Belarus e-visa: how to apply online

The e-visa is open to holders of ordinary passports of 68 countries, among them the United States, Canada, the EU member states, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom. Purposes are business trips; participation in sporting, cultural, scientific and educational events and internships; private affairs; and tourism. Earlier visa-free regimes remain in place, so travellers who are already visa-exempt for their planned stay do not need it.

The consular fee is the same as for a traditional visa in the passport. For citizens of the EU states it is EUR 35, and children under 12 from those states pay nothing; children of other nationalities under 14 are also free. Every applicant, regardless of age or citizenship, pays an internet-acquiring and service fee of EUR 6.

Applicants create a personal account on the e-Pasluga website or mobile app and choose service 3.04.01, e-visa issuance. No support documents are required and the visa is issued automatically, without contact with a diplomatic mission. Applications are considered within seven calendar days. Payment is by Visa or Mastercard.

Entry is possible through all international road and rail checkpoints and through the airports of Minsk, Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev and Vitebsk. Travellers must show the e-visa, electronically or printed, on entry and on request during the stay, carry medical insurance of at least EUR 10,000 and register their stay within ten days unless a hotel does it.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that Russia currently does not admit foreigners entering directly from Belarus on Belarusian e-visas, or on Russian e-visas when entering from Belarus, until technical issues are settled. For the same technical reasons, foreigners cannot enter Belarus from Russia on Belarusian e-visas.