Latvian Saeima bans cars registered in Belarus from staying in country
Illustrative photo (Facebook)
On September 12, the Latvian Parliament supported amendments to the Road Traffic Law in its first reading, set to take effect on November 1. Under the new regulations, vehicles registered in Belarus will no longer be allowed to remain on Latvian territory, citing Delfi.
The amendments state that Belarusian vehicles currently in Latvia must be removed or registered for road traffic in Latvia by October 31.
After this date, Belarusian vehicles will only be able to enter Latvia for transit purposes, provided they submit an application through the Road Traffic Safety Directorate’s electronic system.
Failure to comply with the new rules will result in Belarusian vehicles being confiscated in favor of Ukraine. However, the bill includes exceptions: it will not apply to people with mobility impairments driving Belarusian-registered vehicles entering Latvia to visit relatives.
Additionally, at the recommendation of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, special cases related to security will be considered individually. In such cases, permission from the Financial Intelligence Unit will be required to enter Latvia.
Sanctions against Belarus
The European Council recently decided to intensify sanctions against Belarus in response to its support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine. The EU explained that this is aimed at preventing sanctions circumvention against Russia, given the close economic ties between the two countries.
In July, Latvia imposed a ban on the entry of vehicles with Belarusian license plates, followed soon after by a similar ban in Lithuania.
In mid-July, Estonia also decided to ban the entry of vehicles with Belarusian license plates.
