Belarus Visas: Frequently Asked Questions

In this section of our site, you will find questions that we are frequently asked about Belarus visas and some general answers to them.

We try to ensure that information contained in this section is accurate and up to date, however if you don't find what you are looking for here or have specific questions, please either check our forum for answers, post you own question to the forum or contact us, and we will be happy to help.

If you are completing your application with us then we will tell you all you need to know, but feel free to take a look the FAQs below if you require peace of mind!

Nationals of approximately 80 countries may visit Belarus for up to 30 days without a visa. Visitors wishing to use the visa free regime should enter and exit Belarus through Minsk International airport.

Belarus visa-free countries as of 2019:

Albania, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Spain, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Vietnam.

Note: Visa-free travel does not apply to visitors entering Belarus on flights from Russia nor visitors intending to exit Belarus and fly to Russia. 

To enter Belarus visa-free, all visitors need to have: 

• An original, valid passport or travel document.
• Money equivalent to 46 Belarusian rubles for each day of stay.
• Current medical insurance valid in Belarus.
• Have outbound tickets pre-booked showing exit from Belarus within 30 days of entry (highly recommended).

You do not require an auto-tourist visa if travelling Belarus by car, bus or another vehicle that is licensed to you. However, if you are planning to travel to Russia then you will need to ensure that you have a Russian auto-tourist visa prior to reaching the border.

Understanding your Belarusian visa can be tricky, should you require help, we have put together a page on our website which should help you make sense of the different fields. Please see our How to read a Belarusian visa page to find out more.

There is no set cost for Belarusian visas, the price of your visa will vary depending on your nationality, the type of visa you want and how quickly you need your application processed.

To find out how much your Belarusian visa will cost, please follow the steps on our main Belarus visa application page.

To check on the progress of your application with us, please click here and then enter in your application reference number. If you have lost this, then please contact us.

You will also receive automatic emails and notifications from our system as the status of your visa application changes.

You should always use the exact travel dates (if known) when applying for your Belarus tourist visa. If you are unsure about your exact travelling dates we would recommend adding a few days before and after your expected dates of travel.

This will depend on how far your application has progressed and may incur an alteration fee in some cases depending on what details need to be changed. If you have provided us wrong details or forgotten about something, please contact us immediately and we will see what we can do.

Unfortunately it is not possible to get a visa at the border. All visa applications would need to be made prior to entering the country.

The documents you need for us to submit your application to the consulate depend on your nationality. In some cases you may be required to apply directly at the consulate in person.* Passport holders of the UK require the following:

1. The completed, signed visa application form.
2. Your original signed passport with at least two blank pages and valid for at least 6 months after the end of the requested visa.
3. A single recent colour passport photograph taken against a plain white background, no older than 6 months.
4. A copy of your Letter of Invitation. Either a tourist voucher (official invitation) issued by the hotel approved by the Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs OR depending on your nationality an accommodation booking confirmation (only for stays no longer than 10 days). Please be aware that the Belarus Consulate will issue the visa based on the dates on your invitation/confirmation.
5. A copy of your medical insurance certificate covering every day of your stay in Belarus.
6. Payment, if not paying online.

Belarus group tourist visas can be acquired if you are travelling as part of a group, this would work more or less the same way as a standard tourist visa although it is recommended that you travel as part of your group at all times. If you plan on travelling independently for some of your trip, we recommend applying for a standard tourist visa instead.

If you stay in Belarus for five or more business days excluding weekends and Belarus public holidays then you will need to register your visa. If you are transiting through Belarus or staying less than five (5) working days then you do not need to register your visa, though you will still need to ensure you obtain a migration card.

It is impossible to obtain a Belarus tourist visa without an existing booking of an approved hotel. The Belarus Consulate accept two types of tourist visa support documents; the official invitation (tourist voucher) or a hotel booking confirmation (conditions apply). Your visa will only be valid for the dates that you booked your hotel for.

The official invitation can only be issued by the hotels registered with the Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This should confirm your personal details as well as the dates you booked the hotel for and it is signed and stamped usually by the reservation department representative. If you booked more than one hotel, you will need to obtain the invitation from each hotel separately.

A short-term, single-entry tourist visa (for stays no longer than 10 days) can be obtained on a basis of an accommodation booking confirmation, which should confirm the applicant’s details and the period of stay in Belarus. The booking confirmation should be printed on the letterhead of a hotel/travel agency and bear the signature of an official and a corporate seal. It should preferably indicate the name, address and the registration number of the inviting company (not only a hotel).

If Real Russia is managing the accommodation, then we will provide the official Letter of Invitation required by the Belarus Consulate*. To book an approved hotel, you may contact us or select and book one online at the following link: Hotel Bookings

Please note: we cannot supply these for migration risk nationals. If you are a national of such a country or if you are managing your own accommodation, then you will need to provide the necessary documents with your application.

If your visa is lost or stolen, you will need to apply for a new exit visa.

Firstly, you must contact a local police department and request an official document confirming that your visa was lost. To make processing your replacement visa easier, we recommend you to state that your documents were lost, not stolen.

After these steps, you need to get a new passport from the British Embassy in Belarus.

A migration card is an official document issued by the Belarusian government to authorise your passage into Belarus. When you cross the border into Belarus, for example overland by train from Poland or by air from London into Minsk, then you will be given a migration card which you will need to complete. The card is in two parts, part "A" and "B" and both parts need to be completed (in block capitals) before you go through passport control. Part "A" of the card will be kept by passport control on entry and part "B" is returned to you with an entry stamp on it.

Yes, if you are staying at a hotel, the hotel will register your visa for the duration of your stay at the hotel during the check-in process by placing the hotel registration stamp on part "B" of the migration card.

If you are staying at a private apartment or house then you need to be registered at the Passport and Visa Department in the town, city or district where you are staying. Your landlord or host will need to go with you and you will need to present your passport, part "B" of your migration card, proof of insurance and pay the registration fee of £4.00 (in Belarusian Roubles). The Passport and Visa Department registration stamp will go on part "B" of migration card.

When you leave Belarus you need to present passport control with part "B" of your migration card containing your entry stamp, and, if required your registration stamp(s) from the hotel or OVIR.

If you have failed to register your visa correctly or lost your migration card, then you may have problems with passport control when leaving Belarus including fines of several hundred US dollars.

Belarus official public holidays include:

• 1st January — New Year's Day.
• 7th January — Orthodox Christmas Day.
• 8th March — Women's Day.
• 1st May — Labour Day (International Workers' Day).
• 6th May — Public Holiday.
• 7th May — Commemoration Day (Radonitsa).
• 8th May — Public Holiday.
• 9th May — Victory Day.
• 3rd July — Independence Day.
• 7th November — October Revolution Day (Commemorating Russian Revolution, 1917).
• 8th November — Public Holiday.
• 24th December — Christmas Eve.
• 25th December — Christmas Day.

Please note: Most, if not all official offices, including the consulates in the UK will be closed on these days — and often, processing times are slower before and just after.

Once you have completed your visa application, we start processing immediately upon receipt of your order, as a result, we are only able to refund the consulate tariff and postage cost if you cancel your order before we submit your visa application to the Belarus Consulate.

If you have already submitted your application to the Belarus Consulate when you cancel your order, or in the unlikely event that your visa application is refused, we are unfortunately unable to provide a refund.