Russians came up with a new murky scheme to drive luxury cars with Belarusian license plates and save money

Due to insane recycling fees for cars with powerful engines, Russians are looking for ways to drive cars with Belarusian registration. We previously wrote about some who are willing to obtain a Belarusian residence permit for this purpose.

But there are dealers who have come up with another scheme, where a Russian, to save money, must become a Belarusian businessman.

In the advertisement for their services on social media, one such Russian company, which specializes in custom car imports, claims that Belarusian registration allows saving about 50% on the purchase of a car. They also add that this is supposedly absolutely legal.

"You can open a legal entity in Belarus using your Russian passport and register the car to that legal entity," explains a man in the video, adding that, unlike similar schemes with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, you thus become the owner of the car.

According to him, to then drive this car to Russia, it is enough to just get insurance.

"But there's a nuance: once a year, you must leave Russia in this car. But there is no border between the countries, so how to understand when you entered Russia in it," the man notes.

How much do the prices differ?

The company provides calculations of how much a car will cost with Russian versus Belarusian registration.

Павялічыць

For example, a 2024 BMW M3 with a three-liter, 520 hp engine, registered in Russia, would cost approximately $140,000, while with Belarusian registration, it would be only $86,000.

Some cars are offered exclusively through the Belarusian scheme, because due to the large engine displacement, the recycling fee alone in Russia amounts to $64,000 at the current exchange rate.

Павялічыць

American Dodges with a 6.4L engine are offered for $41-$52,000 with Belarusian registration. In Russia, the recycling fee alone for them is over $60,000.

How does the scheme work?

To learn more about the scheme, we contacted the dealers posing as an interested party.

Павялічыць

It turned out that the company handles everything turn-key, so, in addition to assisting with opening a legal entity for a Russian passport, they also handle customs clearance in Belarus.

They offer to save not only on recycling fees but also on customs duties. Cars in Belarus are registered to a beneficiary to pay only 50% of the customs duty.

Then the beneficiary sells the car to a new legal entity owned by a Russian citizen, after which the car goes to Russia, where it will be driven with Belarusian license plates.

However, they do clarify that once a year it will be necessary to leave Russia, and about $500 per year should be budgeted for maintaining the legal entity in Belarus.

As a result, before hitting Russian streets, the dealers first circumvent Western sanctions, then misuse a preferential rate in Belarus, and open a fictitious company that will simulate activity solely to allow a Russian citizen to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars in recycling fees.

Павялічыць

How long such a scheme will work is a rhetorical question. In the comments under the video, many express opinions that Russia will soon shut down such schemes, to which company representatives respond that for now, the topic is working. And that, they say, it's better to buy two cars with Belarusian plates than one with Russian ones.

But the scheme could also be shut down from the Belarusian side if the tax authorities and other regulatory bodies start investigating why more and more companies are appearing in Belarus, whose primary activity is aimed at purchasing and registering another expensive car.

• 1
• 1
• 14
• 2
• 1
• 0
• 5
• 0