Lithuania bans cars with Russian number plates

Lithuanian customs have announced that vehicles with Russian number plates must leave Lithuania and the entire territory of the European Union by 11 March.

Source: Lithuanian customs report

Details: The customs service noted that some people in Lithuania still drive cars registered in Russia.

The report stated that such individuals must either register their vehicles in Lithuania or leave the EU by 11 March.

Quote: "Effective 11 March, individuals driving vehicles with Russian number plates will be considered to be in violation of the law and will be liable under Article 515 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which prescribes a fine and confiscation of the vehicle."

Details: The Lithuanian customs noted that the exception applies to citizens of the Russian Federation travelling in transit to or from Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast using vehicles registered in Russia with a simplified transit document.

Such transit through the territory of Lithuania cannot last more than 24 hours.

Furthermore, the vehicle owner must be present in the vehicle during the transit. In the absence of the owner, the car will not be allowed to enter the territory of Lithuania.

Background:

• In October, the Latvian Saeima [parliament] approved in the first reading amendments to the Law on Road Traffic that would ban Russian-registered vehicles from entering Latvia.
• All Baltic countries have now banned the entry of cars with Russian number plates. Poland, Finland, Norway and Bulgaria have also introduced such bans.
• Meanwhile, Russians are using the Kaliningrad transit train to get to the EU via Lithuania.

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