles — you may not ride a "real" motorcycle on a B licence; that's a separate category with its own exam.
The small print on your own licence: code 78
Check the remarks column. If you passed your exam on an automatic, your licence carries code 78 — automatic-transmission cars only, and that restriction applies across the whole EU. It's removed by retaking the driving exam on a manual — I've covered it in detail in the article on automatic vs manual.
What to do with all this
Before you borrow a van, hitch a trailer or hop on a moped, open two documents: your licence (categories and codes) and the vehicle's registration certificate (full mass, seats). Two minutes of reading spares you a fine and an awkward roadside conversation.
And if you don't hold category B yet, it all starts with the same training — see what the full cost is made of and plan the route without surprises.
Verified against CSDD materials and the Road Traffic Law, July 2026. The rules can change — check the current information at csdd.lv.