Driving in Belarus

In the streets of Minsk

Everything you need to know as a motorist in the country, including car hire Belarus style, traffic regulations and insurance

Driving your own car to Belarus

You can drive to Belarus if you have an International Driving Licence and documents showing that you are the owner of the car – originals not photocopies.

Checkpoints are common on roads and border crossings in Belarus.

When crossing the border, be ready:

to put information about the car into a customs declaration
to purchase a car insurance certificate

Traffic safety in the country is controlled by the traffic police called GAI (abbr. in Russian) and DAI (in Belarusian). The uniform of Belarusian road police officers has yellow fluorescent stripes. You need to pull over when a road police officer waves a striped wand or shows you a red retro-reflector. If you are pulled over by the traffic police, you will be expected to show your driving and insurance documents.

Traffic is much lighter in Belarus than in most other countries in Europe.

Toll roads in Belarus As of 2013 Belarus has a digital system to collect road toll for the passage along motorways – BelToll.

The length of toll roads is 1 786km (MAP):

motorway М1/Е30 Brest (Kozlovichi) – Minsk – the Russian border (Redki) (610km),

as well as individual sections of motorways:

M2 Minsk – the National Airport Minsk,
M3 Minsk – Vitebsk,
M4 Minsk – Mogilev,
M5/E271 Minsk – Gomel,
M6/E28 Minsk – Grodno – the Polish border (Bruzgi),
M7/E28 Minsk – Oshmyany – the Lithuanian border (Kamenny Log),
P1 Minsk – Dzerzhinsk
P21 Vitebsk – the Russian border (Liozno),
P23 Minsk – Mikashevichi,
P28 Minsk – Molodechno – Naroch,
P99 Baranovichy – Volkovysk – Pogranichny – Grodno,
Drive road to the Polish border from Р99 (Berestovica).

Passage along the motorways covered by the BelToll system:

chargeable – for drivers of vehicles:

with the technical total weight of 3.5 tonnes and less (cars, passenger minibuses), which are registered outside the Customs Union,
with the technical total weight of over 3.5 tonnes (trucks, buses, mobile homes).

free of charge – for drivers of vehicles with the technical total weight of 3.5 tonnes and less from countries of the Customs Union (Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan).

Exempt from road toll are as well:

scooters and motorcycles,
wheeled tractors and self-propelled vehicles, which are registered in Belarus,
emergency vehicles,
buses used for urban passenger transportation,
vehicles used for defense and law enforcement purposes, vehicles used for emergency medical aid, mitigation of emergencies or the transportation of humanitarian cargoes.

Tariffs on the passage along Belarusian motorways have been set depending on the technical total weight of the vehicle and the number of axles and vary from €0.04 to €0.145 per 1km.

Mandatory condition – the presence of an onboard unit in the vehicle.

Click for detailed information about the usage of the BelToll system.

Additional insurance in Belarus

The Green Card, the international motor insurance certificate, is valid in the Republic of Belarus.

In case you do not possess the Green Card insurance certificate, please, address any Belarusian insurance company for an insurance document. You can get additional insurance at the Belarus border crossing when you enter the country. Premiums range from 5-50 Euros depending on the length of your stay in Belarus.

Traffic regulations in Belarus

In Belarus traffic drives on the right.
Speed limits: built-up areas 60km/h, unless specified otherwise; outside built-up areas 90km/h, motorways 110km/h.
The alcohol limit for drivers is zero (including beer).
Most traffic signs are in Cyrillic script only (not Latin).

Driver's licence in Belarus

If you are planning a long stay in Belarus and going to drive a car, you should take into account that your domestic driver's licence or International Driving licence allows you to drive in Belarus for a 3-month period.

To drive a car for a longer time on Belarusian territory you should obtain a Belarusian driver's licence. For this you should attend a 3-month course in a driving school in Belarus (or other CIS country) and pass the knowledge and driving skills tests administered by the State Traffic Inspection (traffic police).