In accordance with the European Commission’s clarifications and the Foreign Ministry’s opinion, as of 18:00 Tuesday, persons with Russian-registered vehicles are prohibited from entering the European Union (EU) through the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian border crossing points, LETA was told at the State Revenue Service.
Russian-registered freight carriers, namely trucks and trailers, are already banned from entering the EU. The ban does not apply to road haulage companies registered in Russia which transport goods by road in transit through the European Union between the Kaliningrad region and Russia.
From now on, motor vehicles registered in Russia are prohibited from entering the European Union through Latvian border crossing points. Persons travelling in a vehicle registered in Russia will not be able to enter the European Union by crossing the Latvian border. Persons with such vehicles will have to return to Russia or Belarus from the border crossing point.
If a person refuses to comply with the instructions of the customs authorities, including to return to Russia or Belarus, customs officers will be authorized to decide on the confiscation of the vehicle may be decided in accordance with the customs legislation.
Latvian legislation provides for criminal liability for non-compliance with sanctions. People are therefore urged to refrain from repeated attempts to enter the EU through various border crossing points.
This entry ban will not apply to vehicles intended for use by EU and member states’ diplomatic and consular representations, including delegations, embassies and missions.
At the same time, persons will be allowed to return from the European Union to Russia in passenger cars registered in Russia, provided that they are not declared as goods and are only used as a means of transport.
As reported, cars with Russian registration plates will not be allowed through Lithuanian border checkpoints, the Lithuanian Customs Department told the BBC.
On September 8, the European Commission published clarifications on imports of goods from Russia. They state that imports of private cars and personal belongings are prohibited. Later, the European Commission said that the list was advisory and that EU countries should decide individually whether to impose bans or not.
Source: BNS
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