Everyone! - except citizens from the following CIS countries who do not need a visa to enter Belarus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
As of 2004, a Russian visa is no longer valid for transit through Belarus.
Poland-bound travellers should make sure the train or bus they intend to take does not pass through Belarus. If it does, you will need a visa.
Types of visas. You have three choices:
A transit visa valid for 72 hours, intended for those who only want to pass through.
A single-entry visa (also known as an 'ordinary' visa) which is valid for 30 days. It only allows you to enter Belarus once within the 30 days stipulated on the visa.
A multiple-entry visa can be valid for up to one year (maximum 30 days stay at any one time) and intended mainly for business travellers wanting to go in and out of the country a number of times.
Where to get them?
Transit visas, single-entry and multiple-entry visas can be obtained from any Belarusian embassy or consulate abroad. Visas are NOT issued at any land borders. You can get a visa on arrival at Minsk-II International airport if the country you have come from does not have a Belarusian embassy or consulate. Note that if you do this, you still need an invitation or proof of accommodation. We strongly recommended that you get your visa before leaving your home country however.
How to apply. Apply for a visa from any Belarusian embassy or consulate well in advance of the day of your intended departure. For all visas, you will have to submit:
a completed Belarusian visa application form (available from embassy or consulate)
a valid passport
one passport size photo (35mm x 45mm)
an invitation (http://www.visatorussia.com/russianvisa.nsf/belarus.html) from an officially registered company or proof of pre-booked accommodation in Belarus.
For a transit visa you need proof that you are only travelling on to another country, ie. travel documents or tickets.
Invitations & In-country Registration - It is impossible to get a Belarusian visa without either an invitation from your inviting organisation or confirmation of a hotel booking in Belarus.
Registering your visa in Belarus
Once in Belarus, you are obliged to register your visa at the local office of the Department of Visas and Registration (OVIR) within three days of your arrival in the country. If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel will take care of this (when you check-in, they'll ask you to hand over your passport). If you are not, you have to do it yourself. If you do not register at all, you risk being fined upon departure.
Central OVIR
Minsk City Administration, Department of Visas & Registration, Skoriny 8, Minsk, tel. (+375-17) 220 15 05.
Glavni OVIR
Y. Kolasa 24, Minsk, tel. (+375-17) 227 56 10.
Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations
Myasnikova 29, Minsk, tel. (+375-17) 220 26 35, fax (+375-17) 227 39 24.
Apparently they can provide you with a full listing of district and regional OVIR offices in Belarus.
Extending your visa & further information.
Extending your visa in Belarus is a bureaucratic nightmare and best avoided. Even we have not yet figured out the paperwork involved. If you have managed to figure it out, then take your passport and paperwork to:
Department of Visas & Registration (OVIR)
Minsk City Administration, Skoriny 8, Minsk, tel. (+375-17) 220 15 05.
More information how to obtain the Visa to Belarus at http://www.visatorussia.com
