The Governments of Russia and Belarus have signed a bilateral agreement on the mutual recognition of the visas issued by their respective immigration authorities. Under the agreement, foreign citizens can use any Belarussian visa to enter Russia (and vice versa) and stay in Russia for the duration authorized under the visa. The duration of stay is calculated from the date of arrival of the country that foreign citizens enter first. It is important to note that work visas allow employment activities only in the country that issued the visa.

Where foreign nationals require a visa to enter Russia, but not Belarus, they will still need to obtain the appropriate visa for their entry to Russia. For example, it is not possible to enter Belarus under a visa waiver and then enter Russia under the bilateral agreement.

Entry into Russia can be made at any airport of entry, but there are some restrictions for entry at certain land borders. The bilateral agreement does not provide for a mutual recognition of address registrations that will still need to be completed separately after arriving in Russia and Belarus.

For additional information on this topic, please contact our EMEA immigration team at emea@tandslaw.com.