Latvia planning to ban Russian-registered vehicles, vehicles to be seized by customs unless they leave Latvia or re-register

RIGA. Sept 22 (Interfax/BNS) - The Latvian Justice Ministry is drafting a bill to ban the presence of vehicles registered in Russia or Belarus in Latvia, the LETA agency said, citing Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere.

Such vehicles will be seized unless they leave Latvia or re-register within three months, Libina-Egnere said on the X social network (formerly known as Twitter).

Consistent with the clarifications from the European Commission and the stance of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, cars registered in Russia have been prohibited from crossing into the European Union via the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian borders since September 12.

Previously, trucks and semitrailers registered in Russia were prohibited from crossing the EU border. The ban does not apply to carriers registered in Russia that provide transit services between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of Russia via EU territory.

Cars registered in Russia were allowed to return to Russia from the European Union if they are used as a means of transportation and are not declared as commodities.