Lithuania will no longer allow passenger vehicles with Belarusian license plates to enter the country, the Baltic nation’s customs agency announced on Wednesday.
The ban, which takes effect Thursday, applies to passenger cars “regardless of the nationality of their owner or driver,” the agency said. An exception will be made until Aug. 16 for Belarusian nationals who hold a residence permit in Lithuania.
“[P]assenger cars with Belarusian registration numbers on the territory of the European Union, including Lithuania, must leave it by January 18, 2025,” the statement said.
Vilnius’ ban comes after the EU last month adopted a new package of sanctions against Belarus for its involvement in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Latvia, which also neighbors Belarus, announced a similar passenger car ban on Monday. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it would not retaliate to the restrictions, describing Riga’s move as “a blow to ordinary people.”
Since September 2023, all European countries bordering Russia have maintained similar passenger car bans for Russian-registered vehicles.
