Belarus & Russia: agreement on mutual recognition of visas close to effectuation
We inform you that the process of ratifying the agreement on mutual recognition of visas between the governments of Russia and Belarus is completed on 1 February 2023.
The agreement is to take force in 30 days from the receipt of the relevant notification by the Belarusian party, that is, not earlier than in March 2023.
Intermark comment
The imminent signing of this agreement was announced back in 2017, but the timeframes of signing and ratification have been repeatedly postponed. The agreement was eventually signed by the parties in Minsk on 19 June 2020. Belarus, for its part, ratified the agreement in December 2020. Now the necessary procedures have been completed on the Russian part as well.
The agreement will allow nationals of third countries to enter and stay in Belarus on Russian visas and vice versa, and to cross the land border between Russia and Belarus – something, which is not allowed yet due to the absence of international checkpoints on that border.
We will inform you about the exact date of entry of the agreement into force and its main provisions accordingly.