Finland to Expel All Cars with Russian Plates by March 2024

Sami Rakshit, the head of Finland's customs control department, shared with the STT agency—information that kommersant.ru also reported—that after March 16, vehicles with Russian license plates will need to be exported from the country. However, these vehicles will require an inspection first.

Customs officers will initially determine how long each vehicle has been in Finland. Yet, the specifics of the exportation process for Russian vehicles remain unclear. Rakshit also highlighted that there will be no specific effort to "chase Russian cars", the report notes.

In a move responding to actions by the Kremlin, Helsinki authorities decided to shut the entire border with Russia at the end of November. This closure was initially intended to last for two weeks.

Two weeks later, in mid-December, Finland chose to keep the border sealed except for the Vaalimaa and Niirala border crossings.

At that time, Finnish authorities noted that reopening these two crossings—with heightened controls—was partly aimed at facilitating diplomatic traffic.