Medical check and paperwork for a B licence in Latvia: what to arrange before the exam

The most frustrating reason to postpone an exam isn't a mistake at a junction — it's a missing piece of paperwork. I see it with my students year after year: someone drives confidently, they're ready to take the test, and then it turns out the health check was never done or the first-aid certificate has expired. So here is the full list of everything you need to arrange besides lessons, in the order it's worth doing.

What you need besides driving lessons

The whole set, briefly:

a completed health check (doctors' commission or your family doctor);
a first-aid course — unless you already hold a valid certificate;
registration with a driving school and a passed school theory exam;
state fees of CSDD (Latvia's Road Traffic Safety Directorate) — for the theory exam, the driving exam, and licence issuance;
an identity document on exam day.

Training may start at 16, but CSDD exams and the B licence itself are only available from 18. Now each item in turn.

The health check: where and how

A future driver's first health check is performed by one of two kinds of doctors:

a doctors' commission at a medical institution (many Riga clinics offer it as a dedicated "driver's commission" service);
your family doctor, if they have a contract with CSDD to submit data to the state register.

A pleasant detail: no paper certificate is needed anymore. The doctor or the head of the commission enters the conclusion into the state register of vehicles and drivers within two working days — CSDD sees it automatically, and you can check the status in e-CSDD. For category B the conclusion is valid for 10 years (after age 60 — no longer than 3 years). The procedure is governed by Cabinet Regulation No. 940.

I won't quote a price — it depends on the clinic: ask your family doctor or the reception of the medical centre you choose. What exactly gets checked is also for the doctor to determine under Regulation No. 940 — if you have chronic conditions or wear glasses, just say so honestly at the appointment rather than trying to "get around" the check.

The first-aid course

Without it, you won't be admitted to the CSDD theory exam. The rules:

the course is mandatory unless you hold a valid first-aid certificate;
people with secondary or higher medical education are exempt;
since September 2024 certificates are electronic only — the data on your completed course reaches CSDD automatically, nothing to print or bring along.

The drivers' course is roughly a day and a half of theory and practice with a knowledge test at the end. You can sign up at licensed training centres; if you're unsure whether an old certificate is still valid, check with CSDD before booking your exam.

Theory: why you still need a driving school

I'm a private instructor, and we practise driving one on one. But by law the theory part goes through a driving school: you register in a study group, complete the theory course, and pass the school's own theory exam. Only after that — plus the health check and first aid — does CSDD admit you to its theory exam.

How this fits together with private lessons, and in what order everything happens, I've laid out in the road from the first lesson to a licence. The regulatory driving minimum is about 20 lessons of 45 minutes (Regulation No. 358) — a floor, not a guarantee of readiness.

CSDD state fees: what the exam itself costs

The state fees are fixed:

theory exam — €11.40;
driving exam — €50.57;
licence issuance — €22.41.

Payment goes through CSDD when you book. Keep a reserve for retakes in mind too: the theory exam is 30 questions in 30 minutes with at most three errors allowed, and a failed driving exam can be retaken no earlier than the next working day — every attempt is paid for again. To see how these amounts fit into your overall licence budget, try the cost calculator.

What to bring on exam day

The list is short, but it's exactly where people stumble:

passport or eID — without an identity document you won't be admitted to the exam;
glasses or lenses, if they're noted in your medical conclusion;
a booking for a specific time — arrive early, not at the last minute.

You don't need to bring the medical certificate or the first-aid certificate — they're already in the register.

The order that works

My working order for students: the health check and first aid first (they don't depend on your driving level, and done early they almost never become urgent), the driving-school theory registration in parallel — and only then book the CSDD exams. That way, by the time you're ready to drive, not a single piece of paperwork is left as a reason to postpone. Preparing for the driving exam itself is a separate topic — I've covered it in how to prepare for the CSDD driving test.

All amounts and requirements in this article are verified against csdd.lv and the regulations as of July 2026. Rules and fees change — double-check csdd.lv before booking, and take medical questions to your family doctor; this article is not a substitute for an official CSDD answer.