Obtaining a visa involves not only certain costs, but also difficulties, sometimes insurmountable. From the very beginning, vacation can be overshadowed by the fact that you are forced to beat the thresholds of embassies, overpay for intermediaries, and wait for a decision that cannot always be positive. And how do you want to go abroad without collecting income statements and similar pieces of paper! But there are states for which all this is not required to enter. Unfortunately, the list of visa-free countries for Belarusians is not as extensive as for citizens of Ukraine and Russia. But still there are such states, and we will devote our article to them. Belarusian citizens have one advantage. They do not need to specially issue a foreign passport. The document proving their identity serves both for domestic use and for traveling abroad. But this advantage has a minus: when you submit documents for a visa to the consulate, then go without a passport for the entire period of consideration of the application.
The nuances of visa policy
Before starting to list the countries where Belarusians can freely go on vacation or visit relatives, let's first clarify some features of the border checkpoint. There are several types of states with their own requirements. Firstly, these are truly visa-free countries for Belarusians. You can enter them with a valid passport, and no more documents are required at the border. In some states you can stay for thirty days, in others up to ninety days. You can stay in Vietnam without a visa for two weeks, and if you plan to stay in the country for a longer period, you need to buy a special letter Approval Later via the Internet. There is also a country where visa-free entry is not allowed for all citizens of Belarus, but only for residents of border regions. This is Lithuania. There are also states where a visa is opened right upon arrival. This mark costs, of course, money, but you don’t need to collect a whole package of documents for its opening and take it to the consulate! In some countries, for example, China, you can enter without a visa only as part of a tourist group. An independent traveler is required to contact the embassy.
Hello from the past
The former republics of the Soviet Union remember our common history. Due to long-standing friendly ties, they established a special access regime for citizens “originally from the USSR”. First of all, such visa-free countries for Belarusians as Ukraine, Russia and Moldova should be mentioned. Do you want to go to sea in the summer? There is nothing easier. For a trip to the Krasnodar Territory or to the northern Black Sea coast, only a passport is required. These countries neighboring Belarus are always welcome guests. But stay in such states is limited to ninety days. Do you like Caucasian cuisine and color? Then sunny Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are waiting for you. In the last two republics, Belarusians can stay without any time limit, having only a valid passport with them. More stringent rules for entering Georgia. In addition to a passport, you must present proof of your solvency and return tickets. You can stay in Georgia with tourist purposes and without a visa for up to sixty days. For as many as ninety days you can come to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, having with you only a passport of a citizen of Belarus. Duration of stay in Kyrgyzstan is limited to thirty days, but you can also enter this republic of Central Asia without a visa.
European visa-free countries for Belarusians 2016: list
It should be remembered that many tourist countries, in the hope of attracting more travelers (with their money), simplify the regime of entry into the country. Some states do this temporarily, say, for the summer, “beach” period. Others make it easier for “organized” tourists who travel the world through agencies to enter the country. Each year, such countries decide whether to let Belarusians into their lands or close the doors for them. So, consider a list of European countries where you can enter without visas in 2016. Russia, Ukraine and Moldova we have already mentioned. Serbia receives guests from Belarus for up to thirty days. From the documents only a passport is required.
Conditionally visa-free states of Europe
But only Belarusians who have relatives or acquaintances in this country will be able to freely enter Macedonia. The invitation must be certified by a notary. On the basis of one passport, only residents of a narrow strip in the north of Belarus are allowed to Latvia. But you can stay in this country for up to ninety days. If you booked a hotel in Montenegro and have a printed voucher with return tickets, you can safely come to rest in this Balkan state. In 2016, the list of countries for visa-free entry (for Belarusians) was replenished by Albania. But you need to have time to freely arrive in this state before the first of November. After that, a visa is required again. What will be the year 2017 for tourists from Belarus - only the parliament of Albania knows. Northern Cyprus is also on the list of conditionally visa-free European countries. To enter the country you need to have (except for your passport) return tickets, hotel vouchers and a bank income statement confirming your solvency.
Middle East countries where a visa is not required
All-inclusive countries (Turkey, the Holy Land (Israel) and the mecca of all winter tourists - the UAE) beckon everyone to soak up the clean beaches and enjoy all the delights of a carefree holiday. The names of these countries alone sound like a song. Where can a Belarusian tourist get without opening a visa? Turkey from June fourteenth year hospitably opened its doors to its resorts for this category of travelers. This is used by those who want to relax in Northern Cyprus. But you need to enter there by ferry from Turkey. Only Jews of any nationality are not allowed into Palestine. But, since there is no column on nationality in the passport of Belarusians, you can go to Arab territories. Israel and Qatar are countries with a visa-free regime for Belarusians (2016). Therefore, it is worth taking advantage of this and visiting at least the Holy Land.
Conditionally visa-free countries of the Middle East
A Belarusian citizen can come to Jordan freely. True, at the border he will have to pay a certain amount of money for pasting the stamp: forty dinars for a stay of up to two months and sixty for a longer period. But if the indicated citizen arrives in this state with the Jordan Pass voucher purchased in advance, then he does not need a visa. In general, this country of visa-free entry for Belarusians has a very complicated system of access control. If you arrive by land from Israel through the Eilat-Aqaba point, you will not be allowed to enter without a coveted stamp in your passport. But border control at the airports of Jordan, you will pass unhindered without any visa. In this case, you can stay in the country (provided that you will not look for work) up to thirty days.
Southeast Asia and China. Countries for free visits
We have already mentioned the rules for visa-free entry into the Celestial Empire. If you travel as part of a group through a travel agency and not to Tibet, then you do not need a visa. Southeast Asia is a Mecca for those who want to escape from slushy and snowy winters to hot summers. But, unfortunately, Thailand is not included in the list of “Visa-free countries for Belarusians (2016)”. But the resorts of Vietnam are no worse than the Kingdom of smiles. Fifteen days can be spent in the country without a visa, and a whole month on the island of Phu Quoc. Malaysia also welcomes Belarusians in a friendly manner. And finally, you can stay in Mongolia without any mark (border guards only put a stamp) for up to ninety days.
Southeast Asia. Where you can go without any problems
There are conditionally visa-free countries for Belarusians in this part of the world. And there are quite a lot of them. In countries such as Bangladesh, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, East Timor, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka, the stamp is pasted upon arrival on the border. She is worth the money. Sometimes the amount is symbolic, but it happens that it is very substantial (in Turkmenistan they may require up to one hundred and fifty euros for entering the country). In some countries, a visa for Belarusians is needed, but it can be obtained by e-mail. It is pretty simple. You go to the embassy website, pay for a visa. A letter is sent to you by e-mail with which you enter the country. Border guards already have a warning about your arrival, and they paste a stamp on your passport. States with such simplified entry are Cambodia, Myanmar and Singapore. In some countries, a transit visa is available upon arrival. In the United Arab Emirates, you can stay in the state for up to four days. In some countries, a visa on arrival can only be obtained at land crossings at the border, but at border control at airports - no. These states include Laos. But in Indonesia, Belarusians who arrived by air through the airports of Batam, Denpasar Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan Kuala Namu just need a passport to get to the island state.
Africa
Unfortunately, on the whole continent there are only three visa-free countries for Belarusians. These are the Gambia, Namibia and Seychelles. In these states you can freely stay for ninety days (but only for the purpose of tourism). However, there are a number of countries where Belarusians do not need a visa if they comply with certain conditions. For example, if you want to relax in Egypt, but do not want to pay for the stamp, you can fly to Sharm el-Sheikh or Taba airport and ask for the “Sinai stamp”. It is set free of charge, and it is valid for fifteen days. A “Sinai visa” can also be obtained at the seaport of Nuweiba and at the land checkpoint on the Israeli border in Eilat. True, with this stamp you cannot get into the African part of Egypt. In Madagascar, if the duration of your intended stay in the country is less than thirty days, a visa is opened for you free of charge. Belarusians are freely allowed into Tunisia, but only if they travel through travel agencies.
Conditionally visa-free countries in Africa
The list of states where entry can be arranged upon arrival is much more extensive. These are Ghana, Gabon, Djibouti, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, mainland Egypt, Cape Verde, Zambia, Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, Comoros, Mauritania (if you arrive at the Nouakchott airport), Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia. These conditionally visa-free countries for Belarusians (2016) have different prices for access to their territory. The cost of pasting depends on a single entry or multiple visits, as well as on the length of stay in the state. There are also countries where a visa can be issued on the Internet in the manner described above. These are states such as Eritrea, Togo, Sao Tame and Principe, Zimbabwe.
North America. Territories and countries of visa-free entry for Belarusians (2016)
Of course, in order to get to the USA and Canada, you need to try very hard. Registration of visas to these countries is fraught with great difficulties. But in the North American region there are tiny states that are not averse to making money on tourists, including from Belarus. In Antigua and Barbuda you can relax for a month without a visa. The same thing in Barbados - however, there the term of stay is limited to four weeks. But in Haiti, you can live for three months without a visa. In Dominica, the period of rest is limited to three weeks. Long-standing friendly ties connect Belarus and Cuba. On Liberty Island, you can sunbathe a month. Panama, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines complete the list of Caribbean countries where you can come with just a passport.
South America
Would you like to plunge into the culture and life of Indians living in the Andes? No problems! Peru allows Belarusians to enter their territory without any prior permission and free of charge. In this case, you can stay in the state as much as one hundred eighty-three days, that is, six months. Such Latin American countries with a visa-free regime for Belarusians, like Venezuela and Ecuador, allow staying on their territory for up to three months. Access to Bolivia, Guyana and Suriname can be arranged upon arrival.
Oceania
In this region, there are such visa-free countries for Belarusians in 2016: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue and Western Samoa. Arrivals can be made upon arrival in Tuvalu, Palau and Nauru.