Latvia may ban entry for cars with Belarusian number plates

RIGA. Feb 29 (Interfax/BNS) - Commissions of the Latvian parliament will consider draft amendments to the law on road traffic which envisage banning road vehicles registered in Belarus from Latvia, BNS reported.

Amendments to the law banning road vehicles with Russian registration from Latvia took effect in the country on February 14. The use of such road vehicles is only allowed in situations involving transit through Latvia. Transit is only allowed once. If a road vehicle is not registered in Latvia or is not leaving Latvia and is illegally used on the roads, it will be confiscated. Confiscated road vehicles are expected to be given to Ukraine.

The authors of the new amendments suggest applying the same requirements to cars registered in Belarus, to prevent cars with Russian numbers from being registered in this country and being used in Latvia.

The amendments envisage that a road vehicle with a Belarusian number plate must leave Latvia or be re-registered within three months from the moment of entry into force of the amendments. The illegal use of a road vehicle registered in Belarus is punishable by a fine in the amount of 750 euros to 2,000 euros and confiscation of the road vehicle.