The list of countries whose citizens can enter Belarus under the visa-free regime, as well as the permitted periods of stay, can be viewed here: https://mfa.gov.by/visa/freemove/general/
Citizens of countries that do not have the right to visa-free entry are required to have a visa.
Visa types
The following types of visas are provided:
● C – short-term visa. It can be single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry. Type C entry visa is issued for a period not exceeding 90 days.
● D - long-term visa. Type D entry visa is multiple. Entry visa of type D is issued for a validity period of more than 90 days, but not more than five years.
Depending on the purpose of the trip, the following categories of visas are provided:
● diplomatic;
● official;
● business trip;
● participation in sports, cultural, scientific, educational events, and internships;
● implementation of humanitarian programs, including the provision of free foreign aid, organization of children's rehabilitation, implementation of work on a free basis;
● maintenance of religious ties;
● journalistic activity;
● private matters;
● study;
● work;
● tourism;
● for permanent residence.
The list of documents required for visa application and the application procedure can be found here.
Additional documents
When crossing the border of the Republic of Belarus, regardless of the way of crossing it, it is necessary to pass the border and customs control. When crossing the state border of the Republic of Belarus, a foreigner must:
● present a valid general civil passport, the validity period of which must exceed the date of intended departure from the Republic of Belarus by at least 90 days;
● present a document for traveling abroad with a valid visa of the Republic of Belarus (if necessary);
● present a mandatory medical insurance contract or a medical insurance contract concluded with a foreign insurance organization, in the amount of at least 10,000 euros;
● the driver of a vehicle must have an insurance certificate valid in the territory of the Republic of Belarus and proof of civil liability insurance in a state that is a member of the Green Card system.
How much money do you need to have when entering Belarus?
Foreigners must have at their disposal funds in an amount equivalent to at least 50 basic values (1,600 Belarusian rubles) established in the Republic of Belarus on the day of entry, for each month of stay.
When entering the Republic of Belarus for a period of less than one month, foreigners must have at their disposal funds in an amount equivalent to at least 2 basic values (64 Belarusian rubles) established in the Republic of Belarus on the day of entry, for each day of stay.
The availability of funds can be confirmed by presenting:
● national currency of the Republic of Belarus or foreign currency convertible by the National Bank;
● a document on the basis of which it is possible to receive payment funds.
Procedure for electronic registration of foreigners temporarily staying in the Republic of Belarus
Article 41 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated January 4, 2010 "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Republic of Belarus" establishes the obligation of foreign citizens and stateless persons (hereinafter - foreigners) temporarily staying in the Republic of Belarus to check in with the registration authority at the place of actual temporary stay within ten days from the day of entry into the country.
Registration of foreigners in electronic form is carried out on the single portal of electronic services free of charge. This administrative procedure is available to foreigners who entered the Republic of Belarus at checkpoints through the State Border of the Republic of Belarus. Foreigners who arrived in the Republic of Belarus through the state border with the Russian Federation must apply in person to the citizenship and migration division of the internal affairs body at their place of stay in Belarus.
We should add that the Republic of Belarus has signed agreements with Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Kazakhstan, the UAE and Russia, whose citizens can stay in Belarus for up to 30 or 90 days without registration, respectively. If a foreigner intends to exceed this period, it is necessary to obtain a permit for temporary or permanent residence, depending on the purpose of entry.
To register, you need a computer, mobile phone or tablet with Internet access. Through any browser, you need to go to the website of the single portal of electronic services portal.gov.by, select the working language, and create your own account using your e-mail address. Then, in your personal account, in the "Available Services" tab, select the "Citizenship and Migration" category, order the service, and fill out the application (foreigner registration service code - 200.12.14.1).
In the application, it is necessary to indicate the foreigner's surname and first name in Latin or Cyrillic as written in the passport (one version is enough), information about the passport, insurance, date of entry into the country, the address where the foreigner will temporarily stay. There is also a visa column, but if, for example, a foreigner comes to Belarus without a visa, it is not necessary to fill it out.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the correct filling of all mandatory fields. Then you need to check all the data and click the "Send Application" button. After a few seconds, you should receive a message about successful registration, or the system will recommend contacting the Citizenship and Migration Unit if the information does not match.
Transit of foreigners through the territory of the Republic of Belarus is carried out within a period not exceeding two days from the day of their entry into the Republic of Belarus, except for cases of a forced stop.
A forced stop is recognized in the following cases:
● natural disasters, accidents, and other emergency situations of a natural and man-made nature that delay the movement of the vehicle;
● a need to repair a damaged vehicle;
● illness or health condition, if according to the conclusion of a health care organization of the Republic of Belarus, the further passage of the foreigner and (or) the person arriving together with him/her is dangerous for their life and health;
● unforeseen delays during the transfer from one type of transport to another at the transfer point;
● the occurrence of other unforeseen circumstances that prevent further compliance by the foreigner.
Transit passage (transit) of foreigners through the territory of the Republic of Belarus without transit visas is possible:
● in the presence of other visas of the Republic of Belarus, which give the right to a foreigner to cross the border of Belarus;
● during non-stop flights by air transport passengers through the territory of the Republic of Belarus;
● when traveling to the country of destination on international airline planes with a transfer at an airport of the Republic of Belarus, provided that the passengers have documents for the right to enter the country of destination and air tickets with confirmation of the date of departure from the airport of transfer, if the period of stay in the territory of the Republic of Belarus does not exceed 24 hours. At the same time, the passenger does not have the right to leave the specially allocated airport zone;
● citizens of countries with which the Republic of Belarus has agreements on visa-free travel for citizens.
In other cases, a foreigner must apply for a type B transit visa. Such a visa can be single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry. The validity term of a type B entry visa is no more than one year, while a foreigner has the right to stay in the territory of the Republic of Belarus for two days from the calendar date of entry for each transit passage.
The list of documents required for visa application and the application procedure can be found here.
To import pets to Belarus, all animals must have:
1. A microchip for pets. Your pet must be chipped with a 15-digit unencrypted microchip that complies with the ISO 11784/11785 standard.
2. Vaccinations. Your dog or cat must have a valid rabies vaccination after chipping.
3. A health certificate. A licensed veterinarian must complete an EU medical certificate for Belarus 10 days before travel. If your pet is traveling from the United States or Canada, the veterinarian must be USDA or CFIA accredited, respectively. If you are traveling to Belarus from another country, the forms must be certified by the government authority responsible for the import and export of animals.
To learn more about the rules for importing your pets, follow the link: https://www.pettravel.com/immigration/belarus.cfm
You can come to Belarus in your car. At the same time, you must have an international driver's license and original documents confirming that you are the owner of the car.
Traffic rules in Belarus
Right-hand traffic is effective in Belarus.
Speed limits: in populated areas - 60 km/h, unless otherwise provided by road signs; outside populated areas - 90 km/h; on highways – 110 km/h.
In Belarus, it is forbidden to drink any amount of alcohol while driving (including beer).
Most road signs in Belarus are in Cyrillic (not English).
Driver's license in Belarus
If you intend to spend a long time in Belarus and at the same time drive a car yourself, then you need to know that a foreign driver's license or an international driver's license will be valid in Belarus only for 3 months from the moment of entry into the country.
In order to drive a car after this period, it is necessary to obtain a Belarusian driver's license. It is issued by the State Automobile Inspection only if you have undergone special training at a driving school in Belarus (or another CIS country) and have successfully passed the road traffic and driving tests. The term of training at a driving school for driving a passenger car is 3 months.
More details - on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: https://www.mvd.gov.by
Toll roads in Belarus
Since 2013, an electronic system for collecting road tolls - BelToll - has been operating in Belarus.
Toll roads with a total length of 1786.098 km include:
● highway M1/E30 Brest (Kozlovichi) – Minsk – border with the Russian Federation (Redki) (609 km).
As well as separate sections of highways:
● M2 Minsk – Minsk National Airport,
● M3 Minsk – Vitebsk,
● M4 Minsk – Mogilev,
● M5/E271 Minsk – Gomel,
● M6/ E28 Minsk – Grodno – border with Poland (Bruzgy),
● M7/E28 Minsk – Oshmiany – border with Lithuania (Kaminny Log),
● P1 Minsk – Dzerzhinsk,
● P21 Vitebsk - the border with the Russian Federation (Liozno),
● P23 Minsk – Mikashevichi,
● P28 Minsk – Molodechno – Naroch,
● P99 Baranovichi – Volkovysk – Prykordonnyi – Grodno,
● access to the border with Poland (Berestovytsia): from highway P99 Baranovichi – Grodno.
Driving on the roads included in the BelToll system is paid by drivers of vehicles:
● with a technically permissible total mass of no more than 3.5 t (passenger cars, passenger minibusses), which are registered outside the Customs Union,
● with a technically permissible total weight of more than 3.5 t (trucks, buses, motor homes).
Free of charge - for drivers of cars with a technically permissible total weight of no more than 3.5 tons from the countries of the Customs Union (Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan).
A mandatory condition is the presence of a specialized onboard device in the car.
Detailed information on using the BelToll system can be found here.
Belarus