Belarus: with or without a passport?
Some are drawn to a neighboring state by business, others decided to visit their relatives, others are attracted by the legendary natural landscapes of the region, which the whole world comes to admire. Prices in Belarus differ little from Russian ones.
They say that in some places in the “blue-eyed” country of forests and lakes you can breathe so easily that you get drunk from just one breath. This should be checked.
If you contact the migration service or other competent organization with the question of whether you should take a foreign passport to travel to Belarus, you will be answered in the negative.
Relations between our countries are regulated by the Treaty on the Union of Belarus and Russia. Published back in April 1997, it became the basis for the formation of an integral union territory. The state border is included in the formed territory.
According to the document, Belarusians and Russians are a single people with equal rights for every citizen. A single customs space is also provided.
Every citizen of our country has every right to freely visit a neighboring state.
You can stay in the territories adjacent to our country using a Russian passport. Accordingly, with it you must cross the border of two states.
There is no customs control as such, but the posts are functioning. Customs officers have the right to request identification documents from a person crossing the cordon.
You won’t need a foreign passport, much less a visa.
All that can await you at the border of Russia and the Republic of Belarus is a standard check of your documents. You don’t need to fill out any paperwork, and you don’t have to pay for anything either.
Features of entry by car
Many citizens of the Russian Federation go to Belarus by car, because it is convenient and economical. Regardless of which passport travelers travel with, they may encounter some difficulties. When approaching the customs point, you must additionally present the following documents:
- vehicle registration certificate (failure to register a vehicle may be regarded as an attempt to import stolen property);
- driver's license of national or international level;
- car insurance policy;
- permission to use special means of communication (satellite, radio), if the vehicle is equipped with them.
The insurance policy for travel on Belarusian soil differs from the CASCO or MTPL insurance that is usual for Russian citizens. To enter Belarus, a “Green Card” is issued - civil liability insurance on the territory of other states. It provides the holder with compensation for losses from injury to health or damage to property as a result of an accident. A “green card” can be issued in advance (it is valid in 40 countries) or at the border, but it is cheaper at home. Lack of a Green card may result in a fine.
If minors are traveling with you
Nothing has changed in 2021 with the passage of children under 14 years old. They pass on the basis of their birth certificate. Please note that the child must be included in the parents' passports. This item is checked more often than the internal passport. The reason is clear: security. You must prove with documentation that it is your children who are traveling with you.
The State Border Committee recalled the rules for crossing the border with children
If you are traveling with children under 3 years of age or disabled children under 18 years of age, you have the right to priority entry into road checkpoints. This rule applies at checkpoints where the electronic queue system does not function.
Minor citizens (under 18 years of age) of the Republic of Belarus can travel abroad using their passports, accompanied by both or one of their legal representatives, upon presentation to the border guard of one of the documents confirming their status as parents.
List of such documents:
- a document for exit from the Republic of Belarus and entry into the Republic of Belarus of a legal representative, which contains a note about the minor, whose legal representative is the owner of the document (passport with a registered child);
- birth certificate of a minor;
- certificate of adoption or a copy of the court decision on the adoption of a minor - if the adoptive parent is not recorded in the birth register as the parent of the minor adopted by him;
- certificate for the right to represent the interests of the ward;
- an agreement on the transfer of a minor to a foster family;
- an agreement on the conditions for raising and providing for a minor in a family-type orphanage;
- a copy of the decision of the guardianship and trusteeship authority to establish guardianship or trusteeship over a minor and to appoint a citizen as a guardian or trustee of the minor.
If the child is traveling with one of the parents, notarized permission from the other parent is not required. Without parental accompaniment - upon presentation of the written consent of both.
The written consent of the parents to leave the Republic of Belarus for a minor must be certified:
- a notary or other official authorized to perform such a notarial act;
- an official of the citizenship and migration unit of the internal affairs body of the Republic of Belarus at the place of residence of the legal representative or minor;
- competent authority or official of a foreign state.
This document is accepted if there is an apostille affixed to it, unless otherwise provided by international treaties of the Republic of Belarus, and must be accompanied by its translation into one of the state languages of the Republic of Belarus. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator's signature on the translation must be certified by a notary or other official authorized to perform such a notarial act.
Children permanently residing outside the Republic of Belarus
, leave the Republic of Belarus using their passports, accompanied by one of their parents. Unaccompanied children must provide written consent from a parent.
Children can travel from the Republic of Belarus using their diplomatic or service passports of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, accompanied by one of their parents.
PAY ATTENTION! In case of departure from the Republic of Belarus of orphans or children left without parental care, accompanied by guardians or without their accompaniment, but with their written consent, one of the following documents must be presented to the border service officer:
- decisions of the local executive and administrative body to send a minor to study outside the Republic of Belarus - in the case of a minor leaving the Republic of Belarus for study for a period of more than 30 calendar days;
- documents specified in Article 14 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated September 20, 2009 No. 49-3 “On the procedure for exit from the Republic of Belarus and entry into the Republic of Belarus of citizens of the Republic of Belarus” - in the case of a minor leaving the Republic of Belarus for health improvement, sanatorium and resort treatment or receiving medical care;
- copies of the order of the education department (department) of the local executive and administrative body on permission for the departure of a minor from the Republic of Belarus for a certain period - in the case of departure from the Republic of Belarus of a minor for other reasons.
WHAT IS IT LIKE IN RUSSIA?
Rules for crossing the border of the Republic of Belarus by minor citizens of the Russian Federation
Agreement between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on ensuring equal rights of citizens of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation to freedom of movement, choice of place of stay and residence in the territories of member states of the Union State
Minor citizens of the Russian Federation, as a rule, leave the Russian Federation together with at least one of their parents, adoptive parents, guardian or trustee.
If a minor citizen of the Russian Federation leaves Russia unaccompanied, he must have with him, in addition to his passport, a notarized consent of the above-mentioned persons for his departure, indicating the period of departure and the state (states) that he intends to visit. If a minor citizen of the Russian Federation travels outside his country for a period of more than three months, this consent must also be certified by the guardianship and trusteeship authorities.
If one of the parents, adoptive parents, or trustees has expressed his disagreement with the departure of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation from the country, the question of the possibility of his departure from the Russian Federation is resolved in court.
During an organized departure of groups of minor citizens of the Russian Federation unaccompanied by parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees, the responsibilities of the legal representatives of minors are borne by the leaders of the traveling groups.
A citizen of the Russian Federation who has been declared legally incompetent by a court, at the request of his parents, adoptive parents or guardians, may leave the Russian Federation accompanied by an adult capable of ensuring the safety of the incapacitated person and the safety of the people around him.
According to the official website of the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus
Is it possible to travel to Belarus with a foreign passport?
There are situations when a person has lost his internal document or it is in the process of being processed. You urgently need to go. Is it possible to cross the border taking only a foreign passport with you?
The agreement states that citizens of our country can enter Belarus using both an internal passport and a foreign passport. You won't have any problems.
Passport page with child's details
If you are traveling with children, they must be included in the document.
Cost of a visa to Belarus
When applying for a residence permit in Belarus, you will need to pay a state fee of 700 rubles.
If permission is still required, the question of how much a visa to Belarus costs will definitely not become problematic. To obtain it, you need to pay a state fee of only 700 rubles.
Although the concept of a visa itself is incorrect in principle, it is often more convenient for citizens of the Russian Federation to call this a special permit to stay in the country for a long period of time.
What to do if your passport is lost in the Republic of Belarus?
Unfortunately, losing a passport abroad is a common problem. Each country has its own rules in this regard. If this happened to you in Belarus, the first thing you need to do is contact the consulate of our country.
According to the agreement adopted in 1997, an internal passport and a foreign passport are not the only documents with which you can cross the border and stay on the territory of a neighboring state. You can also present the following:
- seaman's passport;
- service passport;
- diplomatic passport;
- certificate of return to the Russian Federation.
The last document is exactly what you need to have with you when traveling across the border in case of loss or absence of all the listed documents. This is exactly what you need to contact the consulate for.
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Minsk, st.
Novovilenskaya, 1a At the consulate you need to present an official document that will prove your identity.
This could be a license, a service ID, a military ID, etc. If there is nothing that would indicate your identity, two witnesses can replace the document. You should bring them with you. Witnesses must have their internal or foreign passports of Russian citizens with them. The applicant must provide two photographs measuring 3.5x4.5 cm. The basis for obtaining a certificate of return will be witness testimony and a statement drawn up in accordance with the requirements of the consulate.
The application, the form of which is provided by consulate employees, is filled out and signed on the spot. You must also sign the return certificate that is issued. There is no need to pay for this document. Our citizens receive it for free.
The certificate, which replaces all other documents required to cross the Russian-Belarusian border, is not unlimited. From the date of issue it will be valid for another 15 days, during which the passportless Russian needs to return home. A document on the territory of the Republic of Belarus can perform only one function: to authorize travel. It should not be used anywhere else.
In Russia, the certificate can replace a passport, like an identity document, for 10 days. If this is not necessary, you must submit the certificate to the organization that issued the passport within three days.
In the most difficult cases, when the applicant has neither documents nor witnesses, the consulate sends a request to the Russian Federation about the person who applied for the certificate. The requested official document is issued only after a response is received, if it is established that the citizen really is who he claims to be.
Who does Belarus border with?
The longest state border is with the Russian Federation. Its length is about 1280 km. The remaining countries bordering Belarus are Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia.
In second place is the border separating Belarus and Ukraine. Length - 1084 km. Belarus borders on the EU states from the west and north. Thus, with the Republic of Poland its length is 398 km. Its length with the former republics of the USSR is: with Lithuania - 678 km; with Latvia - 173 km. The total land border of the Republic of Belarus is 2969 km. The country has no access to the sea.
Modern borders were actually established in 1964 on the basis of a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which determined the size of the territory of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
The states with which Belarus borders recognize their borders and have no territorial claims.
