Latvia imposes entry ban for cars with Belarusian registration

RIGA. Sept 12 (Interfax/BNS) - The Latvian parliament on Thursday adopted amendments at their final reading to the law on traffic prohibiting road vehicles registered in Belarus from staying in the country.

According to the document, road vehicles registered in Belarus that are located on Latvian territory need to be removed or registered in order to move through Latvia by October 31, 2024.

The law envisages two exceptions. These will affect people with muscle-skeleton disorders who drive road vehicles with special equipment that belong to them and which were registered in Belarus, and people who enter the country to visit their family or loved ones. In addition, requests to enter Latvia can be submitted to the foreign minister for consideration if there are special circumstances associated with the state's interests.

In exceptional cases, people can turn to the Financial Intelligence Service to seek permission to enter Latvia for a period of up to three months.

Road vehicles registered in Belarus need to be registered to be driven in Latvia regardless of the period of planned stay in the country and regardless of the road vehicle owner's nationality.

After the established period, Belarusian road vehicles can enter Latvia only to cross the country's territory once, and in transit with advance booking in the electronic services system of the Road Traffic Safety Directorate.