VISA FREE

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.

15-days visit to Grodno-Brest visa-free territory

For individual tourists Grodno – Brest visa-free territory include:

in Grodno region:

  • Grodno and Grodno district
  • Svisloch district
  • Berestovitsa district
  • Volkovysk district
  • Shchuchin district
  • Lida district
  • Voronovo district

in Brest region:

  • Brest and Brest district
  • Zhabinka district
  • Pruzhany district
  • Kamenets district

Tourists groups are allowed to visit all districts of Grodno and Brest regions (including Novogrudok) if they travel according to a pre-arranged travel itinerary. The number of people in a tourist group should be at least 2.

Visa-free territory map

Border check-points where border-crossing for visa-free tourists is allowed:

Automobile check-points:

  • Bruzgi/ Kuznica Bialystockaya (Poland)
  • Privalka/ Raigardas (Lithuania)
  • Berestovitsa/ Bobrovniki (Poland)
  • Beniakoni/ Shalchininkai (Lithuania)
  • Brest/Terespol (Poland)
  • Domachevo/ Slovatichi (Poland)
  • Peschatka/ Polovtsy (Poland)

Simplified checkpoints:

  • Lesnaya/ Rudavka (Poland) – seasonal, pedestrian, water
  • Privalka/ Shvyandubre (Lithuania) – seasonal, water
  • Pererov/ Belovezha (Poland) – pedestrian

Railway check-points:

  • Brest/Terespol (Poland)
  • Grodno/ Kuznitsa (Poland)

Check-points at the airports:

  • airport “Brest”
  • airport “Grodno”

Stay on the visa-free territory is possible up to 15 days, but no longer than the period indicated in the document, which gives foreigners the right to visit the visa-free territory. This document is issued only by certified travel agencies.

Before going to BELARUS without a visa:

  1. No later than 48 hours before supposed departure contact one of the Belarussian travel agencies

The list of agencies can be found here. Certified travel agency in Novogrudok:

Travel agency “AsterraService” (Address: 34, Mitskivich str.,office 13, mail@asterra.by,  www.asterra.by, Tel. +375159749000, +375447726691)

2.  Book one of the offered package trips or at least 2 single tourist services.

3. Inform the travel agency about supposed dates of visit and send them your personal and contact data.

4. Pay for the chosen tourist services (different methods of payment are available).

5. Receive a document giving the right to visit visa-free territory (via e-mail or any other available way) and print it.

 

To visit a visa-free territory a tourist should possess the following documents:

  • a valid passport or other equivalent document for travelling abroad;
  • medical insurance policy in the amount of at least 10 thousand euros, valid in Belarus;
  • migration card (issued at the border check-points);
  • a document giving foreigners the right to visit visa-free territory.

For more information visit

NB! Foreigners who come to the visa-free zone must register with the internal affairs authorities within five days. As a rule, this is automatically done by hotels, agricultural estates, sanatoriums where tourists stay, as well as entrepreneurs who officially rent apartments to foreigners.

Upon entering Belarus, the tourists must possess a sum of money equivalent to at least two basic units* for each day of stay. * From January 1, 2019 one basic unit is BYN 25.5

There are no checkpoints or any barriers on the borders of visa-free zones inside Belarus (only warning signs can be set), but, of course, it is forbidden to violate the rules of visiting the country and leave the visa-free territory. Otherwise, the tourist will be given a punishment in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus (warning, fine, deportation).

Thirty-day visa-free travel to Belarus

Citizens of dozens of 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 through Minsk National Airport. The visa-free entry rules do not extend to any other international border checkpoints or airports 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 2019 one base amount is Br25.5

  • medical travel insurance valid across Belarus with a minimum medical coverage of  €10,000;

  • Citizens of Vietnam, Haiti, Gambia, India, Lebanon, Namibia, Samoa 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 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 five business 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.

Since 2 January 2019 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