To obtain a visa the following documents should be submitted to the Consulate General of the Republic of Belarus in New York:

1. A valid original passport (not a copy) or "Reentry Permit" or "Refugee Travel Document" with at least one blank page available for a visa.

2. A completed Visa Application Form.

3. A passport-size photograph.

4. A letter of invitation.
All applications for a Belarusian entry visa must be accompanied by an invitation (type and form of invitation depend on the type of visa requested; see below):

4.1. For a VISITOR visa (private visits):
An original invitation (not a copy) must be obtained from the local Citizenship & Migration Department Office of the Ministry of Interior of Belarus (Passport & Visa Office).

An invitation may also be submitted by a Belarusian citizen on a temporary visit to the U.S.
The invitation must be notarized at the Consulate General of Belarus in New York in person.

Note: A Visitor Visa can be issued without a letter of invitation from Belarus, if the applicant submits to the Consulate General:

a) a valid original Certificate (not a copy) confirming the existence in Belarus of a burial place (grave) of an applicant's next of kin (father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, grandparents).
The Certificate must be issued by any of the following:
- Belarusian Society of Red Cross, the Republican Committee;
- local executive authorities;
- cemetery authorities.
Death Certificate needs not be submitted to the Consulate General.

b) a doctor-certified fax message from Belarus specifying the type of emergency (sudden illness or death of an applicant's next of kin);

* The above documents (certificate, fax message, letter) must be printed on an official letterhead with a registration number, date of issue, and should bear the signature of an official and a seal.


4.2. For a BUSINESS visa:
A letter of invitation (original or faxed) from an officially registered agency, company or entity in the Republic of Belarus.

A letter of invitation must be printed on the official letterhead with a registration number, a signature of the head of the company as well as a corporate seal. It should also indicate the expected duration of your stay in Belarus.

An inviting party must provide written guarantees that an invitee will abide by the rules and regulations applied to foreign citizens in the Republic of Belarus.

Multiple-entry business visa requires confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.


4.3. For a TOURIST visa:
A copy of the tourist voucher and a copy of the confirmation from a Belarusian travel agency. The host must be officially registered as a tourist operator and its licence number included in the confirmation.


4.4. For a TRANSIT visa:
A visa (or copy) for the country you are travelling from/to via Belarus. If you travel to countries with no entry visa requirements — copy of the ticket, itinerary from your travel agency or any other document confirming your trip to the country of destination.

5. If the applicant formerly had USSR or Belarusian citizenship, the documents proving the loss of USSR/Belarusian citizenship should also be submitted.

6. A money order or a cashier's check (no cash or personal checks) for visa processing payable to the Consulate of Belarus in accordance with Visa Processing Fees.

Please note that visas already granted cannot be changed or extended by the Consulate General.
If the applicant's travel arrangements to Belarus change once the visa has been granted, he/she should reapply for a new visa and pay a full consular fee. The previous visa becomes void.

Fee Waiver
Foreign officials travelling to the Republic of Belarus as representatives of the U.S. Government or international oganizations such as the United Nations shall be granted diplomatic/official type of visas free of charge.

7. When applying by mail, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (for safety reasons the use of prepaid Express Mail, Federal Express, DHL, UPS or Airborne Express is advised), with a ZIP code, return and forwarding address. We do not accept mailings marked "bill sender", "bill credit card".

If you do not follow above requirements, your visa application cannot be processed.

Processing Time
Visas, normally, shall be issued within 5 business days.
However, some visas can take up to 15 days to process. Express visas can be issued within 48 hours.

The Consulate General reserves the right to ask for additional documents or to conduct a personal interview with the applicant.

Within 3 business days of your arrival in Belarus, please inform the local Citizenship & Migration Department Office of the Ministry of Interior (Passport & Visa Office) of your address and duration of stay and have your passport registered. If staying in a hotel, arrange your registration through the hotel customer service (reception desk) at check -in.

A Visitor or Business visa can be extended up to 90 days when staying in Belarus. It will be done by the Minsk City or Regional Citizenship & Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior in Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk upon presentation of all required documents.
Tourist visa cannot be extended.

Effective October 1, 2000, medical insurance coverage is required for all foreign citizens travelling to the Republic of Belarus.

There is a consular office at the Minsk National Airport. Normally, the office issues visas to foreign visitors from the countries where there are no Belarusian consular offices. However, it may also issue visas to the citizens of the states where the offices do exist.
Note: The Visa Processing Fees at the Minsk National Airport consular office are applied to the U.S. citizens regardless of their country of residence.

The above regulations are subject to change without prior notice.