Visiting Belarus without visas

Citizens of many countries, who generally need a visa to visit Belarus, have an opportunity to enter the country under a simplified procedure today. Such trips have become possible thanks to the recently introduced visa-free travel regulations in Belarus.

Thirty-day visa-free travel to Belarus

Citizens of 76 countries can take advantage of the 30-day visa-free travel to Belarus (to see the full list of countries, please click here).

Foreign nationals may visit any place in Belarus within 30 days of their visa-free stay. However, they must arrive and leave the country only by air:

• Minsk National Airport
• Brest Airport
• Vitebsk Airport
• Gomel Airport
• Grodno Airport
• Mogilev Airport

The visa-free entry rules do not extend to any other international border checkpoints of the country.

Belarus’ visa-free travel rules for foreign visitors do not apply to people flying to Belarus from or to Russia (these flights are considered internal and are not subject to border control).

Visa-free entry does not apply to foreigners coming to Belarus to work, do business, or study, if the period of activity exceeds 30 days.

To enter Belarus for 30 days visa-free foreign nationals must have the following documents:

• a valid passport or another substituting document for traveling abroad;
• financial means (at least two base amounts* denominated in dollars or Belarusian rubles for each day of stay, or 50 base amounts if the period of stay is 30 days);
  *since 1 January 2024 one base amount is Br40
• medical travel insurance valid across Belarus with a minimum medical coverage of  €10,000;
• Citizens of Vietnam, Haiti, Gambia, Egypt, India, Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Namibia, Pakistan, Samoa and South Africa must also have a valid multi-visa to the EU states or the Schengen Area with a stamp confirming the entry to their territory and plane tickets confirming the departure from Minsk National Airport or the airports of Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno or Mogilev within 30 days after the date of the entry.

Attention! 30-day visa-free stay in Belarus starts on the date the passport is stamped. If you arrive late in the evening and go through customs clearance before 24.00, this will be considered your first day of the visa-free stay.

Foreign citizens who plan to spend more than 10 days in Belarus must register with the police indicating the address they are staying. If foreign visitors stay in a hotel, hostel, health resort or another facility of collective accommodation, the management of the above-mentioned facilities shall be responsible for the registration with the police.

Foreign nationals and stateless persons who are temporarily staying in Belarus will be able to get registered on the website portal.gov.by without having to visit a local police office. This service is free of charge and will be available to foreigners who arrived in Belarus through checkpoints on the Belarusian border.  To find out the details, please, click here.

Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry explains online registration for foreigners

Visa waiver for citizens of European countries

Belarus introduced a visa waiver for citizens of Lithuania and Latvia (as well as non-citizens of Latvia) on 15 April 2022, and for citizens of Poland on 1 July 2022. It allows citizens of these countries to enter Belarus through all road and rail checkpoints across the border of the Republic of Belarus.

The visa-free entry for citizens of the neighboring countries turned out to be so popular that by decision of the president of Belarus it was extended for 2023 and 2024. In July 2024, citizens of another 35 European countries received the same opportunity.

From 19 July 2024 to 31 December 2024, citizens of Austria, Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Vatican, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Germany, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden and Estonia (including stateless persons permanently residing in Estonia) can visit Belarus without a visa.

Belarus extends visa waiver for citizens of European countries through late 2025

Travelers need to present valid travel documents to enter Belarus. The period of the visa-free stay depends on the country of origin:

• up to 90 days for citizens of Lithuania, Latvia (as well as non-citizens of Latvia), Poland;
• up to 30 days for citizens of 35 European countries.

Citizens of these countries can still use the previously introduced 30-day visa waiver if they travel to Belarus by air.

Foreigners who arrived in Belarus without a visa can travel in transit, including through checkpoints at airports, to third countries, with the exception of Russia.

Fifteen-day visa-free access to Brest-Grodno tourist zone

Citizens of a number of countries can visit the Grodno-Brest tourist zone visa-free for 15 days. This tourism and recreation zone includes popular attractions and biggest cities in the western part of the country, including:

• in Brest Region – the city of Brest, Brest District, Zhabinka District, Kamenets District and Pruzhany District;
• in Grodno Region – the city of Grodno, Grodno District, Berestovitsa District, Volkovysk District, Voronovo District, Lida District, Svisloch District and Shchuchin District.

In line with the president’s decree, the 15-day visa-free option is available to citizens of more than 70 countries, including Latvia’s non-citizens and Estonia’s stateless persons.

The rules of entry as part of the 15-day visa-free program are different from the 30-day visa-free option available to travelers arriving in Belarus by air.

To be able to visit the visa-free zone, a foreign national must present the following documents:

• Valid passport or an equivalent identity document;
• Travel medical insurance with the minimum coverage of €10,000. The travel insurance must be valid in Belarus;
• Migration card (issued upon arrival);
• Document allowing foreign nationals (individuals or groups of tourists) to visit the Tourism and Recreation Zone Brest-Grodno. It can be obtained while purchasing a tour from a certified tour operator that has the right to organize visa-free travels to Belarus. This means that a tourist needs to approach an official travel agency beforehand (not later than 72 hours before the trip), make a travel plan, pay for the chosen services (be it an individual plan or an all-inclusive tour), and pick up the document that will be subsequently presented at a checkpoint.

To learn more about the visa-free program and travel agencies, please click the link grodnovisafree.by

Tourists can enter the visa-free zone in Belarus via international border crossing point Brest (Terespol).

NOTE! Foreign visitors who enter the visa-free travel zone must register with the local police department within five days. As a rule, hotels, farm tourism estates, and health resorts where tourists stay take care of that. Self-employed businessmen who rent apartments to foreigners do that, too.

Foreign visitors are required to have funds equivalent to at least two base amounts* per day of stay.
*The base amount stands at Br40 as of 1 January 2024

There are no checkpoints or any fences at the border of the visa-free travel zone inside Belarus, just signboards. Visitors are forbidden to break the rules of stay as part of the 15-day visa-free travel program and go outside the visa-free zone. Otherwise, violators will be punished in line with Belarusian laws (a warning, a fine, deportation).

Note! When visiting Belarus as part of an organized group, tourists can go beyond the visa-free zone and visit other areas of Brest Oblast and Grodno Oblast, but only if it is part of the planned tour route.

COVID-19: Belarus Travel Advice

On 3 April 2022 Belarus lifted pandemic- related travel restrictions.

At present there are no entry and exit restrictions at international checkpoints of the Republic of Belarus:

• for citizens of Belarus;
• for foreign nationals and stateless persons (if they have a visa or are entitled to a visa waiver).

Belarus lifted COVID testing and vaccination certificate requirements for foreign visitors on 28 May 2022.

Visit the official website of the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus to learn more about the border crossing procedure and the documents you need to present at the checkpoint.

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