Film production in Latvia

Latvia is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 11h 03min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.

Shooting hours in Riga across the year

Riga is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (56.9496, 24.1052) in the Europe/Riga timezone.

Sun times for Riga — computed for 2026, timezone Europe/Riga
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightGolden hour (evening, from)
January08:5116:157h 24min15:01
February07:5317:249h 30min16:27
March06:4118:2611h 45min17:35
April06:1720:3214h 15min19:40
May05:0721:3516h 28min20:36
June04:3022:2017h 50min21:13
July04:5222:0817h 16min21:05
August05:5121:0715h 16min20:13
September06:5519:4512h 51min18:55
October07:5618:2410h 27min17:30
November08:0516:138h 09min15:07
December08:5615:436h 47min14:18

What that means for planning

In Riga, daylight swings by 11h 03min across the year. A schedule built around 17h 50min in June has only 6h 47min left in December — with the same setup count.

Concretely: in December, the sun in Riga sets at 15:43, with golden hour starting as early as 14:18. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.

TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.

Permits and local requirements

Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.

File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.

Frequently asked

How many locations in Latvia are covered here?

1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.

Which location in Latvia has the longest shooting days?

In June, Riga with 17h 50min of daylight. In December that drops to 6h 47min.

When is the best time to shoot in Latvia?

On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.

Do I need a separate permit for every location?

As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.