Complete Guide to Obtaining a Visa for Belarus

A Belarus visa is a permit to travel to the country, enter and remain for a limited period, under specific purposes. The competent Belarus authorities grant the permit to applicants that meet the criteria and are asserted not to be a threat to the security of Belarus.

Who Needs a Visa for Belarus?

When traveling to Belarus, the nationals of most world countries will need to apply for and get a visa in order to be permitted to enter the country.

However, the Belarus authorities have approved several visa-free travel programs for those traveling to the country under tourism or business purposes.

In accordance with visa-free regulations of the Republic of Belarus, no visas are required for citizens of:

• Azerbaijan (Indefinite stay)
• Argentina (for stays up to 90 days)
• Armenia (Indefinite stay)
• Brazil (for stays up to 90 days)
• Cuba (for stays of up to 30 days)
• Ecuador (for stays up to 30 days)
• Georgia (Indefinite stay)
• Israel (for stays up to 90 days in each period of 180 days)
• Kazakhstan (Indefinite stay)
• Kyrgyzstan (Indefinite stay)
• Macedonia (provided they have a private invitation or a tourist voucher)
• Moldova (Indefinite stay)
• Mongolia (for stays up to 90 days)
• Montenegro (for stays up to 30 days provided they have an invitation or a tourist voucher)
• People’s Republic of China (for stays up to 30 days)
• Qatar (for stays up to 30 days)
• Russia (Indefinite stay)
• Serbia (for stays up to 30 days)
• Tajikistan (Indefinite stay)
• Turkey (for stays up to 30 days)
• United Arab Emirates (for stays up to 30 days)
• Ukraine (Indefinite stay)
• Uzbekistan (Indefinite stay)
• Venezuela (for stays up to 90 days)

In addition, holders of diplomatic passport granted from the countries listed below can also enter Belarus visa-free:

30-Days of Visa-free Stay for Travelers Entering through Minsk Airport

In addition, Belarus has another policy of permitting the travelers of several other countries to enter and stay in Belarus for a maximum period of 30 days, under the sole condition they enter the country through the Minsk National Airport.

In order to be eligible to enter Belarus visa-free through the Minsk National Airport, you must be a passport holder of one of the following countries:

The nationals of Gambia, Haiti, India, Lebanon, Namibia, Samoa and Vietnam can also enter Belarus visa-free through the Minsk National Airport under the conditions they also possess:

• A multiple entry visa or a national visa granted by an EU/Schengen Member State (residence permits are not accepted in such cases).
• An entry stamp from one of these countries in their passport.
• A valid return ticket from the Minsk National airport.

10-Days of Visa-free Stay for Travelers to Brest and Grodno

The same travelers permitted to enter Belarus visa-free given they enter through the Minsk National Airport, can also enter Belarus visa-free and stay up to 10 days, when visiting the Brest region and the Grodno region. They have to obtain a special document issued by a certified travel agency in their home country though.

They must enter through one of the following checkpoints:

• Tourism and Recreation Zone Brest:
  • Automobile checkpoints Brest (Terespol), Domachevo (Slawatycze), Peschatka (Polowce).
  • Small border traffic checkpoint Pererov (Bialowieza).
  • Railway border checkpoint Brest (Terespol).
  • Brest Airport border checkpoint.
• Augustow Canal Park:
  • Automobile checkpoints Bruzgi (Kuznica Bialostocka), Privalka (Raigardas).
  • Small border traffic checkpoints Lesnaya (Rudawka), Privalka (Svendubre).
  • Railway border checkpoint Grodno (Kuznica Bialostocka).
  • Grodno Airport border checkpoint.

Note: All those entering Belarus visa-free and planning to remain for a period longer than 5 days, must register within 5 days of arrival in Belarus with the local police department.

Belarus Visa Types

Before you start the actual procedures to get a visa to Belarus, you need to check out which visa type you actually need to apply for. If you apply for the wrong visa your application may be rejected, or you may get a visa that is not that useful for you.

There are three types of Belarusian visas according to the intended period of stay:

• B – Transit visa.
• C – Short-term visa, valid for up to 90 days. This visa can be granted for the following purposes: business, for participation in sport or cultural events, tourism, private purposes, study, employment, religious reasons, implementation of humanitarian programs, visiting the burial places and journalistic activity.
• D – long-term visa, valid for up to 1 year with the right to stay up to 90 days, unless otherwise stipulated by the international treaties of the Republic of Belarus.

This visa can be granted for the following purposes: business, participation in sport or cultural events, private purposes, visiting the burial places, religious reasons, implementation of humanitarian programs, journalistic activity or employment.

There are three types of Belarusian visas according to the intended number of entries:

• Single entry visa. It enables its holder to enter Belarus only once, stay and depart, within a specified number of days of stay, but not more than 90 days.
• Double entry visa. It permits its holder to enter the territory of Belarus up to twice, stay and depart within a specified number of days of stay, but not more than 90 days.
• A multiple-entry visa. It entitles its holder to enter Belarus, stay and leave more than two times, the period specified in the visa and within a specified number of days of stay, but not more than 90 days per year, unless otherwise stipulated by the international treaties of the Republic of Belarus.

Required Documents for a Belarus Visa

In order to receive a visa, you must submit the following documents to your local Consular Section or representative office:

• Visa application form. Complete the form, without leaving any blank spaces. If a question does not apply to you, type “N/A”. If the answer is no, then write “none”. You should sign the form personally, whereas application forms for minors should be signed by their legal representative.
• One passport photo. It should be sized 35×45 mm, in high resolution, showing your full face against an even light background.
• Your Valid Passport. It must be valid for at least another 90 days beyond your departure from Belarus. It should also have at least two blank pages for the visa.
• Original letter of invitation, with the signature and, if a business, seal of the inviting party.
• Medical insurance policy. It must be valid for the whole period of your stay in Belarus with a minimum coverage of 10,000 euros.
• Other documents stipulated by the Consular office according to the nature of your visit and the type of visa you are applying for.

Required Documents for a Belarus Short-Term Visa

For the purpose of business, participation in sport or cultural events:

• An original letter of visa support of a legal entity. The letter must be issued on the letterhead with the full name of the entity, its location and phone number.

For private purposes – one of the following documents:

• An original invitation, issued by the local unit of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.
• Official confirmation of serious illness or death of a close relative or spouse, if the purpose of your trip to Belarus is to visit a close relative or spouse seriously ill or who died in Belarus.
• An original document, confirming the ownership of the real estate property in Belarus.
• A letter of visa support of a Belarusian healthcare institution or contract for medical services with a Belarusian healthcare institution, if you are coming to seek medical treatment in Belarus.

For tourism — one of the following documents in original:

• A letter of visa support of a Belarusian tourist company, stating that the foreign citizen will respect the rules of stay in the Republic of Belarus. It must be issued on a letterhead with the full name of the tourist company, its location and telephone number.
• A letter of visa support of a sanatorium-and-spa resort or recreation center, issued on a letter-head with its full name, location and telephone number, purpose, period of stay of a foreign citizen, services rendered, confirmation of the voucher reservation and full or partial prepayment for the services.
• A letter of visa support of a representative of farm tourism business with its name and address, purpose, period of stay of a foreign citizen and the services rendered.

For visiting the burial places:

• An original certificate of the local executive committee, confirming the fact of burial in the Republic of Belarus and the maintenance of the graves of close relatives or spouse of a foreign citizen.

To study:

• An original invitation of the Belarusian educational institution. The document must be approved by the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

For religious reasons:

• An original letter of visa support of a religious association, issued on a letterhead with the full name of the religious association, its location and telephone number.

For the implementation of humanitarian programs, including foreign donations, rest and recreation of children and volunteer work:

• A letter of visa support of the Humanitarian Activities Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus or another authorized governmental institution of the Republic of Belarus.

For journalistic activity:

• Accreditation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

For employment – one of the following documents:

• A copy of a special employment permit, issued by the local unit of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. The permit must be certified by the Belarusian Public Notary.
• Relevant confirmation from the local unit of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. This document must be delivered directly to the Embassy/Consulate.

Required Documents for a Belarus Long-Term Visa

For the purpose of business:

• An original letter of visa support of a Belarusian legal entity.
• A document, that proves the necessity of multiple visits to the Republic of Belarus during the requested period of visa validity.

For participation in sport or cultural events:

• An original letter of visa support of a Belarusian legal entity.
• A document, that proves the necessity of multiple visits to the Republic of Belarus during the requested period of visa validity.

For private purposes – one of the following original documents:

• An invitation, issued by the local unit of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.
• A document, that proves the existence of the property right to the house/apartment on the territory of the Republic of Belarus – for the property owner and his/her family members.
• A contract for medical services with a Belarusian healthcare institution, prepared in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus – for processing a visa to a foreigner who is in need of medical care, provided in Belarus, as well as to an accompanying person, if required.

For visiting the burial places:

• An original certificate, issued by the local executive committee, confirming the fact of burial on the territory of the Republic of Belarus and the maintenance of the grave of a close relative or spouse of a foreign citizen;

For religious reasons:

• An original letter of visa support of a religious association, approved by the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs.

For the implementation of humanitarian programs, including foreign donations, rest and recreation of children and volunteer work:

• A letter of visa support of the Humanitarian Activities Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus or another authorized governmental institution of the Republic of Belarus.

For journalistic activity:

• Accreditation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

For employment:

• A copy of a special employment permit, issued by the Regional branch of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, certified by the Belarusian Public Notary.
• Confirmation from the Regional branch of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, delivered directly to the Embassy/Consulate.

Where to Apply for a Belarus Visa?

To apply for a Belarus visa you will need to submit your application file at one of the following Belarus representative authorities, located in your country of residence:

• Consular sections of Belarus.
• Diplomatic Representative offices of Belarus.
• Consular Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Minsk Airport, in case there isn’t a Belarusian representative office in your country of residence.

Belarus Visa Application Process

When applying for a Belarus visa you will need to complete a few procedures. Once you find out where you need to submit your application, check if you have to make an appointment, or you can submit your application without a prior appointment.

After you figure this all out, continue with further procedures, including collecting the required documents for visa application. You should ask the representative Belarus authorities in your country to provide you with a list of the documents you need to submit.

On the day you submit these documents, you will also need to attend a visa interview with a consular officer, which will ask you a few questions on your intended purpose of traveling to Belarus.

Belarus Visa Processing

A Belarus visa application file may take up to five workdays to be processed. You will get an answer on your application after 5 days of submission, the latest.

Belarus Visa Fees

The Belarus visa fees, regardless of the visa type of the number of entries as €80 individual visa applications and €10 per person for group visa applications.

Belarus Visa fees for nationals of a few countries are a bit different though. Citizens of Japan and Serbia in need of a visa are exempted from consular fees for any kind of visas.

Whereas, nationals of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland need to pay the following fees, when in need of a visa:

• Transit visa (type B):
  • Single – €10
  • Double – €15
  • Group single (per person) – €10
  • Group double (per person) – €18
  • Multiple-entry – €35
• Short-term visa (type C):
  • Single – €25
  • Double – €35
  • Group single (per person) – €10
  • Group double (per person) – €18
  • Multiple-entry – €80
• Long-term visa (type D) – €80

On the other side, foreigners under the age of 14 years old are exempt from paying Belarus Visa Fees. Foreigner

Applications Subject to Belarus Visa Fee Surcharge

Visa applications will be subject to a specific surcharge in the cases explained below:

• Surcharge of 100% – for visa applications handled urgently, within two days, by foreign diplomatic institutions of the Republic of Belarus.
• Surcharge of 50% – for visa applications submitted to the central consular affairs office by nationals of the countries where there is no Belarusian diplomatic mission.
• Surcharge of 200% – when nationals of the countries where there is a Belarusian diplomatic mission request a visa at the central consular affairs office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition, visas processed at Minsk National Airport usually cost double the standard tariff.

Belarus Visa-On-Arrival

Belarus has also made it possible to get a visa-on-arrival at the Minsk National Airport. The application should be submitted not later than 3 business days before the expected arrival date for short-term visas and not later than 5 business days before the expected arrival date for long-term visas.

The application should be made through the Foreign Admissions Division of the Consular Directorate of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus, which is located at the airport. The required documents should be sent by the inviting company or person or by post taking into account the delivery time, to the following address:

Address: Foreign Admissions Division of the Consular Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, National Airport Minsk, Minsk, 220054.

Phone: +375 17 279 20 58

Belarus Visa from USA

US citizens applying for a Belarus Visa will need to submit their application file at one of the following:

• The Embassy of Belarus in the US
• Consulate General of Belarus in New York

Those applying for a Belarus visa from US through mail, so they can get their visa upon arrival should enclose a completely addressed and stamped return envelope showing themselves as both shipper and recipient, with a tracking number.

Belarus Visa from UK

Citizens of the United Kingdom wishing to visit Belarus will need to apply for a visa. The application file should be submitted at the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the United Kingdom.

The application file for a Belarus Visa from the US can be brought in person or by visa service company, sent by post to the Consular and Visa Section of the Embassy.