ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: 
A passport and visa are required. Travelers must obtain a visa in order to visit or transit through Belarus. Travelers who do not have a visa cannot register at hotels. U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Belarus are required to register with the local office of visas and registration (OVIR) within three working days after arrival.  Failure to do so can result in fines and visits from local law enforcement authorities.  U.S. citizens staying in hotels are automatically registered at check-in.  Visa validity dates are strictly enforced; travelers should request sufficient time to allow for delays in arrival and departure , and should carefully review the beginning and ending dates of their visas before traveling.

Exit Visa: A valid visa is necessary to depart Belarus.  Generally, the visa issued by a Belarusian Embassy or Consulate is valid for entry and exit.  It is helpful to make a photocopy of your visa in the event of loss, but note that a copy of your visa will not be sufficient for leaving the country, as Belarusian border officials always ask for the original. 

Travelers who overstay their visa’s validity -- even for one day -- will be prevented from leaving until they have been granted an extension by OVIR.  United States citizens without valid visas face delays in leaving Belarus and may have trouble finding adequate accommodation.  By Belarusian law, travelers with an expired visa may not check in at any hotel, guesthouse, hostel, or other lodging establishment in Belarus.  

On February 4, 2006, changes to the 1993 Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Republic of Belarus entered into force. The legislation introduces three new categories of legal presence in Belarus. Foreign citizens may be granted permission for a temporary stay (up to 90 days within a chronological year), temporary residence (up to one year), or permanent residence.

Belarusian Embassies and Consulates will issue visas for temporary stays. A temporary stay visa will allow the bearer to be present physically in Belarus for a maximum of 90 days within the 365-day period for which the visa is issued. Once an individual has spent 90 days in Belarus, at one time or through a combination of visits, he or she will not be eligible to receive another visa until the original 365-day period has passed.

Individuals who receive a visa for a temporary stay, but wish to remain in Belarus for longer than 90 days, will need to apply for temporary or permanent residence with the Ministry of Interior. Individuals must make the application in Belarus and within the 90 days allotted for a temporary stay. Permission for temporary residence can be granted to students, spouses or close relatives of Belarusian citizens, or for “work, business, or other activities.” Travelers may contact the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk for information about application procedures for temporary or permanent residence.

The new legislation also introduces a migration card that will be filled out by foreign citizens upon entry into Belarus. Foreign citizens will be required to retain this card and present it to the border authorities when exiting Belarus.

Another provision in the new legislation states that foreign citizens visiting and transiting Belarus should be prepared to demonstrate sufficient financial means to support their stay. For individuals in Belarus for less than one month, this amount is equal to approximately USD 15/day/person. For those staying for longer than one month, the requirements call for USD 375/person/month. Belarusian officials may request this proof of funds at the time of visa application, at the border, or during registration. According to the Ministry of Interior, cash, credit cards, paid hotel reservations, or a letter from an inviting party pledging full financial support are sufficient means to demonstrate financial wherewithal.

Belarus requires all foreign nationals (other than accredited diplomats) entering the country to purchase medical insurance at the port-of-entry, regardless of any other insurance they might have.  Costs for this insurance will vary according to the length of stay.  (Subject to change, current information puts costs at $1.00 for a one-or two-day stay, $15.00 for a stay up to 30-31 days, and $85.00 for a stay of one year.) 

A presidential decree adopted in June 2005 requires citizens of foreign countries to pay a one-time fee when entering/exiting Belarus.  This entry/exit tax currently amounts to approximately $3.00 per person.  Travelers should receive a receipt and produce this document at the request of Border Control Officers at border crossing points.  Diplomats and their family members, as well as members of official delegations and representatives of international organizations, are exempt from the duty.

Travelers entering Belarus by air with more than 50 kilograms of luggage (110 pounds) will be charged 2 Euro 2 per kilogram in excess of that limit.  The fee must be paid in dollars or Euros.  Travelers should declare all electrical and electronic equipment or devices upon entry; failure to do so will require the traveler to pay up to 30 percent customs duty on these items upon departure.  Travelers should complete two customs declarations at the time of entry and should retain one copy and produce it at the time of exit in order to prove that items were not acquired while in Belarus . In accordance with current customs regulations, foreigners may enter Belarus with up to $10,000 and exit the country with up to $ 3,000 without submitting a written declaration.

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Travelers who enter and then leave Belarus in a private vehicle at two different points are often required to pay a “green” tax, or ecology tax, which is levied by the regional authorities.

The Belarusian government sometimes enforces a requirement for special permits to travel in “protected border zones.”  The Government of Belarus has not provided information defining the parameters of those zones.  Travelers should be alert for warning signs, road barriers, and/or border guard posts, and are advised not to cross into such areas without permission.

Foreign missionaries may not engage in religious activities outside the institutions that invited them unless they have a religious worker visa.  One-year validity, multiple-entry, "spiritual activities" visas, which are required of foreign missionaries, can be difficult to get, even for faiths that are registered with the government and have a long history in the country.  Approval often involves a difficult bureaucratic process.  It is not clear whether the legislation introducing three new categories of legal presence in Belarus will impact the procedures for receiving a religious worker visa.

A law signed in October 2002 required all religious groups and organizations, including recognized “traditional” religions such as Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Judaism, Sunni Islam and the Lutheran Church, to re-register, and many such organizations chose to do so.  Unregistered religious groups may not legally gather for religious purposes.  Many groups continue to meet, however, leaving them vulnerable to selective implementation of the law by authorities.  The law also stipulates that only Belarusian citizens can head religious organizations in Belarus .  In recent years , authorities have harassed, warned, fined, and briefly detained members of some unregistered and so-called "non-traditional" faiths for engaging in unsanctioned worship or proselytism.  The U.S. Embassy strongly recommends that any U.S. citizen who chooses to attend a religious service of an unregistered religious group do so only after consulting with members of the group about the risk of harassment or possible arrest by local law enforcement authorities.  U.S. citizens are also urged to contact the U.S. Embassy should they encounter any problems with authorities due to their participation in such services or events.

U.S. citizens traveling through Belarus to other countries are strongly reminded that there is a transit visa requirement for entering and leaving Belarus. Transit visas should be obtained prior to any journey that requires travel through Belarus. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Russian visas are no substitute for this transit visa.  Most travel agencies, including those in Russia and CIS countries, as well as train ticket sales personnel, are often not aware of this visa requirement and may not seek a transit visa for a traveler unless instructed by the traveler to do so.  U.S. citizens traveling to Belarus via Russia are reminded that they must possess a Russian transit visa in addition to their Belarusian visa.  The Russian Embassy generally does not issue transit or tourist visas to Americans in Belarus.

U.S. citizens attempting to transit Belarus without a valid Belarusian transit visa have been denied entry into the country and forcibly removed from trains.  In some instances, local border and train authorities have threatened passengers who did not possess a valid transit visa with jail or extorted “fines.”  American citizens are advised not to pay any border or train officials for transit visas or “transit visa fines” as these officials are not authorized to issue such visas.  Americans finding themselves in Belarus without transit visas should, if confronted by border or train personnel, demand to be put in contact with consular officials at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk. .

After August 15, 2002, naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Belarus do not automatically lose Belarusian citizenship upon naturalization. Such individuals retain Belarusian citizenship unless they take specific steps to renounce it. The Belarusian authorities will allow naturalized U.S. citizens from Belarus without a valid Belarusian passport to enter the country on a “certificate of return” issued by Belarusian Embassies and Consulates abroad, but please note that a valid Belarusian passport will be required to leave the country. It can take between two to four weeks to receive a new Belarusian passport.

Visit the Embassy of Belarus web site at http://www.belarusembassy.org for the most current visa information or contact the Embassy of Belarus at 1619 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009, tel. 202-986-1606, fax: 202-986-1805, consul@belarusembassy.org.

MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION:  Medical care in Belarus is limited. There is a severe shortage of basic medical supplies, including anesthetics, vaccines and antibiotics.  Elderly travelers and those with existing health problems may be at risk due to inadequate medical facilities. Travelers are encouraged to ensure that they bring an adequate supply of prescription medications in the event that there are delays in departing Belarus.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747)

MEDICAL INSURANCE:  The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.

REGISTRATION / EMBASSY LOCATION: Americans living or traveling in Belarus are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Belarus . Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located in Minsk at 46 Starovilenskaya Ulitsa; telephone (375) 17-210-12-83 or after hours (375) 17-226-16-01, fax (375) 17-234-78-53 or (375) 17-217-71-60 (consular section).  The Consular Section may also be reached by email at ConsularMinsk@state.gov.