Socialization of foreigners in the Republic of Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is a unitary democratic social legal state. The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus of 1994, with amendments and additions adopted at the republican referendums on November 24, 1996, and October 17, 2004, is in force.

The national composition includes Belarusians (more than 80%), Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, Lithuanians, and representatives of other nationalities.

The official languages are Belarusian and Russian.

The national currency is the Belarusian ruble, the alphabetic code is BYN, the numeric code is 933 (before July 1, 2016, it was BYR, 974).

FOR REFERENCE:

Since July 1, 2016, the official currency of the Republic of Belarus has been subject to denomination, and the banknotes of the 2000 series are being replaced by banknotes and coins of the 2009 series until December 31, 2016, at the ratio of 10 thousand rubles of the 2000 series to 1 ruble of the 2009 series.

From July 1 to December 31, 2016, banknotes of the 2000 series and banknotes of the 2009 series are in parallel circulation and must be accepted for all types of payments without restrictions at the above-mentioned ratio.

The exchange of banknotes of the 2000 series for banknotes of the 2009 series is carried out without restrictions and without charging a fee from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019, at the National Bank, banks, and non-bank credit and financial organizations of the Republic of Belarus, and from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, at the National Bank.

Since July 1, 2016, 10,000 Belarusian rubles are equal to 1 ruble of the new series.

Samples of the new national currency of the Republic of Belarus as of July 1, 2016, and the ratio of banknotes are in APPENDIX 7.

The Republic of Belarus has six regions: Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev, Minsk.

The capital is Minsk, the largest cities are Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno, Brest.

The following public holidays are declared non-working days and celebrated in the Republic of Belarus:

All public holidays in Belarus can be viewed on the website: http://president.gov.by/ru/prazdniki_ru/.

The tourist potential of Belarus lies in the diversity and beauty of nature, the uniqueness of the historical and cultural heritage. The republic has more than 15 thousand objects of historical, cultural, and architectural significance, as well as memorable places associated with the names of outstanding figures in world history and culture.

Ecological tourism is actively developing in Belarus, and green routes are being developed in ecologically clean areas. Belarus has many national parks, clean lakes, and ski resorts in winter. At any time of the year, you can visit knight tournaments, folk festivals, various sports competitions, festivals, theaters, museums, and guided tours.

The tourist infrastructure in Belarus will allow you to stay comfortably and taste national dishes.

Special attention in Belarus is paid to the development of agro-ecotourism.

More detailed information about the tourist potential of Belarus can be found on the website: http://president.gov.by/ru/tourism_ru/.

The list of diplomatic missions and consular offices in the Republic of Belarus (as of June 2015) is in APPENDIX 4.

TRANSPORT IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

Railways and road transport are the main modes of transportation in the country.

Belarus has an electronic toll collection system called BelToll.

The toll is charged on the following sections of highways:

• M1/E30 Brest (Kozlovichi) – Minsk – border of the Russian Federation (Redki),
• M2 Minsk – National Airport Minsk (15 km – 42 km),
• M3 Minsk – Vitebsk (9 km – 41 km),
• M4 Minsk – Mogilev (16 km – 192 km),
• M5/E271 Minsk – Gomel (21 km – 130 km),
• M6 Shchuchin – Grodno (214 km – 287 km),
• M6/E28 Minsk – Grodno – border of Poland (Bruzgi) (12 km – 57 km),
• M7/E28 Minsk - Oshmyany - border of Lithuania (Kamenny Log) (57 km – 148 km),
• R1 Minsk – Dzerzhinsk (8 km – 35 km).

The use of the BelToll system is mandatory for drivers operating the following types of vehicles:

• vehicles registered outside the EAEU Customs Union (passenger cars and minibuses) with a technically permissible total weight of no more than 3.5 tons;
• other vehicles (trucks, buses, and RVs) with a technically permissible total weight of more than 3.5 tons.

Vehicles registered in the territories of the member states of the EAEU Customs Union (Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia) with a technically permissible total weight of no more than 3.5 tons are exempt from tolls.

More detailed information can be found on the website: http://www.beltoll.by/index.php .

FOR REFERENCE:

Toll road users (the owner (owner) of a vehicle or a person using a toll road and taking a direct part in road construction) are exempt from paying for travel on certain roads of the Republic of Belarus or on certain sections of them, including on sections of passage over bridges and other artificial structures (hereinafter referred to as toll roads). driving as a driver of a vehicle) using vehicles registered in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine with a technically permissible total weight of no more than 3.5 tons and trailers towed by them.

The use of a toll road is carried out by its users without concluding a contract for the use of a toll road, registering the vehicle in the electronic toll collection system in the mode of free multi-lane traffic for the passage of vehicles on certain roads of the Republic of Belarus and installing an electronic payment device on the vehicle.

The toll for the passage of vehicles on toll roads, which has been paid by toll road users since June 1, 2014, is non-refundable.

The fee for the passage of vehicles on toll roads in an increased amount based on the facts of travel on toll roads from June 1, 2014, paid by users of the toll road is subject to refund in accordance with the legislation.

(Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 420 dated 30.08.2014 "On the stay of Ukrainian citizens in the Republic of Belarus").

Railway transport.

The route network of railway transport within the country covers more than 2,100 settlements.

The train timetable in Belarus can be viewed on the website: http://www.rw.by/schedule/suburban /.

Tickets are available on domestic and international lines:

• personally at the ticket offices at the stations;
• order by phone (telephone number of the information desk – 105);
• Order online at: http://www.rw.by/passengers_services/information_services/tickets_order – with delivery (in Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev) and without delivery (to register at the checkout within the period specified by the operator);
• To purchase an electronic ticket, go to the address: http://poezd.rw.by/wps/portal/home/rp, paying for it via the Internet using a bank card, EasyPay, or WebMoney. If you have electronic registration, all you need to board the train is to show your passport.

Air Transport.

The National Airport "Minsk" receives international flights from different countries of the world. More detailed information can be found on the airport's website: http://airport.by.

Charter flights are also accepted at the operating airports of regional centers. In addition, there are regular flights from Gomel, Grodno, and Brest to the Russian city of Kaliningrad.

You can check the schedule and buy electronic air tickets on the website: http://aviakassa.by.

Urban Public Transport.

Types of urban public transport in the Republic of Belarus:

• buses (in almost all cities of the country, except for small ones, where you can get to the desired stop using intercity transport);
• trolleybuses (Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno, Brest, Bobruisk);
• trams (Minsk, Vitebsk, Mozyr, Novopolotsk);
• regular taxis (in Minsk and large cities).

Minsk has the only metro system in Belarus.

Payment for public transport is a travel ticket, which is purchased at the stop in "SoyuzPechat" kiosks, from the conductor, or from the driver and validated during the journey. A more universal way to pay for travel is to purchase travel documents for a period of ten days to a month for individual or all types of transport. Since 2014, an electronic fare payment system has been introduced in Minsk city transport.

You can also use taxi services in large cities.

TELECOMMUNICATION

The Republican Unitary Enterprise of Telecommunications "Beltelecom" is the leading telecommunications company in the territory of the Republic of Belarus (voice communication, data transmission, hosting, and a number of other services), its brands: byfly (high-speed Internet access) and ZALA (interactive and terrestrial television), website: http://www.beltelecom.by/.

In the Republic of Belarus, mobile telephone services are provided by three operator companies operating under the brands "MTS", "A1", "Life". Information about offers can be found on their websites:

LLC "Mobile TeleSystems" (MTS) - www.mts.by,

Unitary Enterprise "Velcom" (A1) - www.A1.by,

CJSC "Belarusian Telecommunications Network" (Life) - www.life.com.by.

Telecommunication services 3G (including up to 3.75G) are provided by Diallog, Life, A1, MTS, and Beltelecom in cooperation with MTS.