Visa to Belarus

Currently, despite the countries border closures around the world, the borders of the Republic of Belarus remain open, and it is allowed to enter the country. If you dreamed of doing ecotourism or medical tourism, surprisingly, you can find it in Belarus.

For several years, Belarus has been operating visa-free entry for 30 days for citizens from 74 countries. The rules of such entry apply only to persons who plan to visit Belarus through Minsk National Airport.

For passengers arriving by flights from Russia, as well as departing to Russia, this procedure does not apply.

All that is needed for visa-free entry is:

• a valid passport
• cash in the amount of 2 base values per day of stay (from January 1, 2020 the base value is 27 Belarusian roubles)
• as well as medical insurance covering the entire planned period of stay.

Citizens of certain countries, such as Vietnam, Haiti, The Gambia, India, Lebanon, Namibia and Samoa, a mandatory requirement to visit the territory of the Republic of Belarus without a visa is:

• a multi-visa of any country of the European Union or any multiple Schengen visa with a stamp of entry
• as well as a return ticket from Minsk National Airport

An important thing to remember is that if you intend to stay in Belarus for more than 5 days, then you need to register with local authorities, since 2019 this procedure can be carried out electronically.

To promote local tourism and attract more foreigners to Belarus, a visa-free zone Brest-Grodno was created. The advantage of this zone is that anyone can visit it without applying for a visa.

The tourist zone of Brest includes the Brest region and the city of Brest itself, as well as several other areas of the region (Kamenets district, Pruzhany district, Zhabinka district, Svisloch district).

The tourist zone of Grodno includes the Augustow Canal, the city of Grodno and other famous places of the Grodno region.

To make such a trip, without thinking about applying for a visa, tourists need to book a tour through operators and pay for it. The tour operator, in turn, registers the tourists in the program and sends the tourist data to the checkpoints through which these tourists will be able to enter the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

If everything is clear with a visa-free regime, then why is a visa still needed and to whom? Let's figure it out!

A list of countries whose citizens can enter Belarus without a visa is available on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus .

The remaining citizens need to get a visa to Belarus. If you find yourself in the list of countries, but your trip is planned for a period longer than indicated, then you also need a visa.

The types of visas to the Republic of Belarus are no different from any other visas:

• As elsewhere, you can apply for a Transit Visa to Belarus, which is issued for a stay of 2 days, for the purpose of transit through the Republic of Belarus or transfer during a flight to another country.
• The most popular type of visa is a Short Term Visa. If your trip to Belarus is planned for three months (90 days).
Such a visa can be single, double and multiple, depending on your need.
• A Long Term Visa is usually issued for a period of 1 year and 90 days of stay; entry for this type of visa will be multiple. Therefore, if you often need to travel on business to Belarus, then this option is right for you.

If I determined which visa is needed, where can I apply for it?

Visa to Belarus can be obtained at the consular offices of Belarus in different countries, at the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Belarus and at the consular office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Minsk National Airport. The last option involves obtaining an entry visa at the airport upon arrival.

To do this, you must first submit documents to the consular service no later than 5 days before arrival for a long-term visa and no later than 3 days for a short-term visa.

As for obtaining a visa through the consular office and diplomatic mission, the visa processing time takes about 5 days, if you have all the necessary documents, in particular:

1. filled visa application form
2. 1 photograph (3.5x4.5cm)
3. passport
4. a document confirming the purpose of your trip (invitation, if you are invited by the employer)
5. health insurance
6. payment of consular fee
7. any other additional document regarding the purpose of your trip that the consul may request.

So the consular fee for a single short-term visa will be 25 euros, for a multiple short-term visa - 60 euros. For a long-term visa you will have to pay 60 euros.

For more information on the rates of consular fees, see this link.

If you do not have the opportunity to obtain a visa at the place of residence, you can contact our company. We will help you to submit documents for consideration to the Consular Department at the National Airport.