# Visa policy of Belarus

Visitors to Belarus must obtain a visa from one of the Belarusian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.
Belarus's visa and other migration policies are also implemented in accordance with the mobility rights arrangements within the Commonwealth of Independent States and the rules of the single market of the Eurasian Economic Union.

## Common visa with Russia

On 19 June 2020, Russia and Belarus have signed an agreement on mutual recognition of visas. From 11 January 2025, visa-free entry is available for holders of a valid visa or residence permit of Russia.
Foreign nationals and stateless persons entering, staying, or transiting through Belarus and Russia on a visa basis, holding a visa from one of the two countries, and a mutually recognized identification document, have the right to enter, leave, stay, and transit both countries within the visa's validity. If Russia and Belarus offer a visa-free regime for these individuals under international agreements, the recognized ID document is sufficient for entry and stay. In cases where one country has a visa-free regime and the other requires a visa, the person must hold both the ID document and a visa for the latter.
Foreign nationals with a temporary residence permit or a document for attending an international event have the right to enter, exit, stay, and transit without a visa within the validity of their documents.
Stay duration is calculated from entry into one country from a third state.
Common visa with does not apply to individuals restricted from entering either country. Belarus and Russian officials retains the right to deny entry or reduce the duration of stay for any foreign national or stateless person, as well as to check compliance with entry, exit, transit, or stay regulations.
Entry into Belarus and Russia is possible through international border crossing points as well as directly via international railway and air routes, as well as listed automotive routes specified in the Agreement’s Appendix.
Currently, the Agreement includes six such sections:
* Yukhovichi – Dolossy (Opochka – Novopolotsk)
* Yezeryshche – Nevel (Kyiv – St. Petersburg)
* Lyozno – Kruglovka (Vitebsk – Smolensk)
* Redki – Krasnaya Gorka (Minsk – Moscow)
* Zvenchatka – Dubovichka (Bobruisk – Moscow)
* Selishche – Novozybkov (Gomel – Bryansk)
Crossing other land sections of the Russia-Belarus border via other routes is prohibited and will be treated as a violation of the state border.

## Visa exemption
### Economic integration and international treaties

Special travel conditions and exceptions to the usual rules, including special migration rules for foreign citizens, their family members and conditions for the provision of medical care are provided through international agreements and treaties to the following foreign citizens. The conditions for citizens of a specific country should be clarified in advance because not all countries are parties to all agreements.
* Union State of Russia and Belarus (Russia)
* The rules of the Single Economic Space of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan)
* Mobility rights arrangements of the Commonwealth of Independent States (present and former countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Ukraine and Georgia, but not Turkmenistan)

### Ordinary passports

Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter Belarus without a visa for the following period:
* Russia$^{IP}$
| Armenia | Georgia |
| Argentina$^1$  Azerbaijan | Mongolia  Tajikistan | Uzbekistan  Venezuela |
| Brazil  Israel  Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan  Moldova | Ukraine  United Arab Emirates |
| Albania$^1$  China$^1$  Cuba  Ecuador  Hong Kong | Macao$^1$ $^2$  Montenegro  Nicaragua$^1$  North Macedonia$^3$  Qatar | Saint Kitts and Nevis  Serbia  Turkey  Vietnam$^1$ |
$_{IP-InternalpassportacceptedifarrivingdirectlyfromRussiaorKazakhstan.}$ $_{1-Nomorethan90dayswithinany1calendaryear.}$ $_{2-ForholdersofMSARpassportsorMSARTravelPermits.}$ $_{3-Currentlyvisaexemptthroughotherwaiversuntiltheendof2024.MustpresentatouristvoucheroraninvitationletterinordertoenterBelaruswithoutavisa.}$
* Date of visa changes
* Citizens of Armenia (2003), Azerbaijan (2007), Georgia (1992), Kazakhstan (2002), Kyrgyzstan (2002), Moldova, Russia (2002), Tajikistan (2002), Ukraine (2010), Uzbekistan (2006) have never required a visa to enter Belarus. However, visa-free agreements have been signed with these states.
* 26 April 1990 (signed as USSR): North Macedonia (signed as Yugoslavia)
* 10 March 1999: Cuba
* 10 February 2000: Serbia
* 19 June 2008: Venezuela
* 14 June 2011: Qatar
* 4 September 2013: Mongolia
* 1 June 2014: Turkey
* 13 February 2015: Ecuador
* 26 November 2015: Israel
* 30 April 2016: United Arab Emirates
* 25 November 2016: Brazil
* 27 November 2016: Macao
* 19 May 2017: Argentina
* 13 February 2018: Hong Kong (length of stay extended on 10 April 2019)
* 10 August 2018: China
* 5 August 2019: Montenegro
* 23 August 2019: Saint Kitts and Nevis
* 15 July 2020: Albania
* 14 February 2024: Nicaragua
* 30 January 2025: Vietnam
* Cancelled:
* Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania: Unknown
* Turkmenistan: 19 July 1999
* Slovakia: 1 January 2001
* Poland: 1 October 2003
Visa exemption agreement for ordinary passports for 30 days (no more than 90 days within any 1 calendar year) was signed with Vietnam in December 2023 and is yet to enter into force.

### Temporary visa-free access

Citizens of the following countries are already exempt for entries through the Minsk Airport and for the period from 19 July 2024 to 31 December 2025 they may enter Belarus without a visa through land border crossings, with a maximum stay of 90 days within any 1 calendar year:
* Andorra
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Iceland
* Liechtenstein
* Monaco
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* San Marino
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City
$_{1-Includingnon-citizenresidentsofEstoniaandLatvia.}$

### Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic or official/service passports of the following countries and territories may enter Belarus without a visa for the following period:
* Russia
* Armenia
| Argentina$^1$  Azerbaijan  Bosnia and Herzegovina  El Salvador  Georgia$^1$  Guatemala | Hungary  Mongolia  Nicaragua  North Korea  Peru | Slovakia  South Korea  Tajikistan  Uruguay  Uzbekistan |
| Kazakhstan  Kyrgyzstan | Moldova  Ukraine | United Arab Emirates |
| Albania$^1$  Algeria  Bangladesh  Bolivia  Brazil  China  Colombia  Cuba | Chile  Ecuador  Egypt  Hong Kong  India  Iran  Macao  Montenegro | Oman  Qatar  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Serbia  Sri Lanka  South Africa  Syria  Turkey  Turkmenistan |
$_{D-Diplomaticpassportsonly.}$ $_{1-Nomorethan90dayswithinany1calendaryear.}$

### Additional requirements

All visitors are required to have an adequate health insurance.

## Regional visa-free regime
### Visa-free access through Minsk National Airport

Foreign visitors who are citizens of designated countries are allowed to enter Belarus without a visa through the Minsk National Airport, except for flights departing to and from Russian airports. The allowed length of stay is up to 30 days, with mandatory registration for stays exceeding 5 days in length. Visitors must also depart from Minsk National Airport, departure by other methods (for example by train) is not permitted. The number of visa-free entries is unlimited.
The decree "On establishing a visa-free order of entrance and departure of foreign citizens" was signed by the President of Belarus on 9 January 2017 and it entered into force on 12 February 2017. It was amended by another presidential decree on 24 July 2018, which entered into force on 27 July 2018.
| Andorra  Antigua and Barbuda  Australia  Barbados  Bahrain  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Canada  Chile  Dominica  El Salvador  Iceland  Indonesia  Japan | Kuwait  Liechtenstein  Malaysia  Mexico  Micronesia  Monaco  New Zealand  Nicaragua  North Macedonia  Norway  Oman  Panama  Peru | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  San Marino  Saudi Arabia  Seychelles  Singapore  South Korea  Switzerland  United Kingdom  Uruguay  Vanuatu  Vatican City |
| Egypt  Gambia  Haiti  India | Iran  Jordan  Lebanon  Namibia | Pakistan  Samoa  South Africa  Vietnam |
$_{1-Includingnon-citizenresidentsofEstoniaandLatvia.}$ $_{2-Onlyiftheyhaveamultipleentryvisa(i.e.,a'C'or'D'typevisa)fromaEuropeanUnionorSchengenareamembercountry,anentrystampfromoneofthesecountriesandavalidairticketwithdeparturefromtheairportslocatedinMinsk,Brest,Vitebsk,Gomel,GrodnoandMogilev.TheEUresidencecardsarenotacceptedforthispurpose.}$
In September 2017 it was announced that Belarus is planning to extend the visa-free access to 10 days and to other checkpoints. In November 2017 statistics were published showing that 54,000 foreigners visited Belarus through the visa-free program, mostly citizens of Germany, Poland, Italy, United States and the United Kingdom. Effective since 17 October 2021, visa is required for US citizens to travel to Belarus.

### Brest-Grodno

The single visa-free territory "Brest – Grodno" was established by a presidential decree signed in August 2019 and has been in effect since November 10, 2019.
Visitors are allowed to stay without a visa for 15 days. Entry is possible through the following checkpoints with Poland and Lithuania - Brest (Terespol), Bruzgi (Kuźnica), Damačava (Sławatycze), Bieniakoni (Šalčininkai), Bierastavica (Bobrowniki), Piasčatka (Połowce), Pryvalka (Raigardas), Piareraŭ (Białowieża), Liasnaja (Rudawka), Pryvalka (Švendubrė), Brest-Uschodni Railway Station, Grodno Railway Station, Brest Airport and Grodno Airport. Prior to travel, visitors must obtain an appropriate document issued by a local travel agency registered in Belarus.
The list of eligible citizens is the same as that for the visa-free program through the Minsk National Airport, only without restrictions for certain citizens.
The visa-free zone consists of the following territories:
* parts of Brest Region
** Brest
** Brest District
** Kamieniec District
** Pružany District
** Žabinka District
* parts of Grodno Region
** Grodno
** Bierastavica District
** Hrodna District
** Lida District
** Ščučyn District
** Svislač District
** Vaŭkavysk District
** Voranava District
* Parts of Grodno and Brest regions not listed above – when traveling on a tourist route as a member of an organised travel group.
The legislation superseded the previous decrees that established two separate visa-free zones: Brest area including Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park (since June 2015) and Augustów Canal area including Grodno (since October 2016).

## Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

From 20 March 2025, e-Visa for 30 days will be available for the following 67 countries:
| Andorra  Antigua and Barbuda  Australia  Bahrain  Barbados  Bolivia  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Canada  Chile  Colombia  Dominica  El Salvador  Iceland  Indonesia | Japan  Kuwait  Liechtenstein  Malaysia  Mexico  Micronesia  Monaco  New Zealand  North Macedonia  Norway  Oman  Panama  Paraguay  Peru | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  San Marino  Saudi Arabia  Seychelles  Singapore  South Korea  Switzerland  United Kingdom  United States  Uruguay  Vanuatu  Vatican City |

## Reciprocity

Belarusian citizens may enter without a visa to all countries whose citizens are allowed visa-free entry. Among the countries that have been granted visa-free access under the pilot program, Belarusian citizens are granted visa-free access to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Haiti, Malaysia, Micronesia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles and Vanuatu.

## Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Belarus were from the following countries:
| Country | 2013 |
| Ukraine | 1,412,980 |
| Russia | 1,107,571 |
| Lithuania | 863,730 |
| Poland | 362,452 |
| Moldova | 180,109 |
| Latvia | 145,452 |
| Germany | 33,416 |
| Total | 4,445,018 |