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Visa-free travel to Belarus
Due to the visa-free regime, entry to Belarus for some countries is like a trip to another region of their country, since long waiting period for a visa are not needed. In this article, we will tell you about the countries, when traveling to which you do not need a visa. What is 30-day and 15-day visa-free travel? We will also tell you about this. Traveling to other countries, we ask ourselves more and more questions. What documents are needed for this? Is it obligatory to buy insurance in your home country or can you get insurance abroad? Look for answers to these questions in our article.
The list of countries, where citizens do not need visa to entry to Belarus:
Azerbaijan
Argentina (up to 90 days)
Armenia
Albania (up to 30 days)
Brazil (up to 90 days)
Venezuela (up to 90 days)
Georgia
Hong Kong (up to 14 days)
Israel (up to 90 days in each 180 day period)
Kazakhstan
Qatar (up to 30 days)
China (up to 30 days)
Cuba (up to 30 days)
Kyrgyzstan
Macau, PRC Special Administrative Region (up to 30 days)
Macedonia *
Moldova
Mongolia (up to 90 days)
United Arab Emirates (up to 90 days)
Russian Federation **
Serbia (up to 30 days)
Tajikistan
Turkey (up to 30 days)
Uzbekistan
Ukraine
Montenegro * (up to 30 days)
Ecuador (up to 30 days)
* For citizens of Macedonia and Montenegro, an application from the host travel company is required.
** For citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, the conditions of free movement between the two countries remain, since both Russia and Belarus are member states of the Union State.
30 days visa-free travel to Belarus
Entry rules
Citizens of 76 countries can come to Belarus without a visa for 30 days. The main condition for this is arrival and departure through the Minsk National Airport. This rule does not apply to citizens arriving from Russia by air, as well as intending to fly to Russian airports. You can also check other entry rules here. A 30-day stay in Belarus based on a visa-free regime is available for the following countries:
Australia
Austrian republic
Principality of Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Barbados
Kingdom of Bahrain
Kingdom of Belgium
Republic of Bulgaria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Republic of Vanuatu
Vatican City State
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Hungary
Socialist Republic of Vietnam *
Republic of Haiti *
Islamic Republic of Gambia *
Federal Republic of Germany
Hellenic Republic
Kingdom of Denmark
Commonwealth of Dominica
Arab Republic of Egypt *
Republic of India *
Republic of Indonesia
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan *
Islamic Republic of Iran *
Ireland
Republic of Iceland
The Kingdom of Spain
Italian Republic
Canada
Republic of Cyprus
The Republic of Korea
State of Kuwait
Latvian republic ***
Lebanese Republic *
Republic of Lithuania
Principality of Liechtenstein
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Republic of Macedonia
Malaysia
Republic of Malta
Mexican United States
Federated States of Micronesia
Principality of Monaco
Republic of Namibia *
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Republic of Nicaragua
New Zealand
Kingdom of Norway
Sultanate of Oman
Republic of Panama
Islamic Republic of Pakistan *
Republic of Peru
Republic of Poland
Portuguese Republic
Romania
Independent State of Samoa *
Republic of San Marino
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Republic of Seychelles
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Republic of Singapore
The Slovak Republic
Republic of Slovenia
Eastern Republic of Uruguay
Republic of Finland
French Republic
Republic of Croatia
Czech Republic
Chile
Swiss Confederation
Kingdom of Sweden
Republic of El Salvador
Republic of Estonia ****
Republic of South Africa
Japan
* In the presence of a valid document for travel abroad of a valid multiple-entry visa of the member states of the European Union or member states of the Schengen area with a mark of entry into the territory of a member state of the European Union or a member state of the Schengen area, as well as air tickets with confirmation of the date in them departure from the National Airport Minsk.
** Not a state.
*** Including persons who have the status of a non-citizen of the Republic of Latvia.
**** Including stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Estonia.
If you don’t have your country in the list then find out how to get a visa to Belarus.
The countdown of 30 days of staying without a visa in Belarus starts from the date the passport is stamped. Therefore, if you arrived in the evening and went through border control before 00.00, the first day of your stay in the country will already be counted. Here are the main rules on crossing Belarussian borders during COVID-19.
Foreign citizens planning to stay in Belarus without a visa must register in the Ministry of Internal Affairs during 5 days by the place of their stay in the country. They can also register online on the website of e-services. But in case of staying in hotels, hostels or any mass place of living the registration is done by a host in default.
The list of obligatory documents
When crossing the border without a visa, you will need a passport, an insurance in the amount of at least 10 thousand euro (can be issued upon arrival), money (at least 2 base values per day of stay - around 25 Euros).
15-day visa-free regime - zone "Grodno-Brest"
Entry rules
Citizens of some states can also come to Belarus for 15 days without a visa - in this case, the way through two regional air harbors and checkpoints on the land border (with Lithuania and Poland) is open. However, this program does not apply to the entire country, but covers the zone:
in the Brest region - the city of Brest, as well as Brest, Zhabinkovsky, Kamenets and Pruzhany districts;
in the Grodno region - the city of Grodno, as well as Grodno, Berestovitsky, Volkovyssky, Voronovsky, Lida, Svislochsky and Shchuchinsky districts.
According to the decree, a 15-day visa-free regime is available to citizens of more than 70 countries, including persons with non-citizen status in Latvia, and stateless persons permanently residing in Estonia. The rules for entering the visa-free zone for 15 days differ from the rules for tourists who arrive in the country for 30 days through the National Airport Minsk. Here is the information on airport transfer.
The list of obligatory documents
To visit a visa-free area, a foreign guest needs the following documents:
- valid passport or other identity document;
- medical insurance policy in the amount of at least 10 thousand euros, valid in Belarus;
- migration card (issued when you entry);
- a document granting foreign citizens the right to an individual (or group) visit to the visa-free territory "Brest - Grodno". It can be obtained when buying a tour from a company that is a certified operator and has the right to organize visa-free travel for foreigners. This means that a tourist needs to contact the travel agency in advance (no later than 48 hours before the trip), draw up a travel program and, having paid for the selected services within the framework of an individual plan or by purchasing a complex tour, receive a document for subsequent presentation at the checkpoint. When entering Belarus, the guest must have with him a sum of money in foreign currency or Belarusian rubles, equivalent to at least two base values for each day of stay.
Points of visa-free entry to Belarus
Tourists can come to the visa-free zone through 14 international checkpoints:
- road checkpoints: "Brest" ("Terespol"), "Bruzgi" ("Kuznitsa Belostotskaya"), "Domachevo" ("Slovatichi"), "Benyakoni" ("Shalchininkai"), "Berestovitsa" ("Bobrovniki"), "Peschatka" ("Polovtsy"), "Privalka" ("Raigardas");
- simplified checkpoints: "Pererov" ("Bialowieza"), "Lesnaya" ("Rudavka"), "Privalka" ("Shvyandubre");
- checkpoints at railway stations: "Brest" ("Terespol"), "Grodno" ("Kuznitsa Belostotskaya");
- checkpoints at airports: "Airport Brest", "Airport Grodno".
Registration of foreign citizens upon arrival
Foreign citizens planning to stay in Belarus without visa must register in the Ministry of Internal Affairs by the place of their stay in the country. They can also register online on the website of e-services. The service is free and available to foreigners who entered the country at checkpoints across the state border of the Republic of Belarus.
When staying in hotels, hostels, sanatoriums, registration is carried out by the administrations of these institutions by default during check-in.
Countries where citizens now DO need visa to entry to Belarus
Now citizens of USA, Brazil and Honduras need visa to enter Belarus.
Belarus visa for US citizens
US citizens can come to Belarus with no any additional limitations - they need to get a visa before they travel to Belarus or on arrival.
Fine for violation of the terms of visa-free entry to Belarus
If a foreign citizen comes to Belarus for 10 days, he does not need to register with special authorities. However, if it was decided to stay longer than 10 days, then you must register within these "legal" 10 days. Otherwise, you will face a fine for illegal stay. Foreigners who are currently entering Belarus under the visa-free regime do not find themselves in such situations yet. They can stay in the country without a visa for five days, and for five days the legislation allows foreign tourists to be in the country without registration. Currently, if a foreigner stays in a hotel, he is registered by the host party. If he goes to visit friends or acquaintances, or rents a house and plans to stay in Belarus for more than five days, then he must contact the territorial division for citizenship and migration and fill out an application, as well as pay a fee.
For violation of the rules of stay for foreigners, liability is provided in the form of a warning, or a fine of up to 50 base units, or deportation. A warning or a fine of up to 20 base units threatens the receiving party. How to punish - decides the head of the internal affairs body, on whose territory the foreigner is "caught".
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