Helsinki, Sep 16 (IANS): As of midnight, Finland will close its borders to passenger cars registered in Russia, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.

"In the future, only EU citizens permanently residing in Russia or their family members, diplomats or equivalent individuals, or people travelling for humanitarian reasons, can enter Finland with a passenger car registered in Russia," the statement said on Friday.

With this move, Finland complies with the guidelines of the European Commission issued on September 8, prohibiting the entry of passenger cars registered in Russia into the European Union, Xinhua news agency reported.

The decision aims to prevent Russian citizens from circumventing sanctions imposed on the country, the Ministry said.

Cars that are already in Finland and have Russian license plates must leave the country by March 16, 2024, the Ministry added.

The move follows similar decisions made by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania earlier this week to bar the entry of vehicles registered in Russia.