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Belarus borders on 5 countries: in the south - with Ukraine, in the west - with Poland, in the north - with Lithuania and Latvia, in the east - with Russia. Therefore, transit through Belarus is a common practice for tourists and truckers. Today we will figure out what transit and forced stop are, and what conditions must be met by those entering.
What is "transit"?
Transit is the transportation of passengers or goods from one country to another through a third one on the way or from one point to another through intermediate points.
Depending on the method of transportation, the following types of transit are distinguished:
1) Land;
2) Automotive;
3) Railway;
4) Pipeline;
5) Air;
6) Marine.
What is a forced stop?
A forced stop is a temporary stay of a foreigner on the territory of the Republic of Belarus for more than two days from the date of his entry into the Republic of Belarus due to:
• natural disasters, accidents and other emergencies of a natural and man-made character that delay the movement of a vehicle;
• the need to repair the damaged vehicle;
• diseases or health conditions, if, according to the conclusion of the healthcare organization, further travel of a foreigner and (or) a person following with him seems to be dangerous to their life and health;
• unforeseen delays when transferring from one type of transport to another at the transfer point;
• the occurrence of other unforeseen circumstances that impede the further travel of the foreigner.
List of required documents for transit through Belarus
When planning a trip to the Republic of Belarus, keep in mind: if you are not careful when preparing all the necessary documents, you may encounter certain difficulties when crossing the border. Problems are better avoided than solved later, so please read the information below carefully.
What is required to enter the territory of Belarus in the first place?
1. Migration card. This is a special document that must be filled out when entering the Republic of Belarus. Together with the passport, it is presented to the border guard officer at the checkpoint for stamping the entry. The migration card must be kept for the duration of your stay in Belarus, and when leaving the country, it must be handed over to a border service officer to stamp the exit.
2. Insurance policy. It can be bought at the embassy and consular offices of some countries when obtaining a visa. Also, an insurance policy is issued directly at the border, with employees of insurance companies.
3. Funds required to cover the costs of staying in the Republic of Belarus and departure. If a foreigner travels to Belarus for up to 1 month, he must have funds in the amount of at least 2 base units (about USD 30) for each day of stay. If the duration of the trip is more than 1 month, the foreigner must have an amount equivalent to 50 base units (about USD 750) for each month of stay.
Transit visa to Belarus
To obtain a transit visa, the applicant submits to the consular section of the Embassy:
• a completed and signed visa application form with a pasted-in color photograph (photograph size 35x45 mm, frontal view, on a white background, the photograph is no more than 6 months old);
• passport (must have at least two blank pages intended for visas, the passport must be valid for at least 90 days before the expiration of the requested visa);
• health insurance policy;
• visa of the country to which the applicant travels through the territory of the Republic of Belarus (original and copy of the passport page with the inserted visa).
If a visa is not required to travel to a third country, tickets or other documents confirming the purpose and timing of the trip are taken into account. A transit visa is valid for 2 days from the date of entry.
Transit through Belarus without opening a transit visa
Transit of residents of other countries through the Republic of Belarus without transit visas is performed in the following cases:
• in the presence of other visas of the Republic of Belarus granting a non-resident of the country the right to cross the State border of the Republic of Belarus;
• when passengers of weightless vehicles make non-stop flights through the Republic of Belarus;
• when traveling to the country of destination on airplanes of international airlines with a transfer at the airport of the Republic of Belarus, passengers have documents for the right to travel to this country and air tickets with proof of their departure date from the transfer airport, if the presence in the Republic of Belarus does not exceed 24 hours. At the same time, passengers do not have the right to leave the airport deliberately allocated for their land;
• citizens of states with which the Republic of Belarus contains appropriate agreements on visa-free travel of citizens;
• when the President of the Republic of Belarus establishes a visa-free procedure for transit travel through the Republic of Belarus;
• Ukraine (in the direction of 30 days from the date of entry).
Transit through Belarus for citizens of the Russian Federation
Almost all tourists ask themselves a question - is a visa to Belarus necessary? The answer is that Russians will not be required to have a visa to visit Belarus. Moreover, it is possible to enter the land of the state not only with an international passport, but also with an internal Russian passport.
In Belarus, residents of the Russian Federation have every chance to stay without registration within 90 days from the date of entry. If you plan to stay longer, you need to register at the place of stay. This can be done in person, at the nearest branch of the migration service, or online, on the Belarusian Single portal of electronic services.
If you enter Belarus by train or bus, most likely you will not meet border control.
For citizens of Russia to cross the border of Russia and Belarus with a child under 14 years old, it is enough to have only a child's birth certificate. For children over 14 years old, it is enough to present an internal Russian passport.
If one of the parents is traveling with the child, consent from the other parent is usually not required. The document will be asked only if the second parent has declared his opposition to the removal of the child. If a minor travels to Belarus alone (this can be done by children over 14 years old) or accompanied by third parties, he needs to obtain written consent from both parents.
Photo: mtdata.ru, topcor.ru, pnzdrive.ru