Belarus work permit and work visa

The Ministry of Internal Affairs explains the process in four steps: finding a job, registering the employment documents, entering Belarus and staying there. Vacancies are published in the state employment service job bank at gsz.gov.by and in other sources, and the employer decides independently whom to hire. Once you agree terms, the employer must obtain the special permit, sign an employment contract for the period stated in the permit and give you a copy of both.

Article 2 of the Law on External Labour Migration exempts several groups, among them people granted refugee status, complementary protection or asylum in Belarus, foreigners hired for professions on a government list, seasonal agricultural workers employed for up to six months in a calendar year, and citizens of Eurasian Economic Union states (Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). The nationality-based exemption covers only Eurasian Economic Union citizens, so all other foreigners need the permit unless another exemption, such as a listed profession, applies.

Immigrant workers sign a fixed-term employment contract that may not exceed the validity of the special permit. Besides the terms required by the Labour Code, it must state the conditions of moving to Belarus, food, accommodation, medical care and a wage not lower than the Belarusian minimum wage on the day of signing. Civil-law contracts with foreign workers are prohibited, except for citizens of Eurasian Economic Union states. The employer notifies the citizenship and migration department within three working days of concluding, extending or terminating the contract.

The employer applies to the citizenship and migration department of the Minsk city or regional police administration where it is registered, with an application, a copy of your passport and proof of payment of the state fee. Copies of education and work experience documents are needed when the foreigner will head a commercial company he or she helped to found or is a highly skilled worker, and education documents may need translation and recognition. Recognition questions go to the Foreign Credentials Assessment Centre of the National Institute for Higher Education.

Working for several employers, or doing other paid work in a different position, requires a separate permit for each job. If you continue working after the first year, the employer obtains or extends the permit.

If you need a visa, you obtain it at the Belarusian embassy or consulate in your country of permanent residence, or at Minsk airport if there is no Belarusian mission there. The long-term visa for employment is supported by a letter from the employer together with a notarised copy of the special permit, or by information at the mission that the permit was issued. Within ten days of arrival you must register at the citizenship and migration unit for your place of stay or online through the Central Electronic Services Portal platform.gov.by (service 200.12.14.1), which is not available to those who entered from Russia. Registration requires an application, your passport, medical insurance and proof of the fee of one base value; your temporary stay follows the visa and may not exceed 90 days in a calendar year unless the law provides otherwise, so workers staying longer obtain a temporary residence permit on the employment ground for up to one year.

The Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs runs a labour migration hotline at +375 17 218 52 52 and +375 17 218 52 64, with mobile numbers +375 44 518 52 52, +375 25 518 52 52 and +375 33 370 52 52.