Finland follows Baltic states in banning Russian-registered cars

Finland will is no longer pass any registered in the Russia without a special permit, the customs service reports.

A car with Russian license plates in Finland may now be subject to customs duties and VAT, after which it must leave the EU.

Yet, driving a car with Russian-registered license plates will be allowed for full-time students, people working under fixed-term employment contracts, citizens of the EU or the European Economic Area permanently residing in Russia.

However, they must prove that they legally imported the car into Finland before the ban came into force.

All Baltic countries have now banned the entry of cars with Russian license plates, including Poland, Finland, Norway, and Bulgaria.

Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia announced that, following the European Commission's clarifications on sanctions, they would no longer allow cars with Russian license plates to enter their territory.

If a vehicle arrives at the border, the driver and passengers will have to return to Russia or cross the border without it, which may be confiscated.

Lithuanian customs officers detained the first car with Russian license plates this week, so the vehicle may be transferred to Ukraine.