Business visa in Belarus: how to get?

If a foreign citizen has a residence permit in Belarus, he does not need a visa. If he does not have a residence permit, then entry, exit and transit travel within the territory of Belarus is carried out only with a visa. Visas can be of different types: student, tourist, business, etc.

In this material, we will talk about business visas; tell you how to apply for them and what you need.

If you go to Belarus for business purposes

Visa is required for foreigners of all countries. Exceptions are citizens of the following 80 countries:

Also, Belarus has signed a special agreement with some countries, which allows foreign nationals to travel more than 30 days without a Belarusian visa. Such countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The holders of diplomatic passports from the following countries are also exceptions:

• Bangladesh;
• Bolivia;
• Hungary;
• Vietnam;
• Egypt;
• India;
• Indonesia;
• Iran;
• Cambodia;
• China;
• Republic of Korea;
• Laos;
• Myanmar;
• UAE;
• Oman;
• Peru;
• Poland;
• Romania;
• Syria;
• Slovakia;
• Turkmenistan;
• Thailand.

If your country is not on this list and you are coming to our country for business purposes, a visa is required.

Picture 1 Photo by marieclaire.ru

Belarus – rules of entry

When crossing the State Border of the Republic of Belarus, a foreigner must:

• present a document to travel abroad with a valid visa of the Republic of Belarus;
• have a contract of compulsory medical insurance or a contract of medical insurance concluded with a foreign insurance company (except for those who are not subject to compulsory insurance);
• the driver of the vehicle must have the original insurance certificate valid in the Republic of Belarus and confirming the civil liability insurance in a Green Card Member State;
• when entering Belarus for a period of less than one month, a foreign citizen must have an amount equivalent to at least 2 basic units (from 1 January 2020 1 basic unit = 27 BYN) for each day of stay in the country;
• when entering Belarus for a period of more than one month, a foreign national must have an amount equivalent to at least 50 basic units.

Foreign nationals are not allowed at checkpoints:

• leave money in the documents that are presented for inspection;
• offer or transfer material values or provide benefits of a property nature to officials;
• take photographs, video and mobile phone conversations;
• engage in any activity that interferes with border and other controls.

In the territory between the State border and the border crossing point, it is prohibited:

• parking of vehicles;
• the boarding and drop-off of passengers;
• carrying out loading and unloading operations;
• the presence of natural persons not connected with crossing the state border.

Documents for entry in Belarus

Entry in and exit from Belarus is possible only with a visa, a valid passport or any other document intended for departure abroad.

The procedure for obtaining visas to enter Belarus

You can apply for a visa in your country at the Belarusian consular office, the Belarusian diplomatic government, and the consulting centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Minsk airport.

For business trains you can apply for one of the following visas: short-term (type C) or long-term (type D).

A short-stay visa is usually issued for up to 90 days with the right to enter once, twice or many times. Short-term visa also gives the right to stay in Belarus for up to 90 days.

A long-stay visa is issued with a validity period of up to 1 year with the right to stay in the country for up to 90 days.

Every foreign citizen who arrived in Belarus through Minsk National Airport can get a visa at the airport.

For this purpose, you need to submit the documents to the Department of Foreign Citizens Entry at the main consular office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, which is located at the airport, in advance.

The documents must be submitted no later than the established deadline:

• for short-term visas - 3 working days before the arrival date;
• for long-term visa - 5 working days before the date of arrival.

You can submit the documents independently or by mail, taking into account the delivery time.

If you apply for a visa in your own country, you should apply for an entry visa first. A consular fee will be charged for this application. There are preferential rates for consular fees for citizens of the following countries:

• Latvia;
• Lithuania;
• Poland;
• Estonia.

A consular official takes a decision on an application within 5 working days based on the documents submitted, the results of the inspection and the interview. An application may be considered as a matter of urgency within 2 working days.

Invitation letter

An invitation letter is a reason to issue a Belarusian visa to a foreigner for a long-term private trip.

At the airport of the Republic of Belarus upon arrival

The inviting person must bring the invitation and a copy of it at least 3 days before the arrival of the foreign guest at the international airport Minsk-2 on weekdays from 10.30 to 16.30. Visa must be given in sector ½ on the ground floor of the station building to the point of invitation reception.

It is also possible to send the invitation by mail to the airport at the following address: Territory of the National Airport "Minsk" YVV GKY of the State Customs Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus 220054 Minsk. The accepted documents must be stamped with a special seal.

Then you need to send the invitation to a foreign guest by fax or electronically, as the documents will need to be shown to the airline staff at check-in.

At the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus abroad

The original of the certified invitation must be handed over with the rest of the package of documents at the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Belarus in the country of the foreign citizen.

Required Documents

Documents:

• completed questionnaire;
• passport of the inviting person;
• statement of card account with the bank with cash flow;
• payment voucher.

Picture 2 Photo bycommunic.com.ua

What requirements are imposed on foreigners who have obtained a visa in Belarus?

When entering Belarus for a period of less than one month, a foreign citizen must have an amount equivalent to at least 2 basic units (from 1 January 2020 1 basic unit = 27 BYN) for each day of stay in the country. That's the equivalent of 24.5$.

When entering Belarus for a period of more than one month, a foreign national must have an amount equivalent to at least 50 basic units. That's the equivalent of 613.5$.

We have told you about all the nuances of visa processing, you just need to collect the necessary documents and go on business to our country, where every guest is always welcome.