Belarusian-Russian agreement on mutual recognition of visas: when will the document come into force and what advantages does it provide?

Do Russians need a visa to Belarus?
Visa-free entry for citizens of other countries
Applying for a visa to Belarus

Russians do not need a visa to Belarus; they can enter the country using internal Russian passports. When entering by car, you must have a Russian passport, vehicle registration documents, a driver's license and car insurance. When visiting the country for up to 30 days, temporary registration at the place of stay is not necessary.

Do Russians need a visa to Belarus?

Russian citizens do not need a visa to visit Belarus. To visit the country, it is enough to have an internal passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation; entry is also possible with a foreign passport.

Required documents

Internal or foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation.
When crossing the border by car, no additional documents are needed. It is enough to have the documents that are needed to drive a car in Russia: a driver’s license, technical passport and insurance.

Crossing the border with children

A child’s birth certificate with an insert or stamp on Russian citizenship or a foreign passport (for children under 14 years old when traveling to Belarus with both parents).
For children over 14 years old, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or a foreign passport.
If a child travels to Belarus with one of the parents, then a power of attorney from the second parent is not required (don’t forget to take the child’s birth certificate with an insert or stamp on Russian citizenship).
Notarized consent for a child to travel outside the Russian Federation indicating the country and period of stay (Article 20 of Chapter III of Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996) from parents or guardians (children under 18 years of age in case of an independent trip or travel accompanied by third parties).

Obtaining a visa in the host country

An entry visa is required to visit the Republic of Belarus. You can obtain a Belarusian visa at diplomatic institutions of Belarus (Embassies, Consulates).

To obtain a visa, you must have a valid passport of the country of which you are a citizen, or another document replacing it, and fill out a visa application form. Depending on the purpose of your trip, you must additionally provide the following documents:

Visa for entry for the purpose of Tourism.

A short-term visa is issued for one or two entries into the Republic of Belarus for a period not exceeding 30 days of stay.

You can obtain a tourist visa yourself. To do this, you need to have an invitation (Application) from a travel company registered in Belarus. The invitation must contain information about the company inviting you (name, address, license number) and about you (full name, passport details, period of stay in Belarus), as well as the services ordered and paid for by you. These documents must be signed by the director of the company and certified by the company seal.

When you contact the Embassy or Consular Office of the Republic of Belarus, you must have a valid Passport, a Visa Application Form (https://www.mfa.gov.by/visa/), a Petition from a travel company registered in Belarus, money to pay the consular fee. The amount of the consular fee depends on the type of visa (individual, group) and citizenship.

You can find consular fee rates HERE https://www.mfa.gov.by/visa/

Belarus is becoming more and more popular every year and arouses great interest as a country of rapidly and successfully developing tourism. There are quite a lot of travel agencies in the country and you can obtain the relevant documents at any of them.

Private is one of the leading Belarusian tour operators, providing a full range of services for guests of Belarus.

Please note that our company does not provide visa services. We provide visa support services for obtaining a Belarusian tourist visa. You can find the conditions for obtaining visa support HERE.

After receiving your request for the provision of tourism services, our specialists will immediately contact you and provide complete information on the procedure for entering the Republic of Belarus for the purpose of tourism.

Visa for entry for private business.

Can be short-term single or multiple (for a stay of up to 90 days) or long-term (issued for 1 year). These types of visas are issued on the basis of original invitations from citizens of the Republic of Belarus, issued by the citizenship and migration departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus at the place of residence.

Visa for entry for Business purposes (without the right to hire).

It can be short-term single or multiple (for a period of stay of up to 90 days) or long-term (with the right to stay in the Republic of Belarus for up to 90 days during the year). In order to obtain a business visa, you need to provide the Embassy with an invitation from your business partner, who is a legal entity in the Republic of Belarus. It must be signed by the head of the company and certified by a seal. Obtaining a multiple-entry business visa requires additional documents.

Transit visa.

A transit visa is issued on the basis of documents confirming that you do not intend to stay in the Republic of Belarus for more than 48 hours (tickets, visa of the destination country, etc.). A prerequisite is that you must enter Belarus from one country and leave to another.

Features of transit to Belarus through the Russian Federation!

If you plan to arrive in Belarus via Moscow (Russia), St. Petersburg, or another city, you need a Russian transit visa.

Note!

Foreign citizens who arrive at Minsk National Airport via Moscow or St. Petersburg cannot obtain a Belarusian visa at the airport. This is due to the fact that there is no border control regime on the border between Russia and Belarus.

Note.

For citizens of a number of countries, a simplified procedure for issuing short-term visas is provided, in which an invitation is not required when issuing visas for up to 30 days for entry for business or guest purposes. (The list of countries must be clarified at the Consular offices of the Republic of Belarus)

To obtain any type of visa, your passport must be valid for at least 90 days after the date of departure from the Republic of Belarus.

You can find more detailed information on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus: https://www.mfa.gov.by/visa/

For more detailed information, please send your request in free form to our e-mail.

Visa-free entry for citizens of other countries

Visa-free entry into Belarus is allowed to citizens of the CIS countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Georgia and Ukraine; they are allowed to visit the country with internal and foreign passports. The full list of countries for visa-free entry is on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

Despite the simplified entry into Belarus by train and car, be sure to clarify the need for a visa for foreign citizens so as not to violate the visa regime.

Entry into Belarus with a Russian passport

When entering Belarus, you can present your choice of a foreign passport or an internal passport.
The rules for entry into Belarus for Russians have not changed this year. When crossing the border, they must provide a choice of:

internal passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
valid passport.

No biometric data, documents on financial solvency or certificates confirming social status are required. You don't even need a migration card.

But visa-free entry to Belarus has its own characteristics:

Stay in the country is limited to 90 days. For citizens of other countries, this period is only 10 days and it is only planned to extend it to a month.
Crossing the border with Belarus is possible only at certain checkpoints at railway stations and airports. And although this is more of a formality, it is recommended to adhere to the official access rules. For a European, for example, until January 1, 2021, it was possible to enter the country without the appropriate document only through the Minsk National Airport.
The search of the traveler's belongings is carried out in the usual manner, and the fine for failure to pay the duty for transporting a certain quantity and type of product remains.

You can view the list of permitted items on the official website of the Belarusian Customs - www.customs.gov.by. It is advisable to study the number of items, as well as the list of goods prohibited for export and import.

Without a visa to Belarus for 5 days

For citizens of the European Union and other countries, visa-free entry into Belarus is available for a period of 5 days, including days of arrival and departure. Entry is only possible through Minsk International Airport. The number of entries is not limited, but a citizen should not stay in the country for more than 90 days per year. Upon entry, you must take out insurance or provide one valid in Belarus.

Contacts of official representatives

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation
Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus

Documents for entry visa to Belarus

To obtain a visa, the embassy or consulate collects a package of documents:

visa application form,
photograph 35x45 mm. 70–80% of the photo should be taken up by the face. Photo no older than 6 months. Photographs with eyes closed, in hats and with hair covering the eyes are not accepted;
passport (or a document replacing it);
visa support documents*;
medical insurance for an amount of at least 10,000 euros;
payment of the consular fee (more details in the section on visa costs).

The consulate may require additional documents necessary to make a decision on issuing a visa.

*Examples of visa support documents:

invitations from Belarusian citizens - business partners, travel agencies, friends (the original issued at the visa support office is required);
a document indicating the death of relatives or a serious illness;
subpoena;
confirmation of the availability of real estate in Belarus;
contract for the provision of medical services;
certificate of burial place of relatives;
copies of agreements and contracts with organizations of the Republic of Belarus;

*Citizens of Australia, Austria, Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Qatar, Cyprus, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau SAR of China, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Uruguay, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia and Japan, by decision of the consulate, may be exempt from providing visa support papers.

The conclusion on the issuance of a Belarusian visa is made by the consular officer on the basis of the collected documents, consideration and verification of the applicant. As a rule, a Belarus visa is issued within 3-5 days. For double the fee, you can speed up the process to two days. The verdict on the issuance of a Belarusian visa is always final.

The consulate is not required to indicate the reasons for refusing to issue a visa to Belarus. If rejected, the consular fee will not be returned to you.

Is the Belarusian border open or not for entry in the spring of 2021?

Belarus has not introduced an entry ban for Russians due to the coronavirus.

On September 21, Russia opened its borders with Belarus and resumed international flights. This was reported on the official website of the Russian government government.ru.
On February 8, railway communication between Russia and Belarus was opened.
In March, representatives of the two countries began work on the mutual opening of the land border of Russia and Belarus for travel by cars and buses in 2021.

Do you need a PCR test for coronavirus to travel to Belarus?

Russians need to take a coronavirus test no later than 72 hours before entering Belarus.
There is no mandatory quarantine upon presentation of a negative test result.
When crossing the border, the temperature will be measured and primary signs of the disease will be checked.
When entering Russia, Belarusians need to have a PCR test confirming the absence of coronavirus.

Russia opened its borders with Belarus and resumed international flights from September 21, 2021

Russia and Belarus resumed international flights from September 21, 2020. Flights will only be from Moscow to Minsk once a week. Aeroflot and Belavia airlines will fly on a reciprocal basis.

Entry rules are simple. Russians do not need a foreign passport to Belarus; they can fly with an internal Russian passport.

Restrictions on entry through the land borders of Belarus by car in the spring

Checks and controls on the border of Belarus and Ukraine have been tightened by order of the country's President A. Lukashenko, which are associated with the unrest that arose after the elections in this country. Land borders with Poland and Lithuania are also closed.

The land border between Russia and Belarus remains closed for entry by car through land checkpoints on the Russian side. The official authorities do not say exactly when the land borders of Russia and Belarus will be fully opened.

International flights from Moscow to Minsk and in the opposite direction have been resumed.

When will Russia open its land borders for travel to Belarus?

Also, the opening of land borders depends on Russia’s position.

Belarus and Russia resumed railway communication on February 8, 2021.
Officially, the land border is closed to free travel of Russians to Belarus and other neighboring countries by car. You can only pass through the checkpoint for work, study, treatment or caring for relatives on the territory of Belarus. There is no border as such along its entire length; Russians do not need to present a foreign passport and put a stamp on it to enter Belarus, so many travel along bypass roads and routes.
Officially, citizens of Belarus are also prohibited from traveling to Russia across the land border by car except for treatment, caring for relatives, or a number of jobs at Russian enterprises.
At a meeting in Sochi in February, the Presidents of Russia and Belarus Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko instructed to begin work on lifting entry and exit restrictions on the Russian-Belarusian land border.

general information

Many countries of the world have established good relations with Belarus. In addition, citizens of some countries have access to a simplified visa regime with the Republic of Belarus, thanks to which they can enter Belarus without visas.

Do you need a visa to Belarus for a foreigner? It all depends on his citizenship, the purpose of the trip and some other nuances.

Brest

Short-term, long-term and transit visas are available for trips to Belarus. Regardless of the type of visa, it can also be single, double or multiple entry. But you do not have to obtain an entry document. You can take advantage of the visa-free entry rule.

According to the visa-free entry rule, any foreigner can visit Belarus without a visa subject to a number of conditions:

The tourist is required to arrive in the country at Minsk airport and leave Belarus in the same way. In this case, you are allowed to stay in any city of the Republic of Belarus without a visa for up to 30 days;

A tourist can visit one of the visa-free zones of Grodno or Brest if he first obtains a special permit. In this case, you can stay in the visa-free zone for up to 15 days.

Later in this article we will talk in detail about visa-free entry into the country, but for now we will answer another important question. Do Russians need visas to Belarus? Our answer: no, Russians do not need a visa. It doesn’t matter how long you stay in Belarus, you won’t need a visa in any case. However, after a month spent in the country, you need to register with the migration authorities.

Types of visas and their costs

When citizens of other countries plan to visit the Republic of Belarus, they need to prepare for the standard visa process. But these stages do not apply to citizens of the CIS countries.

They can visit Belarus under different rules; the same rules apply to citizens of the Russian Federation. Norms exist for both short periods (up to 3 months) and longer periods.

Belarus issues 3 types of visa documents:

Transit. Required to cross the territory of the state.
Short term. With a validity period of no more than 90 days. This is one of the most popular visa documents.
Long-term. Validity period 1 year. Gives you the opportunity to stay in the state for no more than 90 days. International agreements have the ability to regulate this period.

Sample visa to Belarus
Each of these types of visas can additionally act as single, double or multiple entry. These types of visa permits also stipulate the number of border crossings; it depends on the purpose of the visit.

Travelers are familiar with reusable and one-time visa documents firsthand, since they use them quite often, because each state has these types of visas in its arsenal.

A visa document for two crossings of the Belarusian border is a unique feature of this state. This document is issued for entry into and exit from the country.

This type of visa is required in cases where the borders of the Republic of Belarus are provided at points that work for departure to states that are not the countries of citizenship of those leaving, and in situations where the period of stay in Belarus is more than 2 transit days.

For Russian citizens, it is enough to have an internal or foreign passport

Long stay in the country

If a citizen of the Russian Federation plans to live in the Republic for a long time, it should be understood that one visa will not be enough. It is worth thinking about obtaining a temporary residence permit and residence permit. You can initially obtain a residence permit for a short period of time - for 2 years (but not longer than the validity period of the foreign passport). It will be possible to extend the residence permit in the future for 5 years.

If you plan to live and work, you will need to register at your place of residence. Such registration can be provided by the Russian’s relatives or landlords.

According to the legislation of the Republic, it is impossible to obtain Belarusian citizenship in addition to Russian citizenship. Accordingly, if you want to permanently reside in the country, you need to think about obtaining citizenship.

If you plan to live and work, you will need to register at your place of residence. Such registration can be provided by the Russian’s relatives or landlords.

Visas upon arrival are issued through the department of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the entry of foreigners. The receiving party submits visa support to the department strictly in the original. Papers must be provided in advance: