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Finland bans the entry of cars with Russian license plates

2023-09-19 07:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Finland bans the entry of cars with Russian license plates

Illustrative photo

Finnish authorities have said that the country will no longer allow cars with Russian license plates to enter its territory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland said that the decision was taken in accordance with the interpretation instruction of the Commission, and the same emphasized that the ban came into effect on September 16, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com .

As the Ministry clarifies, now that the ban has entered into force, only EU citizens with permanent residence in Russia and their family members, diplomats and those traveling for humanitarian reasons will be allowed to enter Finland with a car registered in Russia.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland

As for the cars with Russian license plates that were already in the territory of Finland before the entry into force of the decision, the Ministry said that they must leave the country by March 16, 2024.

The European Union Commission issued an interpretive guidance regarding the ban on the import of Russian cars on September 8. According to the interpretation guide, in accordance with Council Regulation no. 833/2014, the entry of a car with Russian license plates into the territory of the EU is unequivocally prohibited.

The interpretation of the regulation was updated by the Commission on September 12, where the latter emphasized that there is a risk of evading sanctions for cars and called on the competent authorities of the member states to pay special attention to their entry.

Similar to Finland, Estonia has also banned cars with Russian license plates from entering its territory. Estonia's decision to ban cars with Russian license plates was announced by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who said Russians are not welcome in the country to "enjoy the privileges that freedom offers until Ukraine has reached victory".

In line with EU Commission guidelines, Estonian authorities said the entry ban on vehicles applies regardless of the drivers' reasons for staying in Estonia or any other EU country.

The Russian authorities have already advised all citizens of the country not to travel to the EU with their cars./ CNA