Private purpose visa to Belarus

Recently, Belarus has increasingly attracted the attention of tourists from different countries. In this regard, every year the legislation seeks to simplify or even abolish the visa regime for foreigners who come to us. Citizens of more than 20 countries of the world can visit Belarus without a visa, and residents of 73 countries can stay without a visa, arriving in Belarus through the National Airport.

List of countries whose citizens need a visa to Belarus

Almost all foreigners need a visa to the Republic of Belarus, with the exception of certain countries with which Belarus has an agreement on this issue.

There is no need for a visa for citizens of the CIS (with the exception of Turkmenistan), Cuba, Mongolia, Venezuela, Macedonia, Georgia, Qatar, Serbia, Turkey, Montenegro, Ecuador, Israel, China.

Private road trips for citizens of all other countries of the world are accompanied by a visa.

However, not so long ago, in order to increase tourists and develop cultural activities in Belarus, a decree was adopted allowing visits to the state in a visa-free regime to get acquainted with the country's cultural values for up to 15 days. Such a regime applies only to certain areas of the country and only to residents of 73 countries. The same citizens can enter Belarus without a visa through the Minsk National Airport for 30 days.

Types of visas to Belarus

Belarusian legislation provides for three types of visas for the free entry of foreigners into the country. These include:

B - transit;

C - short-term;

D - long-term.

These types of visas, in turn, are divided into single, double and multiple (depending on the number of possible entries), as well as individual and group (for people traveling with a single purpose in the composition of 5 or more).

Grounds for obtaining a visa to Belarus

A visa for foreigners wishing to come to the Republic of Belarus is issued by the decision of the Belarusian consul on the basis of the foreigner's application and other submitted documents. Depending on the purpose of the trip, the package of required documents may vary.

The consul conducts a special check, as well as an interview no later than 5 working days after the submission of the application, urgently - no later than 2 working days. Based on the results of these actions, the consul makes a decision on the granting or non-granting of a Belarusian visa for the respective citizen. This decision is final and uncontested.

If it becomes necessary to coordinate the issuance of a Belarusian visa or the need to obtain and study additional documents, then the five-day period may be increased.

The consul has the right not to explain the reason for the refusal to issue a visa.

Methods of obtaining a visa (at embassies / consulates and on arrival)

The bodies authorized to issue a Belarusian visa abroad are the diplomatic missions and consular offices of Belarus (Belarusian embassies and consulates). In order to obtain a visa, a foreigner will need to submit an application and other necessary documents to the consulate or embassy at the place of residence.

At the moment, the Republic of Belarus has 58 embassies, 2 permanent missions, 8 general consulates and 1 consulate in 58 different countries.

An alternative way of obtaining a visa is to obtain it at the airport "Minsk-2". This is the responsibility of the Office for the Entry of Foreigners located there. In this case, the relevant package of documents of the foreigner must be handed over to the airport two days before arrival or earlier. The disadvantage of this method of obtaining a visa is the increased cost of the consular fee.

Short stay visa

Objectives of obtaining a short-term visa

It is the purpose of the trip that influences which visa support documents will need to be provided to the consul. A short-term Belarusian visa is issued for travel with the following purposes:

• Business trip or participation in various events. A visa for such purposes is obtained by requesting a company located in Belarus or a government agency.

• Journalism. The basis is the instruction of the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Training. Obtained through an invitation from an educational institution.

• Religious purpose. To obtain such a visa, it is necessary to have an application from a religious association, which, in turn, is coordinated with the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs in the Republic of Belarus.

• Tour visa is issued at the request of the tour operator, sanatorium, and so on, or by the decision of the consul. The validity of such a visa cannot be more than 30 days and is allowed with only one or two entries.

• There is the option of registering a visa for the execution of private affairs. This kind of visa is obtained using information about a serious illness or the death of a close family member in Belarus; subpoenas; a document exposing the presence of residential property in Belarus; hospital petition or agreement with the medical center.

• In order to visit a relative's grave. The basis is a certificate of the place of burial of a relative.

• Humanitarian aid. A request from the Department for Humanitarian Affairs or other state bodies of the Republic of Belarus is required.

• A work visa is granted with a copy of the work permit certified by a notary.

• Permanent residence in Belarus, with a permit for this.

List of required documents

If you want to get a visa to Belarus, a foreign citizen must submit the following documents to the embassy at the place of residence:

1. Visa application form. Such a questionnaire can usually be found on the embassy's website. Filling out occurs either in advance or already on the spot when submitting documents;

2. Photo of the established size (35 by 45);

3. Passport;

4. Documents confirming the purpose of the trip;

5. Insurance;

6. Check for payment of consular fees.

Procedure for obtaining a short-term visa

In order to apply for the visa, you must pay the consular fee (its amount depends on the country of which the foreigner is a citizen), prepare and fill out a visa application form, attach a photo and other documents listed above to it. Such a package of documents is submitted to the consulate or embassy of the Republic of Belarus at the location of the foreigner. In some cases, at the discretion of the consul, a personal interview or additional documents may be required.

The processing time for such a visa varies from 3 to 5 days, urgently - 2 days. If it is necessary, the consul can increase these terms.

Such a visa cannot be valid for more than 90 days.

Available in both 1-entry and multiple-entry versions.

Long Term Visa

Objectives of obtaining a long-term visa

The purposes for which a long-term visa is obtained do not differ from the purposes of obtaining a short-term visa, the only difference is in the time required for a foreigner to fulfill his plans in Belarus.

A long-term visa is issued for a period of 90 days to 1 year with the possibility of staying in Belarus no more than 90 days a year.

List of required documents

The list of documents provided for opening a long-term visa does not differ from the list of documents provided for opening a short-term visa. The only peculiarity is the visa support documents, which are selected based on the purpose of the trip to Belarus.

Procedure for obtaining a long-term visa

The procedure for obtaining a long-term visa is identical to the procedure for obtaining a short-term visa, the main thing is to prepare all the necessary documents and contact the embassy.

Consular fees for obtaining a visa to Belarus

The amount of the consular fee is established by the legislation of the Republic of Belarus. As a rule, the rate of such a fee is fixed in the Tax Code and equals 60 euros for an individual visa and 10 euros per person for a group visa.

Visa is free for children under 14 years old.

There are also discounted rates for people from certain countries, namely Austrians, Belgians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Greeks, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Cypriots, Latvians, Lithuanians, Luxembourgers, Maltese, Netherlands, Portuguese, Poles, Romanians, Slovaks, Slovenes, French, Finns, Croatians, Chekhovs, Swedes and Estonians, a visa will cost 35 euros.

If you want to issue urgently - the price is doubled.

The consular fee for obtaining a visa at the airport has been increased by 50%, provided that there is no Belarusian embassy or consulate in the foreigner's state, and if it is available, by 200%.

In a situation where a refusal to issue a visa is received, the consular fee is not refunded to the payer.

Visa-free regime

As mentioned earlier, in addition to states that, in principle, do not need a visa, a visa-free regime applies to citizens of 73 states (for example, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, France, Japan, India, Mexico, Australia and others), provided that that they arrived in Belarus via the Minsk-2 airport. This visa-free regime is valid for 30 days and does not apply to people who flew from the Russian Federation.

The countdown of the days of stay in Belarus begins after affixing a stamp in the passport or other document for traveling abroad.

Another option available for entering Belarus without a visa for more than 70 countries is to visit the "Grodno-Brest" zone. This opportunity extends to visiting the combined tourist and recreational zone, which includes the sights of the Grodno and Brest regions.

In this case, a visa-free regime is valid for a tourist for 15 days. A prerequisite in this case will be the purchase of a tour by a foreigner from a company that is a certified operator and has the right to organize visa-free travel of foreign citizens.