Increasingly slow border traffic – Customs turned back 37 vehicles registered in Russia during the weekend
The import ban against cars registered in Russia that started on Saturday has decreased traffic at the border. During the weekend, 81 cars arrived at the border, of which Customs turned back 37.
At 00.00 hours on Saturday 16 September 2023, Customs started applying the policy outlined by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on the import ban concerning cars registered in Russia. By 9 a.m. on Monday, altogether 81 vehicles registered in Russia had arrived at the customs offices on Finland’s eastern border and the Finland-Norway border. Customs turned back 37 of the vehicles that arrived, whereas 44 vehicles met the requirements for import.
– Border traffic has slowed down in an already quiet situation as concerns vehicles registered in Russia, both on Finland’s eastern border and the Finland-Norway border. Information on import bans seems to have been sufficient. However, there have been some random questions. When necessary, we will specify our policy in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, says Mr Sami Rakshit, Director of the Enforcement Department.
The highest volumes of traffic occurred in Vaalimaa and Nuijamaa, where customs authorities turned back about 30 vehicles with Russian registration plates. Only a few Russian-registered vehicles arrived at the Finland-Norway border.
Vehicles registered in Russia that arrived at the border after the import ban took effect
situation at customs offices on 18 Sep 2023 at 9 a.m.
| Customs office | Arrivals of Russian-registered vehicles | Vehicles turned back | Vehicles allowed entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaalimaa | 46 | 15 | 31 |
| Nuijamaa |
19 | 12 | 7 |
| Imatra | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Niirala | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Vartius | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kuusamo | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Salla | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Raja-Jooseppi | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Finland-Norway border | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 81 | 37 | 44 |
As a rule, the import ban applies to all cars registered in Russia, regardless of whether the use of the car is private or commercial. The ban also covers taxis. Moreover, crossing the border in a Russian-registered vehicle is not allowed even if the driver intends to use a car registered in Finland immediately at the border.
The ban does not apply to e.g. cars of diplomats and cars of EU citizens permanently residing in Russia.
Finnish Customs press release (18 September 2023): Cars registered in Russia can no longer enter Finland as of midnight today