Lithuania is not allowing some cars with EU plates into Belarus

Lithuanian Customs has published clarifications on restrictions on exporting vehicles to Belarus.

Under Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1865 of 29 June 2024 amending Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and Belarus's involvement in Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 was supplemented with a new Article 1bb, paragraph 1 of which states: “It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export, directly or indirectly, goods of European or non-European origin listed in Annex XVIII which may, in particular, contribute to the development of Belarus's industrial capacity, to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Belarus or for use in Belarus.”

We draw your attention to the fact that when deciding whether to apply restrictions on the supply, transfer or export of passenger cars to Belarus, the combination of the vehicle's characteristics is assessed:     
1. Engine type (petrol or diesel internal combustion engine, hybrid electric motor, electric motor, other engine)   
2. Engine displacement, if it exceeds 1900 cm³ (only for cars with a petrol or diesel internal combustion engine)
3. Ground clearance of the vehicle, if it is 165 mm or more.

Important! 
Taking a vehicle out of the European Union to a third country counts as an export for customs purposes, although the driver is generally not required to file the usual electronic export declaration. Therefore, before travelling to Belarus, you should assess whether the vehicle is on the list of prohibited goods.

Vehicles subject to the bans established in Article 1bb of Council Regulation (EU) No 765/2006 are not permitted to enter the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

We draw your attention to the fact that the bans and restrictions apply in all cases where the vehicle meets the criteria set out in this provision, regardless of whether the vehicle has previously travelled from the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Belarus, how many times it has crossed the state border, or what the purpose of the trip is.
The fact that a vehicle previously left for the Republic of Belarus and then returned to the Republic of Lithuania, or otherwise crossed the state border, is not in itself grounds for not applying the bans and restrictions established by the Regulation.

In each case, the decision is taken in accordance with the actual circumstances and the requirements of Council Regulation (EU) No 765/2006 in force at the time of departure.

The Lithuanian Customs calls on citizens, before planning a trip to the Republic of Belarus, to make sure that their vehicle is not subject to the bans established by European Union sanctions rules, as vehicles that do not meet the requirements of legal acts are not allowed to exit through the border crossings of the Republic of Lithuania.

IMPORTANT
— when vehicles are exported from the EU to BY, customs looks not only at engine displacement, but primarily at the CN code, vehicle type and the specific position of Annex XXIII
— having EU plates does not guarantee exit to Russia if the vehicle falls under a sanctions ban or customs has questions about the final destination
— the citizenship of the person driving the vehicle is not a criterion, but customs may take it into account in a general check
— the length of time the vehicle has been owned does not affect permission to export
— the vehicle's year of manufacture is not taken into account for the ban
— a car value below €50,000 does not affect permission to export, since engine displacement and ground clearance are now what matter.
ANNEX XVIII
List of passenger cars prohibited for export to Belarus under Article 1bb (see photo carousel):

8703 10 — Motor cars designed for the transport of fewer than ten persons, specially adapted for travel on snow; golf cars and similar vehicles

PETROL
ex 8703 23 — over 1900 up to 3000 cm³, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the vehicle chassis and the road (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm
ex 8703 24 — over 3000 cm³, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the vehicle chassis and the road (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm

DIESEL
ex 8703 32 — over 1900 up to 2500 cm³, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the vehicle chassis and the road (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm 
ex 8703 33 — over 2500 cm³, with ground clearance of at least 165 mm

HYBRIDS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES
8703 40 — petrol engine plus electric motor, with ground clearance of at least 165 mm (excluding plug-in hybrid electric vehicles).
8703 50 — diesel engine plus electric motor, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the vehicle chassis and the road (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm (excluding plug-in hybrid electric vehicles)
8703 60 — petrol engine and electric motor, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the chassis and the ground (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm,  which can be charged from an external source of electricity.
8703 70 — diesel engine and electric motor, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the chassis and the ground (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm,  which can be charged from an external source of electricity.
8703 80 — vehicle with only an electric motor, with a vertical distance between the lower part of the chassis and the ground (ground clearance) of at least 165 mm

8703 90 — cars and other vehicles designed mainly for the transport of fewer than ten persons, including estate cars and racing cars, whose engine is neither a reciprocating internal combustion engine nor an electric motor.
2 photos
Council Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 of 18 May 2006 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in Russia's aggression against Ukraine  —EUR-Lex - 02006R0765-20240228 - EN - EUR-Lex