Visa policy of Belarus
Policy on permits required to enter Belarus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Visitors to Belarus must obtain a visa from one of the Belarusian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.
Belarus's visa and other migration policies are also implemented in accordance with the mobility rights arrangements within the Commonwealth of Independent States and the rules of the single market of the Eurasian Economic Union.
Overview
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| Map of international land border crossings of Belarus[1] |
Visa policy map
Belarus
Freedom of movement
Visa-free, indefinite period
Visa-free, 90 days
Visa-free, 30 days
Visa-free, 30 days, only by air
Visa-free, 30 days, only by air, replacement visa required
Visa required in advance
Common visa with Russia
Summarize
Perspective
On 19 June 2020, Russia and Belarus have signed an agreement on mutual recognition of visas. From 11 January 2025, visa-free entry is available for holders of a valid visa or residence permit of Russia.[2][3]
Foreign nationals and stateless persons entering, staying, or transiting through Belarus and Russia on a visa basis, holding a visa from one of the two countries, and a mutually recognized identification document, have the right to enter, leave, stay, and transit both countries within the visa's validity.[4] If Russia and Belarus offer a visa-free regime for these individuals under international agreements, the recognized ID document is sufficient for entry and stay.[5] In cases where one country has a visa-free regime and the other requires a visa, the person must hold both the ID document and a visa for the latter.[6]
Foreign nationals with a temporary residence permit or a document for attending an international event have the right to enter, exit, stay, and transit without a visa within the validity of their documents. [7]
Stay duration is calculated from entry into one country from a third state.[8]
Common visa with does not apply to individuals restricted from entering either country.[9] Belarus and Russian officials retains the right to deny entry or reduce the duration of stay for any foreign national or stateless person, as well as to check compliance with entry, exit, transit, or stay regulations. [10]
Entry into Belarus and Russia is possible through international border crossing points as well as directly via international railway and air routes, as well as listed automotive routes specified in the Agreement’s Appendix.
Currently, the Agreement includes six such sections:
- Yukhovichi – Dolossy (Opochka – Novopolotsk)
- Yezeryshche – Nevel (Kyiv – St. Petersburg)
- Lyozno – Kruglovka (Vitebsk – Smolensk)
- Redki – Krasnaya Gorka (Minsk – Moscow)
- Zvenchatka – Dubovichka (Bobruisk – Moscow)
- Selishche – Novozybkov (Gomel – Bryansk)
Crossing other land sections of the Russia-Belarus border via other routes is prohibited and will be treated as a violation of the state border.
Visa exemption
Summarize
Perspective
Economic integration and international treaties
Special travel conditions and exceptions to the usual rules, including special migration rules for foreign citizens, their family members and conditions for the provision of medical care are provided through international agreements and treaties to the following foreign citizens. The conditions for citizens of a specific country should be clarified in advance because not all countries are parties to all agreements.
- Union State of Russia and Belarus (Russia)
- The rules of the Single Economic Space of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan)
- Mobility rights arrangements of the Commonwealth of Independent States (present and former countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Ukraine and Georgia, but not Turkmenistan)
Ordinary passports
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter Belarus without a visa for the following period:[11][12]
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Freedom of movement
Indefinite period 90 days 90 days within any 180 days 30 days |
IP - Internal passport accepted if arriving directly from Russia or Kazakhstan.
1 - No more than 90 days within any 1 calendar year.
2 - For holders of MSAR passports or MSAR Travel Permits.
3 - Currently visa exempt through other waivers until the end of 2024. Must present a tourist voucher or an invitation letter in order to enter Belarus without a visa.
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Citizens of Armenia (2003), Azerbaijan (2007), Georgia (1992), Kazakhstan (2002), Kyrgyzstan (2002), Moldova, Russia (2002), Tajikistan (2002), Ukraine (2010), Uzbekistan (2006) have never required a visa to enter Belarus. However, visa-free agreements have been signed with these states.[13][14]
Cancelled: |
Visa exemption agreement for ordinary passports for 30 days (no more than 90 days within any 1 calendar year) was signed with 
Vietnam in December 2023 and is yet to enter into force.[39]
Temporary visa-free access
Citizens of the following countries are already exempt for entries through the Minsk Airport and for the period from 19 July 2024 to 31 December 2025 they may enter Belarus without a visa through land border crossings, with a maximum stay of 90 days within any 1 calendar year:[40]
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1 - Including non-citizen residents of Estonia and Latvia.
Non-ordinary passports
Holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of the following countries and territories may enter Belarus without a visa for the following period:[11]
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Freedom of movement 180 days 90 days
90 days within any 180 days 30 days |
D - Diplomatic passports only.
1 - No more than 90 days within any 1 calendar year.
Additional requirements
All visitors are required to have an adequate health insurance.[11]
Regional visa-free regime
Summarize
Perspective
Visa-free access through Minsk National Airport
Foreign visitors who are citizens of designated countries are allowed to enter Belarus without a visa through the Minsk National Airport, except for flights departing to and from Russian airports.
The allowed length of stay is up to 30 days, with mandatory registration for stays exceeding 5 days in length.
Visitors must also depart from Minsk National Airport, departure by other methods (for example by train) is not permitted.
The number of visa-free entries is unlimited.[41]
The decree "On establishing a visa-free order of entrance and departure of foreign citizens" was signed by the President of Belarus on 9 January 2017 and it entered into force on 12 February 2017.[42][43][44][45]
It was amended by another presidential decree on 24 July 2018, which entered into force on 27 July 2018.[46][47]
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Conditional2 |
1 - Including non-citizen residents of Estonia and Latvia.
2 - Only if they have a multiple entry visa (i.e., a 'C' or 'D' type visa) from a European Union or Schengen area member country, an entry stamp from one of these countries and a valid air ticket with departure from the airports located in Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilev. The EU residence cards are not accepted for this purpose.[48]
In September 2017 it was announced that Belarus is planning to extend the visa-free access to 10 days and to other checkpoints.[49]
In November 2017 statistics were published showing that 54,000 foreigners visited Belarus through the visa-free program, mostly citizens of Germany, Poland, Italy, United States and the United Kingdom.[50]
Effective since 17 October 2021, visa is required for US citizens to travel to Belarus.[51]
Brest-Grodno
The single visa-free territory "Brest – Grodno" was established by a presidential decree signed in August 2019 and has been in effect since November 10, 2019.[52][53]
Visitors are allowed to stay without a visa for 15 days. Entry is possible through the following checkpoints with Poland and Lithuania - Brest (Terespol), Bruzgi (Kuźnica), Damačava (Sławatycze), Bieniakoni (Šalčininkai), Bierastavica (Bobrowniki), Piasčatka (Połowce), Pryvalka (Raigardas), Piareraŭ (Białowieża), Liasnaja (Rudawka), Pryvalka (Švendubrė), Brest-Uschodni Railway Station, Grodno Railway Station, Brest Airport and Grodno Airport. Prior to travel, visitors must obtain an appropriate document[54] issued by a local travel agency registered in Belarus.
The list of eligible citizens is the same as that for the visa-free program through the Minsk National Airport, only without restrictions for certain citizens.
The visa-free zone consists of the following territories:
- Parts of Grodno and Brest regions not listed above – when traveling on a tourist route as a member of an organised travel group.
The legislation superseded the previous decrees that established two separate visa-free zones: Brest area including Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park (since June 2015)[55] and Augustów Canal area including Grodno (since October 2016).[56]
Electronic Visa (e-Visa)
From 20 March 2025, e-Visa for 30 days will be available for the following 67 countries:[57][58]
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Reciprocity
Belarusian citizens may enter without a visa to all countries whose citizens are allowed visa-free entry. Among the countries that have been granted visa-free access under the pilot program, Belarusian citizens are granted visa-free access to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Haiti, Malaysia, Micronesia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles and Vanuatu.
Visitor statistics
Most visitors arriving to Belarus were from the following countries:[59]
See also
Notes
- including holders of an alien passport of Estonia and holders of a non-citizen passport of Latvia.
References
External links
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