Belarus to introduce visa-free policy for8k8 bet 35 European countries

MINSK - Belarus will introduce a visa-free policy for 35 European countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on its official website on Wednesday.

The policy will take effect on Friday, July 19, and will last until Dec 31, 2024, according to the statement.

Citizens of the 35 countries, including members of the European Union and the United Kingdom, can stay in Belarus for 30 days at a time without a visa.

The statement said that in order to further demonstrate Belarus's commitment to openness, peace and good neighborliness, and to simplify personnel exchanges, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko supports citizens of 35 European countries to temporarily enter and stay in Belarus through road and rail checkpoints without a visa.

According to the State Border Committee of Belarus, the visa-free policy for citizens of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia entering Belarus that has taken effect since 2022, will be now extended to citizens of 35 other European countries. The visa-free policy can be used multiple times, and shall not exceed 90 days within a year.

This policy does not apply to holders of special passports such as diplomatic and official passports.