Lithuania to ban entry of vehicles with Belarusian license plates

July 17, Pozirk. On July 18 Lithuania will stop allowing vehicles with Belarusian license plates to enter its territory, the Lithuanian Customs Department has announced.
The ban would apply to all Belarus-registered passenger cars regardless of the nationality of their owner or driver, it said, citing the European Union Council regulation 2024/1865 of 29 June 2024.
Latvia cited the same regulation a few days ago, banning the entry of vehicles with Belarusian license plates starting July 16.
The regulation, however, is not categorical and gives member states enough room for maneuver not to impose an all-out ban.
It provides that the competent authorities may authorize the entry of vehicles owned by Belarusians with valid visas or resident permits and driving the vehicles into the EU for strict personal use.
Lithuanian Customs Department said that Belarusians with valid visas or residence permits can enter Lithuania in their vehicles until August 16, provided the vehicle is intended for personal use and not for sale. This clause does not apply to company-owned cars or vehicles used for commercial purposes.
Those Belarusians, whose vehicles are already in Lithuania, have until January 18 to take them out of the country or register the vehicles in Lithuania.
In six months, driving vehicles with Belarusian license plates in Lithuania will be considered illegal and punishable by a fine or confiscation.
The ban does not apply to diplomatic vehicles, the Customs Department noted.
The Lithuanian foreign ministry has not yet commented on the new regulations.

Opposition politician calls on Latvia to reconsider ban on Belarusian cars
- PoliticsCoordination Council supports setting up tribunal on aggression against UkraineThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsViasna releases update on reprisals in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsJailed lawyer asks Lithuanian president to swap him for Belarus’ prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsPro-government MP calls on emigrants to assault opposition politiciansThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityMigration crisis tested Poland’s defense capability – DudaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsUkraine, Russia hold new prisoner swap in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOSCE group: Belarus must end crackdown on opponentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsUN expert urges Minsk to speed up release of jailed dissidentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus', Russia's PMs discuss integration in phone callThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Economy, PoliticsEU court upholds sanctions on Belarusian chemical plantsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsIrregular Belarus-EU crossings surge 62 percent in January-June from H2 2024The material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja's aide discusses political prisoners at UN human rights officeThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics, SocietyReprisals: 26 persecuted in Biełaruski Hajun caseThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsAt least 1,944 NGOs dissolved since August 2020 – LawtrendThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyBotswana’s foreign minister invites investment from Belarus, playing up benefits of peaceful power transferThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyProsecutor appeals convicted Belarusian spy’s sentenceThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition social security chief decries forced deportation of pardoned prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+