How to register foreigners in Belarus (upd)

28.01.2019 |

44167

Red tape works too slowly, and to be honest, sometimes doesn’t make much sense. We’re always ready to help you, so we’ve gathered all the information on how to register a foreigner in Belarus. Invite your friends without problems!

What we are talking about

All the foreigners (read bellow about exceptions) that come to hospitable Belarus must register during 5 working days (except Sunday and public holidays) at the place of residence online or in Department of Citizenship and Migration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If a foreigner decides to change the residence, it’s necessary to repeat the whole process – again during 5 days. Those who stay in hotels, sanatoriums or agricultural guest houses don’t have to come to the Migration Office, they can register there.

Do all visitors need to register?

If you’re a citizen of Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Russia, or Ukraine, you can relax and stay in Belarus during 30 days without registration. The same for those who come only for 5 days or less. But don’t forget that the days of departure and arrival count as the whole day even if you cross the border at 11.00 p.m.

How to register online?

Starting January 2, foreigners can register in Belarus online. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Center for Electronic Services finally have made it possible.

Here are the simple steps to take:

1. Set up a personal account on portal.gov.by.

2. Select in the “Available services” tab the category “Citizenship and Migration”.

3. Order the service "Registration", fill in the application form and send it.

4. Receive a message about a successful registration at the specified address of stay.

The procedure is free. It is available to anyone who arrives in Belarus through any of the border checkpoints. A Belarusian citizen can also register a foreigner via his personal account. If you are staying in a hotel or a hostel, they will register you themselves.

Important note:

- If you arrive in Belarus through Russia or you need to extend the period of registration, you have to personally appear in the migration office.

How to register in the Migration Office

First of all you should find an office of Department of Citizenship and Migration. Here are the list of them and opening hours (at the end of the page). Pay attention that Monday is day off but it’s included in those 5 days; so try not to procrastinate.

What you need for registration::

- application

- your passport

- insurance (we wrote about the insurance standards here)

-migration card (you get it at the border)

-receipt for payment of the state duty (0.5 basic amount – about € 10, see the details here)

Everything will be ready during the day. Registration stamp is put in the migration card. You should show it at the border when you leave Belarus. If you lose the migration card, you have to pay a fee, so take good care of it.

What should you do if you miss the deadline

You must register anyway and pay a fee. It’s better to do it in Belarus than at the border. You should go to Department of Citizenship and Migration and do the same procedures but you´ll also get an administrative offence report. Sometimes, for example, if it’s the first law offense, you may get out of it just with a warning; but don’t really count on it. More likely you’ll pay a fee 2-10 basic amounts (BYN 46-230, € 23-110). The fee must be paid both by a foreigner and by a host. You can pay a registration cost by card or in cash in the terminal in Department of Citizenship and Migration but a fee must be paid only in cash in a bank. You have to do it during 30 days and bring the receipt back to the Department of Migration. Lifehack: it’s better to come to department at the opening because the procedure takes several hours. Second fee (during a year) will be even more (up to 30 basic amounts); so it’s better to do everything in time.

Is anything going to change?

Yes. The bill of the increase days (up to 10) to spend in Belarus without registration is prepared in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it can already happen in 2019. We’re looking forward!