As of midnight of July 18, cars with Belarusian registration plates are no longer allowed to enter Lithuania. Several such vehicles have already been turned around at the Lithuanian border by Thursday morning.
“Our officers have certain algorithms to turn around such cars if it is not the car owner. Such citizens were turned around and returned to Belarus. Among them was one Lithuanian citizen – she was driving a car with Belarusian registration plates,” Arūnas Daubaras, head of the Medininkai border checkpoint, told LRT RADIO.
The ban on entry into the European Union applies to passenger cars with Belarusian registration plates, regardless of the nationality of the owner or driver.
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According to Daubaras, there were some Belarusians who disagreed with these conditions and wanted to be allowed in.
“It was explained to them that they would not be allowed in. Some of them knew, but they tried to enter. They can still enter until August 16, as there are car owners who are exempted from the provisions of this article,” he said.
The exemption provides that until August 16, it will be possible to bring into the territory of Lithuania a passenger car which is not intended for sale, and which belongs to a Belarusian citizen who holds a valid visa or a residence permit for entry into the EU. The exemption does not apply if the driver is not the owner of the car.
According to Deputy Foreign Minister Simonas Šatūnas, the exemption was applied given the large flow of Belarusian citizens via Lithuania.
“This legislation must be applied by all EU countries, including Lithuania. This regulation provides for certain exceptions. [...] After much deliberation, we have decided that our neighbourhood and the large flow of Belarusian citizens entering the EU through Lithuania means that we need a transition period of one month,” he said.
Darius Žvironas, head of the Customs Department, notes that more than 300 cars from Belarus enter Lithuania every day.
“We have checkpoints in Medininkai and Šalčininkai. Around 500 cars enter [from Belarus] every day, 60–70 percent of which are Belarusian vehicles. By 07:00 on Thursday morning, 16 vehicles had been turned around in Šalčininkai,” he said.
He believes that Belarusian citizens will take measures to register their cars in the EU.
“The regulation does not restrict the registration of vehicles in the EU. I think that those Belarusian citizens who live in Lithuania will register their car in the EU and then drive to Belarus with a European registration,” Žvironas said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Šatūnas also stresses that Belarusian citizens will still be able to travel to Lithuania by bus.
“Most Belarusian citizens travelling to the EU do not travel in their private cars, but by bus. The adaptation will be gradual,” he said.
Estonia also imposed a ban on cars with Belarusian registration plates on July 18, while Latvia did so earlier this week.
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