Belarus

Government advisories

• ☐ United States: level 4/4 — Level 4: Do Not Travel
• ☐ United Kingdom: level 4/4
• ☐ Canada: level 4/4 — Avoid all travel

Health notices

• ☐ Global Measles (level 1)
• ☐ Tap water: avoid — bottled/filtered only

Entry requirements

☐ Visitors to Belarus must obtain a visa from one of the Belarusian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.

Practical

• ☐ Plug type C/F, 230V — bring an adapter if yours differs
• ☐ Drives on the right
• ☐ Emergency (police): 102
• ☐ Emergency (ambulance): 103
• ☐ Emergency (fire): 101
• ☐ Money: The national currency is the New Belarusian Ruble, denoted as p (ISO code: BYN), also known as the "third ruble". The first post-Soviet ruble is debased by 1000 and basically worthless. The second (marked with series date 2000) is still exchangeable.

Laws that could get a tourist arrested

• ☐ Public conduct violations — Public drunkenness and using foul language in public are misdemeanors that result in fines or arrest.
• ☐ Photography restrictions — Taking photographs of government buildings and sensitive, often unmarked, areas can result in problems with authorities.
• ☐ Political criticism — Criticism of the government is illegal and carries heavy penalties. Authorities may inspect belongings if they suspect critical views.
• ☐ Protest participation — Attending political demonstrations is dangerous as bystanders may be detained by police and judges typically accept the police version of events.
• ☐ Pornography distribution — The distribution of pornography is prohibited by law, with cases of prosecution for posting explicit content on social media.

Before you go

General trip-prep, not specific to Belarus — the same short list applies anywhere.

• ☐ Register with your embassy's traveler program if one exists
• ☐ Check your passport's validity and blank-page requirements on your destination's official entry-rules page
• ☐ Photograph/screenshot your passport, visa, and travel insurance documents
• ☐ Download offline maps for your destination
• ☐ Confirm your bank/card issuer knows you're traveling
• ☐ Check whether your phone plan needs a travel add-on or a local SIM