Cars with Russian license plates can no longer be in Finland

Starting today, cars with Russian registration cannot be on the territory of Finland. This is reported by Finnish customs.

Unlike countries like Latvia and Lithuania, such cars will not be confiscated in Finland. If they are found, they will be detained by the customs authorities, the owner of the car will have to pay the customs duty and the corresponding tax. After that, the car must be taken outside the European Union.

There are also exceptions. Cars with Russian license plates belonging to students studying in the country and Russians working in Finland under contract may remain in Finland. Also, the ban does not apply to cars owned by EU citizens who are simultaneously holders of a permanent residence permit in Russia, or members of their families.

The entry of cars with Russian license plates into Finland was closed on September 15 last year, after the European Commission explained the application of the sanctions regime. Six months was given for the removal from the country of cars with Russian license plates located there.

On the Russian-Finnish border, all automobile checkpoints have been closed since November last year. The decision was made by the Finnish side because of the influx of migrants from third countries, which, as Helsinki claims, is the complicity of the Russian authorities. The ban is valid until at least April 14.

Last fall, all EU countries bordering Russia stopped allowing Russian cars. They referred to the European Commission’s clarifications regarding the ban on the import of cars from Russia introduced back in October 2022. They state that the entry into EU countries of cars with Russian license plates, even without the intention of selling them, can be considered an import.

The final decision on how to deal with such cars, however, remains at the discretion of national governments. A number of EU countries did not announce any restrictions. At the same time, Latvia and Lithuania decided on the possibility of confiscating cars with Russian license plates. In Latvia, the corresponding law came into force in February. The first car that violated the ban was also confiscated in Lithuania this week.