Changes

Foreign citizens of 74 countries, who come to Belarus '''both enter''' and '''leave the country by plane (through the State border checkpoint of the Republic of Belarus "''' via Minsk National International Airport"), can enter Belarus for up to 30 days '''without visa''' (since July 27, 2018). The given order of visa-free movement through the airport This does not extend to persons coming to Belarus by plane from the Russian FederationRussia, as well as to those who intend to would fly to the airports of the Russian Federation out via Russia (such flights are considered as internal ones and do not have border control).

Nevertheless you have to fulfil several requirements to be able to enter the country without visa. For more information check web-pages of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belorussian MFA and State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus.:

[http://mfa.gov.by/en/visa/visafreetravel/e0ced19bb1f9bf2c.html ''Information on visa-free travel via the checkpoint "Minsk National Airport"'']<br>[httphttps://gpk.gov.by/en/informatsiyaborder-dlya-peresekayushhih-granitsucrossing/pravila-peresecheniya-granitsy-dlya-inostrantsev.php ''Rules of border Border crossing rules for foreign citizens'']

[[File:Belarus_regional_visa-freefree_provisions_in_Grodno_and_Brest_regions.png|220px|thumb|right|Parts Part of Belarus covered by Brest and Hrodna regional visa-free provisionsprovision]]In addition there is a possibility to Additionally, you can also enter some parts of the country by car or by train overland without a visa for 10 up to 15 days. In order to visit Brest or and Hrodna regions for ten 15 days without visas you need:to get visa-free travel documents at least 72 hours before your journey to Belarus.

- buy a holiday package from a travel agency (as per rules, travel agencies are the ones to take care of routes and sightseeing in For more details check the following link: [https://bezviz.by/en/ ''Belarus visa-free travel areas);- fill in forms, send in your data (passport information, contact information) and sign a contract with the travel agency for a tour as an individual or as a group.The travel agency will have to take care of the rest – registration, the necessary documents, other things''].

For more details check the following links: [https://bezviz.by/en/brest/ ''Brest an old-fashioned visa free region''], [httpsfollow this procedure://bezviz.by/en/grodno/ ''Hrodna visa free region'']. If you are coming from a country which is not in the list of visa-free countries or for some other reason can't enter Belarus as a visa-free tourist then you need to apply for visa prior to visiting Belarus. In this case, try Try to find someone on Couchsurfing/BeWelcome/TrustRoots who'd be willing to "invite" you to Belarus (thus you could apply for a "private visit" visa), as this would save you money in the visa application process - the only way to get a regular tourist visa is through an overpriced agency, which would be eager to book hotels on your behalf. Some embassies may be satisfied with a confirmed hotel booking, without an agency letter, but that would be up to their discretion. However, most Belarusian embassies will issue a "private visit" visa without a letter of invitation or other supporting documents where only the personal info of the inviting person would suffice if the visa duration is less than 30 days. In some cases, they may however ask for a copy of the inviting person's passport but again that would be up to the discretion of the embassy personnel.

Easiest option - they'll do it for you automatically and you won't have to worry about it. In some rare instances, they may charge extra for registration, so do ask if registration is included.

You'll have to visit the local "Migration Department" within 5 business days('''including Saturday!''') '''with your as well as your host's passport'''(they don't have to be there in person, but if you don't speak Russian, it's best that they are). TheyYou'll ask you to fill out a form and pay a fee at a local bank branch(the fee is around EUR 10). It might sound scary, but it's relatively straightforward. It is advisable that you You should register with your first host upon arrival to Belarus for the entire duration of your stay(until your visa expires) - you won't have to worry about/pay for registration again. Legally, you should re-register if you stay somewhere else for more than 5 days, but no one will bother you about this and you can always say "I got here yesterday" :)...

This is the most complicated option. Hotels will only register you for the duration of your booking. Once you check out, you're no longer considered registered and the 5 day period does not apply any more. Therefore, if you then stayed stay with someone through couchsurfing, you'd need to register immediately, in person, as is described in option 2. If you register with a host first (regardless for how long) and '''then''' stay at a hotel, your previous registration becomes void and the hotel registration applies, so the moment you check out you need to re-register somewhere else (either stay in another hotel or register with a host - again the 5 day period won't apply). You could ask the hotel to not stamp your card, so that your previous registration is still valid during and after your hotel stay but this is technically illegal and up to the receptionist's discretion. ([[user:uncle_sam01|uncle_sam01]] got his hotel stamp on a sticky note with a "you-naughty-boy" gesture from the receptionist...)