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Citizens of foreign countries who want to enter the
Republic of Belarus have to observe the immigration and residence
legislation of this country.
A citizen of a foreign country, wishing to travel to the
Republic of Belarus, must have a valid passport or a substituting
document that establishes the bearer's identity and a visa. These
rules may be different in case corresponding agreements between the
Republic of Belarus and a particular foreign country exist.
An applicant for a visa to enter the Republic of Belarus has
to pay a consular fee in accordance with the approved table of
consular fee rates.
The type of a visa a foreign person must have relates to the
purpose of his/her travel. There are several types of visas that
allow foreigners entering the Republic of Belarus: visitor visa,
tourist visa, business visa, etc. The easiest way to obtain a visa
is to apply to a tourist agency, but there are other ways as well.
To apply for a visa a foreign person has to submit to the diplomatic
mission or a consular office of the Republic of Belarus the
following documents.
For a business visa one needs an original or a copy of a
letter of invitation from a company registered as a legal entity in
the Republic of Belarus. Note that representative offices of foreign
companies are not considered legal entities in the Republic of
Belarus and have no right to issue letters of invitation. A letter
of invitation should be drawn up on a business form of an inviting
company. It should have company's address, telephone and fax number,
registration number, a signature of the head of a company and a
corporate seal. The following information should be included into
the letter of invitation: name, surname and a date of birth of an
invitee, his/her nationality, position in the company, purpose and
duration of a visit. An inviting company has to state that it will
provide for an invitee to observe the residence and visitors'
registration regulations of the Republic of Belarus. A business visa
may be issued for a maximum period of 90 days.
A visitor visa requires an original invitation from a
Belarusian citizen made according to the requirements and through
the citizenship and migration departments with Belarus? Internal
Ministry. A visitor visa may be issued for the period stated in the
invitation; the maximum period of stay is 90 days. In some cases a
visitor visa may be granted a visa without submitting an invitation.
In this case the applicant has to submit to a local Belarusian
consulate one of the following documents: a document from Belarus'
Red Cross Society or local authorities that confirms that close
relatives of an applicant are buried in Belarus and their graves are
safe; a cable drawn up in accordance with the established procedure
in case of unexpected illness, death of a close relative living in
the Republic of Belarus; a letter from a citizen of the Republic of
Belarus certified according to the existing procedures in any
consular office of the Republic of Belarus.
A multiply visitor visa may be issued to foreign citizens who
have close relatives (parents, brothers, sisters, spouses,
grandparents) as well as to their family members (spouses, children
younger 18) for stay of up to one year. Applicants have to submit an
invitation letter drawn up according to the established procedure
and certified by the Passports and Visa Service with Belarus'
Internal Ministry.
A tourist visa is issued for a stay of up to 30 days and
requires a confirmation or a voucher from a travel agency in the
Republic of Belarus licensed to deal with international tourists.
The document should include the number of foreign tourists entering
the Republic of Belarus, their period of stay and place of residence
in this country.
A transit visa allows a foreign citizen to travel one way via
the Republic of Belarus. This type of visa is valid during 48 hours
after the person enters the country. An applicant must have a visa
for the country he/she is traveling from/to via the Republic of
Belarus. In case of traveling to countries with no entry visa
requirements an applicant has to produce other documents confirming
the trip to the destination country.
The visa processing time for single-entry visas is up to five
working days from the date all necessary documents are submitted to
a local consular agency of the Republic of Belarus.
Single business or visitor visas can be extended. A foreign
citizen has to apply to a regional citizenship and migration agency
with the local interior department. Guests that were invited by
companies registered in the city of Minsk are to apply to
citizenship and migration department with the main interior
department of Minsk. For further information, please, contact +375
(17) 231-38-09. Note that tourist visas cannot be extended.
It is also possible to obtain a Belarusian visa on arrival to
the international airport Minsk-2. A local consular office is open
around the clock. To apply for a visa there one needs an invitation
letter, a valid passport and 2 photos.
After arriving in Belarus please report the information about
the address and duration of your stay to the local Passport and Visa
Office of the Ministry of Interior in three business days and have
registration put in your passport. If staying in a hotel, this will
be arranged by the reception bureau.
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