Who needs a temporary residence permit?
A permit must be obtained by persons who stay in the country for more than 90 days in a calendar year, but do not have grounds for obtaining a permanent residence permit.
The permit is issued to:
● Persons who are getting an education on the territory of the Republic of Belarus - for the duration of the education, but no more than one year;
● Persons who are spouses, close relatives of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, and foreigners permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus - for the period of stay, but no more than one year;
● For persons engaged in work under employment contracts - for the period of stay, but no more than one year;
● For persons for whom guardianship has been established by citizens of the Republic of Belarus - for the term of guardianship, but no more than one year;
● Persons who have grounds for acquiring the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus by way of registration - for the period of stay, but no more than one year;
● Persons who, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus, applied for the granting of refugee status or additional protection or asylum in the Republic of Belarus - for the period of petition consideration;
● Persons who have been granted refugee status in the Republic of Belarus - for a period of little more than a year to obtain a permanent residence permit;
● Persons who have been granted additional protection in the Republic of Belarus - by the term of additional protection, but no more than one year;
● Persons who receive medical assistance in inpatient conditions in health care units of the Republic of Belarus - for the duration of treatment, but no more than one year;
● Persons who accompany a person receiving inpatient medical care in a health care unit of the Republic of Belarus, and (or) provide care for such a person, provided that such a person needs such support (care) due to his/her health condition, - for the duration of treatment, but no more than one year.
Where to get a temporary residence permit?
To obtain a permit for temporary residence in the Republic of Belarus, a foreigner must apply to the citizenship and migration division of the internal affairs body at the place of temporary residence.
Documents required
You must submit to the division:
● application for the permit;
● a document confirming the existence of grounds for obtaining a temporary residence permit stipulated by the law;
● a document confirming the legality of stay of the foreign citizen or stateless person in the Republic of Belarus;
● refugee certificate - for foreign citizens and stateless persons who have been granted refugee status in the Republic of Belarus;
● health insurance policy;
● a document confirming a legal source of income that provides the foreign citizen or stateless person and members of his/her family with the living wage established in the Republic of Belarus;
● a document confirming the possibility of residence at the place of intended residence.
The procedure for obtaining a temporary residence permit
After submitting the application and all the necessary documents, you need to wait 15 days, but in some cases, it can be done on the day of submission. Usually, the permit is issued for no more than one year, and if you still have grounds, you can extend it for another year.
Who can get a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Belarus?
In accordance with Article 53 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", a permanent residence permit is issued to foreigners who:
● are close relatives of citizens of the Republic of Belarus who permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus;
● are persons who have been granted refugee or asylum status in the Republic of Belarus;
● have the right to family reunification;
● have lived legally in the Republic of Belarus for the past seven years or more;
● have grounds for acquiring citizenship of the Republic of Belarus in the order of registration;
● are employees and specialists needed by the organizations of the Republic of Belarus;
● have exceptional abilities and talent or have outstanding services to the Republic of Belarus, high achievements in the field of science, technology, culture and sports;
● are foreign investors who have invested at least one hundred and fifty thousand euros in sites of investment activity of the Republic of Belarus;
● are ethnic Belarusians or their direct blood relatives: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, born outside the current territory of the Republic of Belarus.
Where to get a permanent residence permit?
The decision on issuing a permanent residence permit is made by the internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Belarus, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, independently or at the request of the competent state authorities.
To obtain a permanent residence permit, a foreigner staying outside the Republic of Belarus applies to the diplomatic mission or consular institution of the Republic of Belarus in the country of permanent residence.
Documents required
To obtain a permanent residence permit, a foreigner submits the following documents:
● application;
● autobiography (in an arbitrary form, specifying the following: date and place of birth, education, specialty, employment, marital status, complete information about family members and close relatives);
● passport (international);
● passport (international) of a minor (on behalf of whom an application for the issuance of a permit for permanent residence in the Republic of Belarus is submitted);
● 4 color photographs corresponding to the applicant's age;
● a document on the presence or absence of a criminal record issued by the competent authority;
● documents confirming the existence of grounds for obtaining a permanent residence permit provided for by the Law (birth certificate - to confirm the date and place of birth, the fact of kinship, etc.; marriage certificate - to confirm the fact of marriage, change of surname, certificates and other documents depending on the grounds on which the applicant applies for a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Belarus);
● a medical certificate confirming the absence of diseases included in the list of diseases that pose a danger to public health (mental disorders; tuberculosis; venereal diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea), Lassa, Marburg, Ebola hemorrhagic fever; infectious diseases (plague, cholera);
● a document from the competent body of a foreign state, confirming that the applicant was not and is not married (except in cases of the reunification of spouses), for applicants who have reached the age of 18 and are natural or adopted children of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreigners, who permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus, applying for obtaining a permanent residence permit in order to exercise the right to family reunification;
● a document confirming the right to use residential premises (for example, a contract for renting residential premises, or a statement from the owner of such premises on granting the applicant the right to use these residential premises in connection with the latter obtaining a permit for permanent residence in the Republic of Belarus, notarized, or other documents) or ownership of residential premises (certificate of ownership of residential premises) at the place of intended permanent residence.
The general period of consideration of the request is 6 months. But in practice, requests are considered faster. To a foreigner who has received a permanent residence permit, a foreign mission issues a certificate confirming the issuance of such a permit (if necessary) or a visa of the Republic of Belarus for permanent residence (for citizens of states with which the Republic of Belarus has established a visa regime for mutual travel). After entering the Republic of Belarus, a foreigner who has received a permanent residence permit is issued a residence card in accordance with the procedure provided by the relevant legislative acts.
The Law of the Republic of Belarus defines the grounds for acquiring citizenship of the Republic of Belarus. This is how citizenship of the Republic of Belarus is acquired:
1. By birth. A child acquires the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus by birth, if on the day of the child's birth:
● at least one of the child's parents is a citizen of the Republic of Belarus regardless of the child's place of birth;
● the parents (one of the parents) of the child, who temporarily or permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus, are stateless persons, provided that the child was born on the territory of the Republic of Belarus;
● the parents (one of the parents) of the child, who permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus, are foreign citizens, provided that the child was born on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, and the states, of which his/her parents are citizens, do not grant him/her their citizenship;
● a child staying in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, whose parents are unknown, becomes a citizen of the Republic of Belarus.
2. As a result of granting the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus. A person who has reached the age of 18 has the right to apply for citizenship of the Republic of Belarus if he/she:
● abides by and respects the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, other acts of legislation, undertakes to further abide by and respect the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and other acts of legislation;
● speaks one of the official languages of the Republic of Belarus within the limits necessary for communication, as confirmed by the results of a language test;
● after obtaining a residence permit in the Republic of Belarus resides continuously in the country for five years;
● has a legitimate source of income;
● persons who have been granted refugee status or asylum in the Republic of Belarus may also obtain citizenship of the Republic of Belarus.
3. In the order of registration. A person who has reached the age of 18, permanently resides in the Republic of Belarus or has arrived in the Republic of Belarus for permanent residence, who has not been a citizen of the Republic of Belarus and complies with the conditions stipulated in paragraphs two, three and six of the first part of Article 14 of Law No. 136- З, can apply for citizenship of the Republic of Belarus by registration.
4. Acquisition of citizenship for outstanding services to the Republic of Belarus. Persons who have outstanding merits to the Republic of Belarus, high achievements in the field of science, technology, culture, and sports, or have a profession or qualification that is of state interest to the Republic of Belarus, may apply for citizenship of the Republic of Belarus by registration.
Acquiring citizenship by marriage
A person who has entered into a marriage with a citizen of the Republic of Belarus acquires the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus upon his/her wish and compliance with the conditions stipulated by the law of Belarus.
The conclusion or dissolution of marriage by a citizen of the Republic of Belarus with a citizen of another state or a stateless person does not entail a change in the citizenship of the spouses.
Simplified procedure for obtaining Belarusian citizenship for citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia
The Republic of Belarus is a party to the Agreement between the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation on a simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship. Thus, citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, who permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus or arrive on its territory for permanent residence, have the right to acquire the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus in accordance with this Agreement if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- if the applicant was a citizen of the former USSR, was born or lived in the territory of the Republic of Belarus before December 21, 1991;
- if the applicant has at least one close relative who permanently resides and is a citizen of the Republic of Belarus: spouse, parents (adoptive parents), child (including adopted children), sister, brother, grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, grandchildren.
Who considers issues related to the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus?
Issues related to the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus are considered in accordance with the Regulation, which determines that the President of the Republic of Belarus makes decisions on admission to the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus and renunciation of the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus, in the form of decrees.
Where should a citizen address relevant applications on citizenship issues?
Persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus apply to the internal affairs authorities. Persons living outside Belarus - to diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Belarus.
According to the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, in order to obtain the citizenship of Belarus, it is necessary to renounce the citizenship of another state. Thus, it is not possible to have the citizenship of Belarus and another state at the same time.
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