Press releases

MINSK, 25 May (BelTA) – Belarus may cancel visas for short-term visits, Head of the Main Consular Department of Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs Igor Fisenko said during the online conference on how to avoid problems while travelling abroad for holidays hosted by BelTA on 25 May.

Igor Fisenko noted that the decree on visa-free travels (up to 72 hours) to the Belovezhskaya Pushcha national park will enter into force soon. "We will be watching whether this decision will have an impact on the flow of tourists. If we see that this measure is really effective and could promote inbound tourism, then we may go even further. We might think of providing the same opportunity to tourists who arrive in Belarus by air for 2 to 3 days,” Igor Fisenko noted.

He recalled that last year during the IIHF World ICE Hockey Championship Belarus canceled visas for those who attended the matches in Minsk. “We had more than 30,000 of such tourists. We analyze this experience and use it,” he noted.

When asked which countries Belarus may provide a visa-free regime of entry, Igor Fisenko said: "We are ready to provide a visa-free regime for citizens of those countries that are ready to provide a visa-free regime for Belarus".

These issues are dealt with primarily on the basis of reciprocity. We would like the visa liberalization process to give our citizens the opportunity to travel freely and travel around the world without having to deal with additional problems, including paperwork, Igor Fisenko concluded.