Belarus appears to have become the preferred destination for European Union travelers, considering that almost 60,000 visitors have crossed its borders visa-free since 1 January 2024.
The latest data from the State Border Committee of Belarus reveals that since the beginning of this year, Belarus has extended its warm hospitality to 30,563 citizens of Lithuania, 13,825 Latvian citizens and 3,524 non-citizens of Latvia, along with 11,517 Polish citizens, VisaGuide.World reports.
Moreover, since the start of the visa waiver program which was established in April 2022, Belarus has witnessed a staggering influx of 860,035 visitors from neighboring EU countries. Among them, 525,774 came from Lithuania, 198,626 from Latvia, including 59,639 non-citizens, and 75,996 from Poland.
A previous report released by the State Border Committee noted that between April 2022 and December 2022, Belarus welcomed a total of 369,703 arrivals. Notably, approximately 6.9 percent of these arrivals, amounting to 25,786 individuals, originated from third countries. On the other hand, the majority (93 percent) of all arrivals, consisted of citizens from EU member states.
From April 15, 2022, until December 31, 2024, Belarus has implemented a visa-free regime for citizens of Lithuania and non-citizens of Latvia, allowing entry through designated border crossing points along the Belarusian-Lithuanian and Belarusian-Latvian borders.
Additionally, citizens of Poland have been granted entry and exit privileges through any Belarusian international border crossing point situated on the EU frontier. However, the duration of stay in Belarus under the visa-free arrangement should not surpass 90 days within a single calendar year.
Belarus Receives 159,096 Ukrainian Citizens Amid War
Belarus has also opened its doors to a significant influx of Ukrainian citizens, following the war which began on February 24, 2022. The total number of Ukrainian arrivals reached 159,096. According to statistics provided by the State Border Committee of Belarus, a part of these individuals, a total of 15,924, have directly crossed the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.
The majority of Ukrainian arrivals, consisting of 106,641 individuals, have chosen transit routes through Poland. Additionally, 31,906 individuals transited through Lithuania, while 4,625 chose Latvia as a transit point to Belarus.
The Belarusian passport ranks 107th in the world as of March 2024 according to VisaGuide Passport Index. This means that Belarusian citizens can travel visa-free to 49 countries in the world. However, to enter the remaining countries, Belarusian passport holders must apply for a visa beforehand.