immigration

Belarus immigration issues including Belarus tourist voucher, Belarus tourist, private and group visas, Minsk airport services, Belarus medical insurance, etc.

What is the registration for tourists in Belarus?

updated on 07/02/2017

Foreign guests staying (on short-term visa) in Belarus temporarily must process their Belarus registration with the local migration authorities (OGIM - Îòäåë ïî ãðàæäàíñòâó è ìèãðàöèè = Citizenship and Migration Department) within 5 business days. This means that having stayed in Belarus since Monday you can leave on the 5th business day (Friday) without a registration stamp and have no problems at the border (confirmed by many sources).

Technically, registration is a stamp on your migration card with check-in and check-out dates. Most hotels do this automatically – they keep your passport and the migration card at the reception for 10-20 minutes to put the registration stamp on it and enter your passport data into the database. As you travel around, the same rule applies to the new destination - you must register within 5 business days after arriving to a new place in Belarus. If you move around fast, register once or twice and keep all your tickets just in case the border guards are curious.

It is a bit more complicated when you are staying at a friend’s apartment – the apartment host must personally accompany you to the local Migration Department where after a bit of a headache and paperwork (and the state fee, currently BYR 90 000, updated on 15 November 2015) you’ll get the same stamp. Keep your migration card in the passport until you are out of the country.


Questions are welcome!

Andrei Burdenkov - your personal guide in Belarus
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