Free Minsk Travel

From Belta.BY:
"Belarus introduces five-day visa-free regime for citizens of 80 countries"

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 8 “On the introduction of the visa-free entry and departure for foreign citizens” on 9 January, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader. The document introduces the visa-free entry through the border checkpoint at the Minsk National Airport and the visa-free stay in Belarus for up to 5 days for the citizens of 80 states.

These are 39 countries of Europe, including the entire European Union, Brazil, Indonesia, the USA, Japan, and other countries. First of all, these are favorable countries in terms of migration, Belarus' strategic partners which have introduced visa-free regimes for Belarusian citizens on a unilateral basis. New regulations also apply to the non-citizens of Latvia and stateless persons of Estonia. The document aims to raise the number of business trips, tourism and private visits of people with regular passports and will not apply to foreigners on official trips with diplomatic, service, special and similar passports. A valid passport or other document permitting foreign travels, money (equivalent to at least two base amounts for each day of stay in the foreign currency or Belarusian rubles), medical insurance in the amount of at least €10,000 operational in Belarus will be needed for the visa-free entry. The citizens of Vietnam, Haiti, Gambia, Honduras, India, China, Lebanon, Namibia, Samoa should also have a valid multi-visa to the EU states or the Schengen Area with a mark confirming the entry to their territory, plane tickets with a confirmation of the departure from the Minsk National Airport within 5 days after the date of the entry. The visa-free regime does not apply to people arriving to Belarus by plane from Russia and planning to go to the airports of Russia (these are internal flights with no border control).  The decree will enter into force in a month after its official publication.

^ This starts next month. Hopefully it will help Belarus rejoin the international community after years of self and internationally-imposed isolation. 5 days doesn't seem like long enough especially to travel from the US or  Canada. It should at least have been a week. ^

http://eng.belta.by/president/view/belarus-introduces-five-day-visa-free-regime-for-citizens-of-80-countries-97763-2017/