It is proposed to grant the Government the right to limit the amount of fuel imported in freight vehicles from third countries without import excise duties
After the submission, the Seimas started to consider a proposal prepared by the Ministry of Finance, which grants the Government the right to establish restrictions on the amount of fuel imported into Lithuania from third countries, except for countries of the European Economic Area, in standard tanks of freight vehicles, without import excise duties.
"According to the Customs Department, there has been an increase in cases of abuse when fuel in the tanks of freight vehicles arriving from Russia and Belarus enters the Lithuanian domestic market. According to preliminary calculations, the loss of budget revenue per year may reach up to EUR 26.5 million, and honestly operating gas stations suffer significant losses as a result. For these reasons, we propose to establish clear legal regulation that would allow for the establishment of fuel quantity restrictions and stop abuse", Minister of Finance Kristupas Vaitiekūnas states.
Monitoring conducted by the Lithuanian Customs at the beginning of this year showed that almost all freight vehicles entering from Russia or Belarus have full fuel tanks and leave Lithuania with almost empty ones. On average, about 200 such freight vehicles enter per day, and about 7.1 thousand per month.
It is estimated that if an average of 500 litres of engine fuel were illegally drained from one freight vehicle, about 100 thousand litres of diesel could be drained per day. As a result, the state could lose up to EUR 2.2 million in tax revenue per month, and up to EUR 26.5 million per year.
On average, import taxes (customs duties, excise duties, VAT) for 1,000 litres of diesel fuel amount to EUR 736.
Similar restrictions have been imposed in other European Union countries bordering Russia and Belarus. In Poland, it is allowed to import up to 600 litres, in Latvia – up to 200 litres, and in Finland – up to 400 litres of fuel in the fuel tanks of freight vehicles without import taxes.
If the Seimas approves the proposed amendments to the Law on Excise Duties, the Government could apply the restrictions from 1 July 2026.
Last updated: 13-11-2025
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