Build a house in Belarus

Can a foreigner build a house in Belarus?

A citizen of any country, as well as a legal entity, can build a house in Belarus. To do this, you need to get a land plot for rent. The construction can take place both during the stay on the territory of Belarus and in the absence of a tenant. If you do not have a residence permit in the country, you can contact companies engaged in the construction of turnkey houses. By signing a contract, you can control the process remotely.

If you have a temporary residence permit in Belarus, you can build a house yourself. Or also ask for help from construction companies that can make a project from scratch.

Foreigners who own a house in Belarus have the right to obtain a temporary residence permit for up to 1 year with the right of subsequent extension. If there is a legitimate source of income, they also has the right to issue a permit for family members. Obtaining a permanent residence permit is possible on condition of continuous stay in Belarus for 7 years on the basis of a temporary residence permit.

Ownership and purchase of a land plot by a foreign citizen in Belarus

In Belarus, only citizens of Belarus and legal entities can acquire land in private ownership. Foreign citizens and persons without citizenship do not have the right to own a land plot. This means that foreigners will not be able to acquire ownership of land under purchase and sale agreements. They can get a land rent from the state for up to 99 years. A land plot can be acquired for life only in the case of inheritance to a close relative.

However, the buildings on the rented land are their private property. Accordingly, if a foreign citizen buys a private house, it becomes his property. However, the land on which the building stands remains rented, he will need to sign a rent agreement with the state.

In order to rent an empty land plot without buildings, a foreign citizen must have a passport and a notarized translation of passport data into one of the official languages of Belarus. 

A foreigner can rent land from the state in several ways

The first way is to get the rent rights through an auction. Traditionally, formed plots allocated for housing construction, personal and farming are put up for auction. There are two ways to get them:

●     monitor auctions on the website of the district executive committee and participate in auctions;

●     independently find a plot and apply for a desire to rent it. In this case, the auction will be initiated upon your request and the administration is obliged to notify about the appearance of other bidders. 

Ads for renting on the website of the district executive committee and in the media are placed a month before accepting bids, while the starting, minimum price of the issue and the amount of the deposit, which is 10% of the rent, are indicated. To participate in the auction, you must pay this amount at any bank branch and keep the receipt. The auction step is usually 0.1% of the rental value, and the winner is the one who offers more.

The second method is an independent search of the site. To do this, you first need to find a vacant plot on the map with cadastral markings. Such plots have not yet passed the cadastral assessment. Next, you need to prepare a layout of the site on the cadastral plan of the settlement and determine its affiliation, based on which the rental rate will be calculated. Two applications are submitted to the executive committee at once – for approval of the scheme and preliminary approval of the rent of the site. Your applications will be reviewed by the administration within a month. When you receive two resolutions on the approval of the scheme and approval on the issue of rent, you will have to put the plot on cadastral registration and issue it according to all the rules.

Buying a ready-made house vs building a house from scratch in Belarus

It is easier for citizens of another country to buy a ready-made house in Belarus, rather than build it from scratch. The fact is that foreigners can only rent a land plot from the state and do not get it into ownership. Finding an empty plot for rent can take some time and will not always be effective. Therefore, it is possible to acquire ownership of a house and get a plot of land for rent together with it.

To buy a house in Belarus, a citizen of another country or a stateless person needs a passport and a notarized translation of passport data into Russian or Belarusian.

You can search for a house with the help of a realtor or on Belarusian real estate websites. Before concluding a purchase and sale of a house, the seller is obliged to transfer the land that he has in private ownership to the possession of the state. Then a foreign citizen will have the opportunity to rent a land plot and purchase a house located there. Since this procedure of land reprivatization requires special attention before buying a house, it will be easier for a foreign citizen to look for a house to buy through real estate agencies.

If a foreign citizen has signed a land rent agreement with the state, he can build his own house, which will be his property.

You can build a house from scratch in Belarus while you are in the country. Or remotely, through companies engaged in turnkey construction.

Purchase of a dilapidated house in Belarus and its reconstruction

There is one more way to buy a house in Belarus. You can buy a dilapidated house and reconstruct it for yourself. This method has the advantage of an initially low price for a house. The cost of a house is determined by its livability and condition. Also, the price depends on the location of the house. Most often dilapidated houses are sold in small towns or villages of Belarus, so the cost of real estate there is lower than in Minsk, in the suburbs or in large cities.

The disadvantages of buying a dilapidated house is that it's reconstruction can cost more than building a new house or buying a house suitable for living. The concept of reconstruction includes such operations as changing the size of the object, capital construction, disassembly of load-bearing walls, structures, construction and supply of communications. Most of these works will require approval of projects with government agencies, as well as during the construction of a new house. 

How to start building a house in Belarus

First of all, before building a house, you need to decide on the rent of a land plot. You need to make sure that the purpose of the site is for the construction and maintenance of a residential building. Only on such a site is it allowed to build a house in Belarus.

Next, you need to get permission for the design and construction of a residential building. To obtain permits, it is necessary to contact the executive committee — the administration of the district in which the site is located. In the application you need to specify:

●     location of the land plot;

●     planned parameters and technical characteristics of the house (number of floors, area);

●     engineering and technical equipment that will be located in the house. 

The parameters specified in the application are not yet a house project. These are just the characteristics of the future structure.

After submitting the application, the executive committee independently carries out all the necessary work to obtain all permits and approvals related to the registration of permits. The permit will be issued no later than in a month. 

After obtaining permission, you can start working on the project of the future house.

How to choose the right contractor for building a house in Belarus

If you are looking for a contractor to build a house, you will have to look through the websites of construction companies. The initial search can be carried out on the Internet: choose your favorite projects that are similar to yours. 

Having compiled a list of the first selected companies, select the contractors who are more trustworthy. Pay attention to companies with extensive experience, economically wealthy and open companies. Review feedback, find articles and materials on the web, read the history of the company. As a result, the list of contractors you are interested in should include no more than 10 companies.

Now you need to get acquainted with each company. Study the cases, go to the finished objects to inspect their quality. You can also contact former customers and ask them about cooperation with the selected contractor. At this stage, it is worth checking all permits, certificates, certificates and certificates of technical competence. To do this, you can contact the company. Also view the contractor's social networks. There they can talk about projects and about the company's internal kitchen.

When getting to know contractors, you can pay attention to the culture of business communication. Choose those with whom it is easy and pleasant for you to contact even at the first stages. Make a list of contractors that meet your requirements. Next, send the finished project to the contractors and ask them to provide an estimate. 

The estimate determines the cost of building. It will help you assess your financial capabilities. And also to understand if one of the contractors unreasonably dumps or overstates the price of construction. The estimate should include:

●     a complete list of the material used in the construction of the house

●     description and cost of all work performed

●     terms and cost of delivery

●     additional costs. 

After receiving the estimate, you will be able to select a contractor that suits you in all aspects.

You can contact us info@justarrived.by and we will recommend you a realible contractor for construction of your house in Belarus.

Building design and project

The building design of the house can be standard and individual. You can purchase a standard project that costs less. However, it is worth considering whether it is possible to build a house for such a project specifically on your site and using the desired materials. Also, a typical project does not imply changes in the interior design of the house.

An individual project takes into account all the wishes in the architecture and design of the house. It is being developed together with a project designer. When choosing a company to create a house project, the most important criterion is already finished projects. Choose the companies whose projects you like the most. Interior design is also being developed at this stage. This can be done by the projector himself or a designer on the staff of the company. 

When the house project is ready, it needs to be approved by the territorial authority of architecture and urban planning. To do this, it is necessary to submit an application and the project documentation itself. This can be done by the designer. If your house includes 3 floors or more, you also need to get a permit for construction and installation works.

After agreeing on the project and signing a contract with the builder, you can start construction.

Terms of construction of a house in Belarus

The construction period can be divided into stages (construction of the foundation, walls, laying of communications, interior decoration). In Belarus, outdoor work is carried out in the period from late spring to early autumn. During the same period, external communications are being laid. 

Before the first cold weather, it is better to cover the roof, put windows and doors. Interior work in the house can be continued even in winter, starting from October and until the beginning of April. Here you can read more about the weather and climate in Belarus.

For the construction of foundations and walls in Belarus, the ground must not be frozen. The same applies to the laying of electrical cable, sewerage, gas pipelines. It is better to carry out the exterior decoration of the house in the summer, when it is warm in Belarus and there are no heavy autumn rains.