MINSK, 25 July (BelTA) – Belarus' Ministry of Internal Affairs does not expect an increase in the number of offences following the launch of the 30-day visa waiver program, Vadim Zaboronok, the head of the citizenship and migration department at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, told a press briefing in BelTA's press center on 25 July.
“Since Decree. No. 8 on the visa-free travel came into force, we have seen mostly law-abiding citizens coming to Belarus. There has been a small number of offences, but they were mainly associated with the violation of the immigration laws. We do not see or project any risks in connection with the extension of the visa-free travel,” Vadim Zaboronok said.
Kuzma Lesnyak, the head of the border control division at the State Border Committee of Belarus, noted that the new rules will not affect the mode of operation of the border guards. Border crossing procedures for foreigners will remain the same. Visa-free visitors must fly in or out of the Minsk National Airport. “Border patrol agencies are ready for the flow of foreign visitors," said Kuzma Lesnyak.
Terms and conditions apply the same: foreign visitors must carry a valid passport or substituting document for traveling abroad; assets (equivalent to at least two base amounts for each day of stay, or 50 base amounts for a 30-day stay); medical insurance in the amount of at least €10,000. “During passport exit checks, border authorities will check if a foreigner has registered with the police upon arrival,” Kuzma Lesnyak said.
According to the State Border Committee, since the launch of Decree No.8 on the five-day visa-free regime Belarus has welcomed 131,039 visa-free tourists. Mostly these were visitors from Germany (almost 21,000), Poland (12,600), Italy (11,500), the UK (8,800) and the United States (8,300).
